Intermediate School District and Head Start Agencies Memorandum of Understanding

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Template
Head Start Agencies + Intermediate School Districts

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

1. About this Sample Language
2. Using this Sample MOU
3. Shared Resources and Local Collaboration
4. Continuous Improvement

  2. Sample Language

1. Purpose and Shared Goals
2. Guiding Principles
3. Recruitment, Eligibility, & Enrollment
4. Data
5. Transition to Kindergarten
6. Family Engagement
7. Staffing and Professional Development
8. Ongoing Partnership

INTRODUCTION

About this Sample Language

This document provides sample Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) language to support collaboration between Head Start Agencies and Intermediate School Districts (ISDs) as they develop locally responsive agreements. Recognizing that partnerships vary based on community needs, organizational structures, and local practices, this document is intended to serve as a resource rather than a required template. The sample language is designed to be adapted to reflect local circumstances while maintaining alignment with applicable federal, state, and program requirements.

Language included throughout this document was developed through a collaborative process involving representatives from across Michigan's early childhood system, including Head Start program directors, ISD Early Childhood Consultants, Great Start Readiness Program Coordinators, and other early childhood leaders and partners. Their expertise and practical experience informed the development of language intended to reflect both regulatory expectations and effective local partnership practices. Multiple language options are provided throughout the document to recognize the diversity of local contexts and to support communities in selecting or adapting language that best reflects their partnership.

Using this Sample MOU

This sample MOU is organized by broad categories that partners can adapt to their local circumstances. Each organization remains responsible for understanding and fulfilling the statutory, regulatory, funding, and program requirements applicable to its own program, while also developing a general understanding of the requirements governing its partner organization to support effective collaboration.

As partners develop their local agreement, they should review Section 642(e)(5)(A) of the Head Start Act. This provision calls for an MOU with the appropriate local entity responsible for publicly funded preschool programs that reviews the following activities and includes plans to coordinate them, as appropriate:

1. Educational activities, curriculum goals, and instruction;
2. Public information and access to programs for families;
3. Priorities for selecting eligible children;
4. Program service areas;
5. Staff training, including opportunities for joint training;
6. Program technical assistance;
7. Additional services for working parents, where applicable;
8. Communication and parent outreach to support kindergarten transitions;
9. Facilities, transportation, and other program resources; and
10. Other elements the partners mutually agree to address.

Organizations are encouraged to review the full list as they adapt the MOU; add locally specific coordination plans where appropriate; and to consult with their own legal counsel and other appropriate leadership when developing, reviewing, or executing an MOU to ensure the final agreement reflects local circumstances and complies with all applicable laws, regulations, and program guidance. Nothing in this sample language supersedes or replaces applicable federal or state law, regulation, grant conditions, or program requirements.

Shared Resources and Local Collaboration

Successful partnerships often extend beyond coordinated planning to include collaboration around facilities, transportation, instructional materials, professional expertise, and other shared resources. These arrangements are locally determined and should reflect the capacity, priorities, and mutual agreement of the participating organizations, and may come in the form of a memorandum of understanding, a contract, a data sharing agreement, or another type of signed agreement. Any shared resource arrangements should comply with applicable licensing, funding, health and safety, and program requirements and should clearly define local roles and responsibilities.

Continuous Improvement

This sample language is intended to support partnerships that evolve alongside community needs, program implementation, and changes in policy or regulation. Organizations are encouraged to regularly review both their MOU and the effectiveness of their collaborative practices, identify opportunities for improvement, and make revisions as appropriate to strengthen coordinated services for children and families.

 SAMPLE LANGUAGE

Purpose and Shared Goals

The Head Start Agency and the Intermediate School District (ISD) enter into this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a coordinated partnership and strengthen collaboration in early childhood to improve access, quality, and outcomes for children and families. The goals of this partnership are to:

• Ensure that every eligible child has equitable access to a high-quality preschool experience that best meets their needs through coordinated recruitment, enrollment, and service delivery.
• Collaborate to maximize the use of federal and state dollars.
• Foster strong communication, clearly defined roles, and shared decision-making between partners to support coordinated implementation.
• Coordinate recruitment, eligibility determination, enrollment, and transitions to provide a seamless experience for families.
• Leverage shared resources and local partnerships to increase efficiency and improve services.
• Support children's development, school readiness, and lifelong success by meeting the diverse strengths, cultures, languages, and needs of the communities served.

Guiding Principles

This partnership is grounded in the following principles:

• Maintain a collaborative partnership that recognizes every eligible child deserves equitable access to comprehensive early learning experiences that foster school readiness and long-term success.
• Coordinate efforts in accordance with applicable federal and state statutes, regulations, policies, and guidance governing Head Start Agencies and the Great Start Readiness Program.
• Reflect research, data, and evidence-informed practices to guide planning, implementation, and continuous quality improvement in all decisions and strategies.
• Honor the diverse strengths, cultures, priorities, and needs of their communities to ensure local partnerships are most effective.
• Foster active engagement among early childhood providers, community partners, and other stakeholders to strengthen the local, integrated early childhood system of support.
• Promote shared leadership, open communication, mutual respect, and collective responsibility as the foundation of coordinated service delivery.

The parties share responsibility for coordinated enrollment practices to maximize the use of available Head Start and Great Start Readiness Program resources and ensure families are provided with a coordinated, transparent, and family-centered experience. The parties will work together to ensure families have information about all available preschool options and are supported in making an informed choice about the program that best meets their child’s strengths, needs, and circumstances. The parties will:

• Collaboratively develop annual recruitment strategies informed by community needs assessments, demographic trends, and local enrollment data.
• Coordinate outreach, messaging, and community partnerships to reach underserved populations and reduce barriers to participation.
• Establish shared enrollment calendars and maintain shared processes for reviewing enrollment capacity, waiting lists, referrals, and placement decisions to maximize utilization of available federal and state resources.
• Use enrollment information to identify service gaps, geographic access challenges, barriers to enrollment, and opportunities to improve availability of preschool services throughout the community.
• Review countywide enrollment trends, recruitment outcomes, and partnership effectiveness annually to inform planning for future program years.
• Continuously refine coordinated recruitment and enrollment practices to strengthen equity, improve family access, and support an integrated early childhood system.

Data

The parties recognize data as a shared resource for strengthening partnerships, informing community planning, and continuously improving outcomes for children and families. The parties agree to:

• Develop mutually agreed-upon processes for the secure exchange and use of information consistent with applicable confidentiality requirements.
• Share enrollment, participation, referral, and transition information necessary to support coordinated planning and service delivery.
• Analyze local data to identify geographic service gaps, underserved populations, barriers to access, classroom capacity needs, and opportunities to expand equitable access to preschool services.
• Collaborate to reduce unnecessary duplication of data collection, reporting, and family information requests while maintaining compliance with each program's reporting requirements.
• Utilize shared data to monitor enrollment trends, waiting lists, referrals, and kindergarten transitions.
• Establish clear expectations regarding data access, user permissions, and responsibilities for maintaining data quality.
• Review local data regularly to improve coordination, strengthen decision-making, and enhance services for children and families.

Transition to Kindergarten

Intentional planning, communication, and collaboration among educators, families, and receiving schools contribute to successful kindergarten transitions and continuity of learning. While each program has distinct transition requirements, the parties are committed to working together to support children's successful transition into kindergarten. The parties agree to:

• Promote coordinated transition efforts that support children and families.
• Encourage communication and collaboration among educators, families, and receiving schools, as appropriate.
• Support continuity of learning across early childhood and elementary settings.
• Share information regarding transition opportunities, expectations, and child records, when appropriate, with family consent and in accordance with applicable privacy laws.
• Foster positive transition experiences and collaborate to reduce barriers for children and families.
• Encourage local partnerships to develop transition practices that reflect community needs and available resources.
   

  Family Engagement

Families are essential partners in children's learning, development, and successful transitions across early childhood settings. The parties are committed to fostering meaningful family engagement through collaborative, family-centered practices that strengthen partnerships, promote consistent communication, and support positive outcomes for children and families. The parties agree to:

• Coordinate communication with families whenever feasible to provide consistent messaging and reduce duplication of efforts.
• Share information regarding enrollment, transitions, developmental resources, educational opportunities, community supports, and other services available to families.
• Collaborate on family engagement activities, workshops, and educational opportunities, when appropriate.
• Promote culturally and linguistically responsive communication and foster welcoming, inclusive environments that value the diverse strengths and experiences of families.
• Encourage meaningful family participation in children's learning, transitions, and other opportunities for engagement, including leadership and shared decision-making, when appropriate.
• Seek opportunities to gather family feedback to strengthen partnerships and continuously improve family engagement practices.

Staffing and Professional Development

Intentional collaboration among educators strengthens program quality, promotes continuity of learning, and supports positive outcomes for children and families. The parties are committed to fostering ongoing professional learning and collaboration that builds shared understanding while respecting each program's unique requirements and local capacity. The parties agree to:

• Facilitate intentional opportunities for cross-program professional learning and collaboration throughout the year, as feasible.
• Share information regarding professional development opportunities and other relevant learning experiences.
• Promote understanding of each program's standards, instructional practices, and developmentally appropriate, effective practices.
• Encourage collaboration among educators across programs and within teams through opportunities to observe, collaborate, plan, and learn together, when locally appropriate.
• Share technical assistance, resources, and promising practices that support continuous improvement.
• Foster relationship-building among staff to strengthen communication, collaboration, and coordinated support for children and families.
• Periodically identify shared professional learning priorities to support ongoing collaboration and continuous improvement.

Ongoing Partnership

Strong partnerships require ongoing communication, shared learning, and intentional collaboration. The parties are committed to maintaining a collaborative relationship that is responsive to the evolving needs of children, families, programs, and communities. The parties agree to:

• Maintain regular communication to support implementation of this Memorandum of Understanding.
• Review the partnership periodically to celebrate successes, identify opportunities for improvement, and strengthen collaboration.
• Consider available data, stakeholder feedback, and community priorities when identifying opportunities to improve coordinated services.
• Align collaborative efforts with local community plans, strategic priorities, and organizational goals when appropriate.