ENHANCED PARENT INVOLVEMENT AND TRANSITION COORDINATION WITH SCHOOLS.

SEC. 109. ENHANCED PARENT INVOLVEMENT AND TRANSITION COORDINATION WITH SCHOOLS. Section 642 (42 U.S.C. 9837) is amended— (1) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows: “(b) In order to be so designated, a Head Start agency shall also— “(1) establish effective procedures by which parents and area residents concerned will be enabled to directly participate in decisions that influence the character of programs affecting their interests; “(2) provide for their regular participation in the implementation of such programs; “(3) provide technical and other support needed to enable parents and area residents to secure on their own behalf avail-able assistance from public and private sources; “(4) seek the involvement of parents of participating children in activities designed to help such parents become full partners in the education of their children, and to afford such parents the opportunity to participate in the development, conduct, and overall performance of the program at the local level; “(5) offer (directly or through referral to local entities, such as entities carrying out Even Start programs under part B of chapter 1 of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2741 et seq.)), to parents of participating children, family literacy services and parenting skills training; “(6) at the option of such agency, offer (directly or through referral to local entities), to such parents— 108 STAT. 635 “(A) training in basic child development; “(B) assistance in developing communication skills; “(C) opportunities to share experiences with other parents; “(D) substance abuse counseling; “(E) regular in-home visitation; or “(F) any other activity designed to help such parents become full partners in the education of their children; “(7) provide, with respect to each participating family, a family needs assessment that includes consultation with such parents about the benefits of parent involvement and about the activities described in paragraphs (4) through (6) in which such parents may choose to be involved (taking into consideration their specific family needs, work schedules, and other responsibilities); “(8) consider providing services to assist younger siblings of children participating in its Head Start program to obtain health services from other sources; and “(9) perform community outreach to encourage individuals previously unaffiliated with Head Start programs to participate in its Head Start program as volunteers.”; (2) in subsection (c)— (A) by striking “schools that will subsequently serve children in Head Start programs,”; and (B) by inserting “, including Even Start programs under part B of chapter 1 of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2741 et seq.),” after “other programs”; and (3) by adding after subsection (c) the following new subsection: “(d) (1) Each Head Start agency shall carry out the actions specified in this subsection, to the extent feasible and appropriate in the circumstances (including the extent to which such agency is able to secure the cooperation of parents and schools) to enable children to maintain the developmental gains achieved in Head Start programs and to build upon such gains in further schooling. “(2) The Head Start agency shall take steps to coordinate with the local educational agency serving the community involved and with schools in which children participating in a Head Start program operated by such agency will enroll following such pro-gram, including— “(A) developing and implementing a systematic procedure for transferring, with parental consent, Head Start program records for each participating child to the school in which such child will enroll; “(B) establishing channels of communication between Head Start staff and their counterparts in the schools (including teachers, social workers, and health staff) to facilitate coordination of programs; “(C) conducting meetings involving parents, kindergarten or elementary school teachers, and Head Start program teachers to discuss the developmental and other needs of individual children; and “(D) organizing and participating in joint transition-related training of school staff and Head Start staff. “(3) A Head Start agency may take steps to coordinate with the local educational agency serving the community involved and 108 STAT. 636with schools in which children participating in a Head Start program operated by such agency will enroll following such program, including— “(A) collaborating on the shared use of transportation and facilities; and “(B) exchanging information on the provision of noneducational services to such children. “(4) In order to promote the continued involvement of the parents of children that participate in Head Start programs in the education of their children upon transition to school, the Head Start agency shall— “(A) provide training to the parents— “(i) to inform the parents about their rights and responsibilities concerning the education of their children; and “(ii) to enable the parents to understand and work with schools in order to communicate with teachers and other school personnel, to support the school work of their children, and to participate as appropriate in decisions relating to the education of their children; and “(B) take other actions, as appropriate and feasible, to support the active involvement of the parents with schools, school personnel, and school-related organizations. “(5) The Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary of Education, shall— “(A) evaluate the effectiveness of the projects and activities funded under the Head Start Transition Project Act (42 U.S.C. 9855 et seq.); “(B) disseminate to Head Start agencies information (including information from the evaluation required by subparagraph (A)) on effective policies and activities relating to the transition of children from Head Start programs to public schools; and “(C) provide technical assistance to such agencies to promote and assist such agencies to adopt and implement such effective policies and activities.”.