We care about the same things you do – excellent services for very young children and families.
Foundations For Families Insights
Our experienced consulting team brings expertise, academic credentials, up-to-date research and regulatory knowledge to three different blogs.
OHS Provides Updates on DRS Round 9 Forecasts and Timing
On Thursday, the Office of Head Start (OHS) hosted a webinar to discuss the recent changes to DRS and provide information about next steps. For grantees expecting to compete in DRS this fall (Round 9), important updates on process and timing were shared. First, many...
Will Your Program Still Have to Compete in DRS?
Last week, the Office of Head Start (OHS) released a Program Instruction (PI) announcing changes to DRS. The changes are substantial. Programs that received a determination letter for the upcoming round of DRS will only be required to compete for funding if it would...
OHS Announces Substantial Changes to DRS
On August 27, 2020, the Office of Head Start (OHS) released a Program Instruction (PI) announcing changes to DRS that were published in a Final Rule. This announcement is important for all Head Start/Early Head Start grantees, and particularly important for grantees...
2020 National CLASS Scores Released
The release of the National Overview of Grantee CLASS Scores provides national statistics by CLASS domain and dimension of the grantees that received CLASS reviews during the past program year. The National Overview for 2020 was recently made available. Due to...
Four Clues to What We Might See in DRS Round 9
It is a busy summer for Head Start/Early Head Start programs! The fourth round of EHS Expansion and Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) grants are up for competition, and Head Start/Early Head Start Expansion funding is available in fourteen states....
DRS Competitions Forecasted to Open This Fall
The next round of DRS is forecasted to open for competition this fall. On grants.gov, Head Start/Early Head Start grant forecasts are grouped by state. You can also view a detailed list of funding forecasts, including service areas, funding amounts, and estimated...
DRS Quarterly Status Update (#2 of 4)
This is the second of four 2020 quarterly status updates about DRS. Learn about the timing of upcoming grant competitions and resources to prepare. COVID-19 continues to impact program operation. Many lessons are being learned about the impact of COVID-19 on...
How to Build Organizational Capacity for Grant Writing
With the ninth round of DRS grant competitions expected this fall, many programs are beginning to think about how they will complete their grant proposal. Some programs have a team or staff member who develops proposals; other programs might contract with a grant...
2019 National CLASS Scores Released and What it Means for DRS
Each year, the release of the National Overview of Grantee CLASS Scores provides national statistics by CLASS domain and dimension of the grantees that received CLASS reviews during the past program year. The National Overview for 2019 was recently made available. As...
Gearing Up for DRS Start-Up
This is the time of year that programs who competed for DRS grants in the fall typically begin to receive notification of an award or are contacted by the Office of Head Start (OHS) to begin negotiations. The eighth round of DRS was one of the largest rounds of DRS to date and soon many of the awardees will enter the start up period.
Application Deadline Extended in Six States
The EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) has been updated to provide extensions to the application deadline in six states: Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oregon. For applicants in these states, the deadline is...
Grants.gov Maintenance Scheduled for This Weekend
Grants.gov is scheduled for maintenance this weekend, leading up to Monday’s deadline for submission of EHS-CCP proposals. The maintenance schedule states that systems will go offline Saturday, September 19 at 12:01am ET and will go back online Monday, September 21 at...
5 Tips and 10 Days Before Proposals are Due
Applications for EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP Round 4 funding are due in 10 days, on September 21, 2020. This is anticipated to be the most competitive round of funding yet, and high quality applications will stand out. Here are five tips to keep in mind as you finalize...
Prioritizing Qualified Opportunity Zones in EHS-CCP Round 4
When the EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP Round 4 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) was released last month, one of the highlights we noticed is that funding may be prioritized for services in Qualified Opportunity Zones. Here, we provide information about Qualified...
EHS-CCP Round 4 Posted and Applications Due September 21
The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the fourth round of Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Grants was released on Grants.gov. The applications are due no later than September 21st. The FOA can be found here. With a sixty...
Tips for Managing the Delay in EHS Expansion & EHS-CCP Round 4
The fourth round of EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP was forecasted to open for competition on July 10, however the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) didn’t post to grants.gov and the forecast hasn’t been updated. We recognize this might create uncertainty for programs...
EHS-CCP Quarterly Status Update (#2 of 4)
This is the second of four 2020 quarterly status updates about the Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) initiative. Learn about the timing of the upcoming grant competition and resources to prepare.
EHS Expansion & EHS-CCP Round 4 Grant Competitions Forecasted
On Monday, May 19, 2020 the upcoming Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) grant competitions were forecasted on grants.gov. Links to the forecasts for the three Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) and detailed...
Make Start-up a Priority During Proposal Development
Last month, in Top 5 Tips for Success in EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP Round 4, we highlighted the importance of planning for start-up during your grant application process. In this blog post, we describe key factors to keep in mind if your program plans to request...
Top 5 Tips for Success in EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP Round 4
The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the fourth round of EHS Expansion and Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership grants is expected this summer. Check out our top five tips for success in Round 4! 1. Get your data ready. EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP Round 4...
COVID-19 and Community Needs, An Interview with Zoë Beckerman
J. Zoë Beckerman, JD, MPH Zoë Beckerman shares her insights on conducting a community assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic, when programs need to serve children and families at a time of great uncertainty and change. She provides guidance to discover the short- and...
HS/EHS Expansion Grant Competitions Open in 14 States
This week, a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) was posted to grants.gov for Head Start/Early Head Start Expansion Grants in communities in 14 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New...
Growing Community Needs Revealed by COVID-19 Impact Data
There is no doubt that COVID-19 and the resulting economic shutdown has affected communities nationwide. The impacts on children and families are far reaching, and extend deep into health, employment, education, and social services.
Making Data Work For You: Data as a Driver of Program Success
Data collection and management systems are an everyday aspect of Head Start/Early Head Start programs. The type of data that is collected by programs, and when and how it is used, varies from one program to the next. There are a few key strategies that can be followed...
Review Your ERSEA Systems to Ensure Success!
By Patti Greenstein, Consultant and Trainer This year, the Office of Head Start (OHS) revised the FY2020 Focus Area 2 (FA2) Monitoring Protocol to include an increased focus on the area of ERSEA (eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance). As OHS...
How to Support Meaningful Practice-Based Coaching in Family Child Care Programs
In this blog post, we look at some of the strengths and challenges of implementing practice-based coaching with family child care programs, and we share examples of how the uniqueness of the family child care setting supports quality improvement.
Five Ways to Refocus Energy During Program Closures
Our thoughts are with early care and education programs during this challenging time that our country faces. We deeply appreciate the vital role that early care and education programs serve in communities and have heard from many of you about the stress and anxiety...
Funding Highlights from NHSA Winter Leadership Institute
The National Head Start Association (NHSA) Winter Leadership Institute was held last month in Washington, DC. Foundations for Families team members attended this conference. It was wonderful to see so many of you there! We heard important funding updates from federal...
This Year in Talking Points
Happy New Year! 2019 was a busy year for early care and education programs. From state to local levels, departments and agencies competed for new funding and worked hard to improve program quality and provide services to meet the needs of young children and families....
Disaster Recovery Funds Available to Head Start/Early Head Start Programs
Earlier this week, the Office of Head Start (OHS) released a Program Instruction (PI) - Disaster Recovery Funding for 2018 and 2019 Disasters ACF-PI-HS-19-01- that describes funding available to Head Start/Early Head Start programs that have been impacted by...
