Healthy Start School-Linked Services Initiative, California Department of Education

The Healthy Start Initiative was enacted by a bill passed by the California State Legislature to address the needs of children and families in the school community. Under this legislation, the state provides planning and program grants to local school districts that wish to establish school-linked servies at or near school sites. California school districts, county offices of education, and collaborative partners apply for Healthy Start funds from the Interagency Children and Youth Services Division of the California Department of Education.

Through Healthy Start funds, schools develop collaborative partnerships with local health and service agencies. The coordinator of the collaborative has the responsibility of facilitating the school-linked services at the school and obtaining funds. Often the coordinator is a school or district administrator, but sometimes the responsibilities are split between two persons. The support of the principal, the involvement of parents in planning and decision making, and the participation of teachers in the initial design and administration of the services are considered to be essential to the success of the program.

There is no single model for the types of services offered at schools through the Healthy Start Initiative. Rather, local collaboratives design a specific program to fit the needs of children and families in the community. Available services range from basic needs (food, clothing, shelter) to family support (parenting education and child care) to health and medical care to tutoring, dropout prevention, and job training.

According to the California Department of Education (1997), the goals of the Healthy Start program are as follows:

• "Creating learning environments that are optimally responsive to the physical, emotional, and intellectual needs of each child.

• Fostering local interagency collaboration and communication to more efficiently and effectively deliver education and support services to children and their families.

• Encouraging the full use of existing agencies, professional personnel, and public and private funds to ensure that children of all ages are ready and able to learn, and to prevent duplication of services and unnecessary expenditures.

• Building on the strengths of children and families, and providing and enhancing opportunities for parents and children to be participants, decision-makers, and leaders in their communities."

For more information, refer to the following sources:

• Healthy Start Office: School-Linked Services (California Department of Education, 1997)