Read Me First

This site has been developed by the WV Early Childhood Transition Steering Committee to help local teams develop early childhood interagency agreements along with collaborative procedures for implementing those agreements.

• Interagency Agreement - The agreement addresses the "what" of the interagency collaboration, stating overall policies and/or principles for the team's collaboration. It does NOT describe the specifics of " how " the team will actually implement the policies and principles in the agreement. This is a document to which the entire team agrees.
• Collaborative Procedures - These procedures describe the specifics of "how" the team will actually implement particular policies and principles in the agreement. The how will address what needs to be done, who will do it, timelines, and any applicable forms or resources that the team will use in implementing the procedure. The team will determine which procedures it needs and which agencies on the team need to be involved in these procedures. For example, the team will need procedures for different kinds of transitions. The agencies involved with collaborative procedures for transition out of WV Birth to Three and into Preschool Special Education Services through the public schools will not necessarily be the same as those involved in procedures for the transition of children into and out of Universal Pre-K.

This site provides materials as identified below which you can click to access the following:

1. Orientation - Use this PowerPoint presentation to get oriented to this site. Or click here to download this presentation to use with your team or other interested groups.
2. Strategies For Team Use - This webpage provides ideas for how teams can use this site and its resource materials to develop local early childhood interagency agreements and collaborative procedures.
3. Templates - This webpage provides templates, samples and instructions for developing local early childhood interagency agreements and collaborative procedures that can be adapted as desired to meet local needs.
   • Template for Local Early Childhood Interagency Agreement provides required and suggested wording that teams can use to address the following:
     • Section I - Purpose, Guiding Principles and Goals of This Community Collaboration
     • Section II - Participating Organizations with Contact Persons
     • Section III - Applicable Legal Requirements
     • Section IV - Areas of Agreement
       • Collaboration Area: Public Awareness, Child Find, and Screening Activities
       • Collaboration Area: Quality Services for ALL Children
       • Collaboration Area: Transition and Continuity
       • Collaboration Area: Family Involvement and Support
       • Collaboration Area: Confidentiality
       • Collaboration Area: Resource Sharing
       • Collaboration Area: Personnel Standards and Professional Development
       • Collaboration Area: Data Collection and Sharing
       • Collaboration Area: Other
     • Section V - Mechanisms for Coordinating Agreement Implementation, Decision-Making and Dispute Resolution
     • Section VI - Monitoring, Evaluation and Program Improvement
     • Section VII - Agreement Effective Date, Renewal, Amendment and Termination
     • Section VIII - Signatures
   • Template for Collaborative Procedures This provides a template with a chart format for developing collaborative procedures for implementing the various collaboration areas addressed in the interagency agreement.
   • Collaborative Procedures For Transitions into and out of the WV Pre-K System This is a sample of how collaborative procedures can be developed using a chart format provided on the Template for Collaborative Procedures that can be accessed on this site.
   • Transition Procedures From Part C To Part B Under The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) This is a sample of how collaborative procedures can be developed using a narrative format.
   • Transition Procedures From Part C To Early Head Start/Head Start This is a sample of how collaborative procedures can be developed using a narrative format.
   • Template for Resource Sharing This is a template in a chart format for articulating resources to be shared by each of the participating agencies. It can be used or modified to address local circumstances. For example, this Resource Sharing Agreement Template can be used as a tool for planning resource sharing that can then be formalized as contracts pursuant to WV Board of Education Policy 2525.
4. Products - This webpage provides linkages to products developed by the WV Early Childhood Transition Steering Committee and agencies represented on this committee that support the adoption of local early childhood interagency policies, procedures and practice. These products are valuable resources that local teams can using in researching legal requirements and/or effective practice.
5. WV Early Childhood Transition Steering Committee - This webpage provides an explanation of this state level committee and its local counterpart, often referred to as local TADPOLE teams.