The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) The Congress has recognized the importance of the transfer from preschool to primary school. Section 642A of Title VI of Subtitle A of Chapter 8 of Subchapter B of the federal Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (P.L. 97-35) was enacted to require grantees of federal Head Start funds to take steps to coordinate with and involve the local educational agency serving the community, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(1) Developing and implementing a systematic procedure for transferring, with parental consent, Head Start program records for each participating child to the school in which the child will enroll.

(2) Establishing channels of communication between Head Start staff and their counterparts in the schools, including, but not limited to, teachers, social workers, and health staff, to facilitate the coordination of programs.

(3) Conducting meetings involving parents, kindergarten or elementary school teachers, and Head Start program teachers to discuss the educational, developmental, and other needs of individual children.

(4) Organizing and participating in joint transition-related training of school staff and Head Start staff.

(5) Developing and implementing a family outreach and support program in cooperation with entities carrying out parental involvement efforts under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et seq.).

(6) Assisting families, administrators, and teachers in enhancing educational and developmental continuity between Head Start services and elementary school classes.

(7) Linking the services provided in the Head Start program with the education services provided by the local educational agency.

(b) The superintendent shall advise local education agencies of these federal requirements.

(Added by Stats. 2001, Ch. 629, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2002.)