On June 17 the Office of Head Start (OHS) sent an important communication to the Head Start community. The email communication confirmed that the new Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) would be released “close to the start of the new program year.” OHS noted that once the long-awaited new HSPPS are in hand there will be many opportunities for training to help bring the field up to speed on the new standards. We were glad to see the email mention a need for training at multiple levels, including grantee staff, boards, Policy Councils, and technical assistance providers to name a few.
As detailed in the email communication, monitoring will continue, although on a modified schedule. ERSEA reviews will continue to be scheduled and CLASS reviews will not be modified. Reviews will be scheduled for Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) grantees that did not already have an existing EHS program, and each new EHS-CCP will receive a schedule of modified reviews
Perhaps the most important takeaway from the communication is that:
FY17 review events will not be regularly scheduled in the areas of Leadership Governance and Management Systems, Environmental Health and Safety, Fiscal and Comprehensive Services, and School Readiness.
The communication was careful to mention that if “concerns or issues” arise in the areas where reviews are not planned for FY17 then OHS may schedule a review.
We look forward to seeing the new HSPPS and hearing more about OHS’s training strategy!
Thank you.
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We have successfully worked with agencies in every round of recompetition to write winning grants, design competitive programs, confirm prudent budgets, and plan for a manageable start-up period. Contact Amy Augenblick, Executive Director, at (703) 599-4329 or [email protected] to learn about how we can help.