Attachment A. TOC for Study of EHS-CCP

Theory of Change for the
Study of EHS-Child Care Partnerships

Partnership
Grantees

Child Care
Partners

A
ct

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ut
Inp

tie

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iv i

Early Head Start-child
care partnerships provide
coordinated, high
quality, comprehensive
services to low-income
infants and toddlers and
their families

Outcomes
Systems
Partners

Families

Partnership Programs:
Partnership Development

Partnership Grantees

• Partnership grantees actively recruit partners and
child care providers express interest in partnering
Partners jointly:
• Discuss and clarify partnership expectations
• Develop partnership agreements (contract, MOU),
including funding arrangements

• Partnership grantee type and prior service
delivery experience
• Program size
• Motivation to partner and readiness to change
• Attitudes toward and experience with
collaboration
• Knowledge and linkages to community
child care providers
• Qualified staff to provide QI support
to child care providers

Partnership Programs:
Partnership Operation

• Child care partner type (family child care
or center), size, and regulatory status
• Hours of operation
• Age range of children served; ability to
care for sibling groups
• Child care partner experience and staff
credentials
• Motivation to partner and readiness to change
• Attitudes toward and experience with
collaboration
• Openness to complying with the HSPPS
• Participation in QRIS or other QI initiatives

Families

• Socioeconomic and demographic
characteristics
• Child care needs and preferences
(family configuration, work schedules,
transportation, culture, language)
• Motivation to participate in partnership
programs
• Eligibility for EHS and CCDF subsidies

Systems Partners

AC T I V I T I E S

INPUTS

Child Care Partners

Partners jointly:
• Assess strengths and needs of each partner
• Develop QI plans to achieve HSPPS compliance
• Seek other QI opportunities
• Monitor implementation of QI plans and
HSPPS compliance
• Facilitate networking among infant-toddler
service providers
• Assess partnership quality
• Regular communication to ensure continuity
of care and smooth transitions for children
• Recruit and enroll families
• Implement family partnership agreements; provide
families with comprehensive services and referrals
• Provide flexible, high-quality child care that meets
families’ needs
• Facilitate continuity of care and transitions
between settings
• Provide direct QI support and supplemental
materials
• Provide training and support to staff working
in the partnership

Families
• Enroll in EHS and child care subsidy program
• Communicate child care needs and preferences
and select child care arrangements
• Develop and implement family partnership
agreements
• Maintain communication with partnership
programs for continuity of care and smooth
transitions for children

(National, State, Local)

• Policies, regulations, and standards (HSPPS,
child care licensing, QRIS, other state initiatives)
• Funding (EHS grant funds, CCDF subsidies,
other sources)
• QI supports (Head Start and OCC T/TA,
QRIS, CCDF quality set aside, accreditation,
other initiatives)
• Professional development (community
colleges and other institutions of higher
education)
CCDF=Child Care & Development Fund
EHS=Early Head Start
HSPPS=Head Start Program Performance Standards

Systems Partners
(National, State, Local)

• Identify rule misalignment challenges and consider
rule accommodations to support partnerships
• Coordinate with partners to provide QI and
professional development

MOU=Memorandum of Understanding
OCC=Office of Child Care
QI=Quality Improvement

QRIS=Quality Rating & Improvement System
T/TA=Training & Technical Assistance

O U T CO ME S

Partnership
Programs

Families

Systems Partners
(National, State, Local)

Short-Term Outcomes

Long-Term Outcomes

(within two years)

(two years or longer)

• Enhanced capacity to offer high
quality service options that meet
families’ needs
• Organizational leadership that
values and supports EHS-child care
partnerships
• Staff attitudes that value each partner’s contribution to the partnership
• Improved staff competencies to
develop mutually respectful and
collaborative partnerships, provide
effective QI support, and provide
developmentally appropriate
infant-toddler care
• Improved quality of infant-toddler
care and compliance with HSPPS
• Reduced isolation; increased membership in professional networks of
infant-toddler service providers
• Increased professionalism and staff
credentials
• Increased financial stability for partners

• Sustained, mutually respectful,
and collaborative EHS-child
care partnerships in place

• Stable access to high quality care
and comprehensive services that
meet families’ needs
• Continuity of caregiving across
settings where children receive care
• Parents more likely to be employed
or in school
• Parents more involved in children’s
early learning

• Well-aligned infant-toddler
policies, regulations, and QI
supports at the national, state,
and local levels

• Increased community
supply of high-quality
infant-toddler care
• Improved family well-being
• Improved child well-being
and school readiness

• Rule accommodations are implemented as needed to align requirements and stabilize funding
• QI and professional development
supports are aligned to address
needs of the partnerships

Organizational Factors (partnership programs)

Contextual Factors

• Years of operation and staff stability
• Organizational culture and leadership promoting
the partnerships
• Shared goals, relationship quality, and mutual respect
between partners
• Systems to support continuous QI

• Local: Type and supply of infant-toddler child care for
low-income families
• State: Supports for QI (QRIS, CCDF quality dollars, etc.);
policy environment
• National: Initiatives such as Head Start Designation
Renewal System, President’s Early Learning Initiative, Race
to the Top-Early Learning Challenge