Skip to content

Enhancing Safe Practices in Your Head Start Program

In September 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG), released the following report: ACF Should Improve Oversight of Head Start to Better Protect Children’s Safety. In this 40-page report, the Inspector General found that nearly one in four Head Start grantees received an adverse finding from the Administration…

Read More

The Importance of Health Program Services in Head Start

A child with health problems, whether oral, mental or nutrition concerns, will have difficulty learning. That’s why it’s up to us, Head Start staff, to provide the high-quality health services, that will help each child grow. According to section 1302.40 (a) of Head Start Performance Standards: “A program must provide high-quality health, oral health, mental…

Read More

Parent Engagement Still Key in the New Performance Standards

While the New Head Start Performance Standards are not brief, they are somewhat lighter than the old. The numbers of the standard have been reorganized with many standards removed, to reduce the bureaucratic burden. According to Blanca Enriquez, Director of the Office of Head Start, “The new standards for the program will reduce the current…

Read More

Benefits of Head Start Program Governance Training

You may ask what the benefits are of familiarizing Staff and Policy Council with the Head Start Act 2007 and the Program Governance. First, the Performance Standards was published in 1974 and revised in 1996 and again in 2015, with the most recent proposed changes scheduled to take effect in school year 2017.  The Performance…

Read More

The Proposed Changes for the Performance Standards in Program Quality

The proposed performance standards set higher standards for curriculum, staff development, and program duration, all based on research and effective practice. At the same time, the proposed rule makes program requirements easier for current and future program leaders to understand and reduces administrative burden so that Head Start Directors can focus on delivering high quality…

Read More

Head Start Pre-Service Training Opportunities

This is the time of the year that your Early/Head Start program creates its Pre-Service training for the new program year. The Head Start Performance Standards say: (a) Head Start grantees must provide pre-service training and in-service training opportunities to program staff and volunteers to assist them in acquiring or increasing the knowledge and skills…

Read More