U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 
Administration for Children and Families 
Administration on Children, Youth and Families 
Head Start Bureau
 

Helping Children Affected By 
Substance Abuse:

A Manual for the Head Start Management Team

HEAD START SUBSTANCE ABUSE CIRCLE OF CAPACITIES

INTRODUCTION
Case 1: Where Do We Go From Here?

CHAPTER I: COMMON QUESTIONS AND HONEST ANSWERS
Common Questions and Honest Answers
Research Across the Disciplines: The Clues It Provides
   Effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol
   Effects of prenatal exposure to other drugs
   Effects of living in at-risk families and/or communities

Head Start's Potential for Supporting Children at Risk

CHAPTER II: STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING
CORE SERVICES TO CHILDREN
Provide Multiple Years of Head Start for Some Children
   Background and Benefits
   Strategies and Steps

Case 2: Enrolling Vulnerable Families

Carry Out Mixed-Aged Grouping
   Background and Benefits
   Strategies and Steps
Modify Staff-to-Child Ratio and Class Size
   Background and Benefits
   Strategies and Steps
Bring Outside Specialists into the Class
   Background and Benefits
    Strategies and Steps

Case 3: Whose Classroom is This, Anyway?

Minimize Daily Transitions and Distractions
   Background and Benefits
   Strategies and Steps
Conduct Effective On-Going Classroom Assessment
   Background and Benefits
   Strategies and Steps
Support Parents' Involvement in Their Children's Development
   Background and Benefits
   Strategies and Steps

CHAPTER III: STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING PROGRAM SUPPORT
Facilitate Program Transitions
   Components of Effective Transition Planning

Enrich Staff Capacity Through Training
   Key Training Topics
   Define Training Needs
   Select Workshop Leaders

Provide Constructive Supervision
   Schedule Opportunities for Supervision
   Create a Context for Staff to Construct New Knowledge
   Use Supervisory Sessions to Translate On-Going Classroom Assessment into Curricula
Consider Personality Characteristics When Hiring New Staff
   Identify the Characteristics of a Good Teacher for Your Program
   Find Out How Teachers Will Teach

Review and Adapt Existing Program Policies
   Confidentiality Policy
   Staff Safety Policy
   Policy on Release of Children
   Crisis Planning~ and Management Policy
Promote Interagency Collaboration
   Identify Potential Partners
   Open a Dialogue with Other Agencies
   Promote Head Start's Contributions
   Develop Written Interagency Agreements

Case 4: Working with Migrant Families: Lessons for Head Start at Large

CHAPTER IV: ESTABLISHING PROGRAM PRIORITIES

Felicia Roberts's Priorities and Changes: Case Commentaries
   Commentary No. 1: Head Start Director
   Commentary No.2: Early Childhood Specialist

Selecting Interventions

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

EXHIBITS
   Exhibit 1-Checklist: Adapting A Physical World for Children
   Exhibit 2-A Teacher Qualities Questionnaire
   Exhibit 3-Situational Questions-A Tool for Learning About Candidates' Characteristics
   Exhibit 4-A Checklist for Developing a Crisis Plan
   Exhibit 5-Identifying Community Resources-A Worksheet
   Exhibit 6-Improving Core Services to Children-A Worksheet
   Exhibit 7-Improving Program Support-A Worksheet

HEAD START SUBSTANCE ABUSE CIRCLE OF CAPACITIES
The content of this manual addresses the shaded areas in the circle.

THE HEAD START
SUBSTANCE ABUSE CIRCLE OF CAPACITIES

In order to help families who are involved with the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, as well as those who are at risk of involvement, Head Start programs need to develop a continuum of services, as illustrated in the Head Start Substance Abuse Circle of Capacities. This continuum encompasses four major areas: (1) Staff Preparation and Support; (2) Family Prevention and Wellness; (3) Early Intervention, Referral and Support; and (4) Community Collaboration and Partnerships.
1. Staff Preparation and Support
Fundamental to any Head Start program is staff preparation and support, to enhance staff ability to meet the needs of Head Start families and children. Roles and responsibilities of the Management Team in this area include:

2. Family Prevention and Wellness
Another key element of Head Start programs is enhancing family wellness and preventing the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs through the development and support of family resiliency. Toward this end, the Management Team has the following roles and responsibilities: 3. Early Intervention, Referral and Support
Early intervention is the third major component of Head Start programs. Staff development focuses on helping families to identify substance abuse issues, making referrals for treatment and other services, and supporting families as they recover. Management Team roles and responsibilities include: 4. Community Collaboration and Partnerships
The fourth main component of Head Start is community collaboration and partnerships. Programs pro mote collaboration strategies by developing partnerships with family support networks and treatment resources. Roles and responsibilities of the Management Team include:  

Head Start grantees need to develop and sustain each of these elements in the Circle of Capacities as part of their ongoing programs. A Head Start grantee can enter the circle at any point that seems appropriate and that matches its current interests and needs. Once a grantee enters the circle, it is helpful to assess needs and capacities around the circle in order to develop those roles and responsibilities which currently may be missing from the program.

This manual addresses the following elements, which appear shaded in the Head Start Substance Abuse Circle of Capacities:

  • Early Intervention, Referral and Support (support for child, teamwork with families, and support for families);
  • Staff Preparation and Support (awareness, training and education, and supervision and support); and
  • Community Collaboration and Partnerships (Collaboration and Coordination).


    • INTRODUCTION

    Many children enrolled in Head Start are affected by issues of substance abuse. They may live in families or neighborhoods where abuse of alcohol and other drugs is prevalent, or they themselves may have been prenatally exposed to substances. Whatever the source of their involvement with substance abuse, these children are likely to be under severe stress and in need of extra support. They may also require careful attention regarding potential or actual learning needs and behavioral challenges.

    The purpose of this manual is to provide technical assistance to the Head Start grantee management team; it offers information and strategies for supporting staff who work with children affected by substance abuse. This manual is a companion to the following Head Start materials: (1) "Supporting Substance-Abusing Families: A Technical Assistance Manual for the Head Start Management Team"; (2) the video "Risk and Reality: Teaching Children Affected By Substance Abuse" and its companion training guide for classroom teams; and (3) "Responding to Children Under Stress," a skill-based training guide for classroom teams.

    This manual was developed for all members of the Head Start management team: the director; component coordinators, including those involved with disabilities services; the chairperson of the Policy Council; and key management staff from the Head Start program. It is designed to meet the needs of both urban and rural grantees, as well as those of varying size.

    The manual provides:

    · The most current information available on what is known about children with challenging behavior and learning needs, whether related to prenatal exposure or to the stress of living in families or communities involved with abuse of alcohol and other drugs;

    · Encouraging news about the developmental potential of children at risk, including children who already display significant behavior and learning challenges; and

    · Strategies to bring about change and improvements-both by increasing the effectiveness of local programs and advocating for needed community changes with local and regional policymakers.

    HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL

    The information and technical assistance provided in this manual are well-suited to group discussion. All members of the management team are encouraged to read the chapters and discuss the ideas presented as they relate to their particular program.

    Chapter 1 presents general information on:

    · Children affected by substance abuse;

    · The impact of children's families and communities on their behavior;

    · The developmental and educational possibilities for children at risk; and

    · How the basic Head Start model lends itself to enhancing these possibilities.

    Chapter 2 highlights effective strategies for improving core services, including:

    · Seven recommended interventions that will improve services for children;

    · Practical steps that the management team and Policy Council can take to modify a local program;

    · Examples of effective innovations developed by local Head Start programs;

    · Suggestions for building better links among education, family service, and parent involvement staff;

    · Roles that all Head Start staff can play in establishing connections with vulnerable families and supporting them; and

    · Suggestions for involving parents/caregivers as primary educators of their children.

    Chapter 3 describes ways to improve program support, including:

    · Facilitating program transitions;

    · Designing staff training to increase staff capacity in working with children and families affected by substance abuse;

    · Strengthening staff capacity through supervision;

    · Considering key issues when hiring new. staff;

    · Amending or strengthening program policies; and

    · Finding new partners in the community to meet new family needs.

    Chapter 4 discusses program priorities, including:

    · Suggestions from expert practitioners on addressing program challenges;

    · Options to consider in allocating resources; and

    · Tools to use in analyzing the investment needed to implement recommended strategies.

    CASE 1: Where Do We Go From Here?

    The following case illustrates the types of situations that Head Start staff and managers have en countered in serving many children who have been affected by family substance abuse. It also serves to highlight many of the specific issues that will be addressed in this manual. The case content is real, but the names have been changed. Questions for the management team are included to guide the reader's thinking and suggest links to situations in local programs.
    Head Start Director Felicia Roberts listened as the teacher described Leon, a child who had entered the classroom six weeks ago.

    "I'd have to say he is not settling down yet," said Carolyn, the teacher. "He can't seem to get into any thing, in terms of playing. But whenever we have to shift gears, like during cleanup and getting ready for lunch, he throws a fit. Not even a fight, really; he just hauled off and slugged the other kid, who wasn't even doing anything-only standing nearby, close to the blocks Leon was playing with."

    "What about his language?" Felicia asked. "Does he listen when you're reading stories? Does he talk to you?"

    "He listens, for a while." Carolyn shrugged. "One of those kids, though. He hates to be touched-even his grandmother says so. There are language problems there, sure. We need to have him evaluated. Too bad Marianna isn't here anymore. She was good with those kids. Well, gotta get back. Thanks-I know how busy you are. But it's a help to get someone to listen."

    Managing a mid-size, urban program (200 children and a management team that includes the director and three other full-time coordinators), Felicia kept her door open nearly all the time. But now she closed it. Ten minutes only, she told herself, as she propped her head in her hands and shut her eyes. Carolyn was right: they needed to get more help with language. Marianna hadn't been a language specialist, but she had had more recent training than some of the teachers and a real interest in language development.

    There were more and more children like Leon-children who had problems with language. Sometimes the problem was something like fluctuating hearing loss. Often, though, the evaluation confirmed that it was not a clear-cut "language problem," but some other underlying problem that showed up as a delay in language. The referrals for evaluations kept increasing (and so did the delays in getting the diagnosis). Felicia really needed a speech and language therapist to come into the program; but not all the children who needed services would be eligible for Medicaid, and the market rate for non-Medicaid specialists had gone up from $21.50 to $40 an hour in one year.

    Felicia's thoughts went back to Carolyn and the other teachers like her. Listen! Of course she'd listen. But she had to find new ways to help them, especially if the teachers didn't feel they were getting the support they needed from the coordinators. She'd seen what could happen when staff grew really discouraged. And they were going to need more specific kinds of training. "Those kids," Carolyn had called them, as if they were all the same. As much as Felicia urged the staff to resist labeling children in her program, the shorthand kept creeping in. She picked up a pad of paper and a pencil. Out loud she said, "OK. Where do we go from here?"

    STUDY QUESTIONS FOR THE MANAGEMENT TEAM ·What are the issues Felicia Roberts is facing?
    ·What possible steps can she take?
    ·What would you do first? What information would you need to collect before you were ready to act? What resources do you have? What new ones do you need?


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