In March, the Office of Head Start (OHS) hosted a webinar to preview the release the Head Start Grant Application Instructions with Guidance, Version 3.01. (If you missed the webinar, there is another chance to learn more. Register here for the April 4th webinar.) Since all Head Start/Early Head Start grantees must submit either a continuation or baseline application annually, the upcoming changes are important to understand.
Jane Hanson shares her insights on how the November 2023 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking from OHS could impact your wage study, where to find reliable wage data, and why making hourly wage comparisons is an important part of your analysis. Ms. Hanson is a Consultant with Foundations for Families specializing in wage comparability studies. Read an earlier interview about wage studies here.
We had the pleasure of presenting our current thinking about wage comparability studies to a number of Head Start grantees at the Region IV Head Start Association Annual Training Conference & Expo. While we were in Atlanta, we heard from agencies that are still struggling to recruit and retain staff. Many programs are stuck in a challenging cycle – they don’t have enough teachers to open all their classrooms, and their current wages are making it difficult to recruit and retain qualified staff. If this cycle goes on long enough, the program can become underenrolled and even end up in the Full Enrollment Initiative.
On March 5, 2024, three Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for expansion and partnership grant opportunities were forecasted on grants.gov. This includes Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) Grants; American Indian and Alaska Native EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP Grants; and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Expansion, EHS Expansion, and EHS-CCP Grants.
Community assessments are a foundational requirement for Head Start/Early Head Start programs and have taken on new significance and utility as programs navigate unprecedented staffing shortages, participation in the Full Enrollment Initiative, and evolving community needs. Some programs are also planning for a Change in Scope Request, which requires a justification built on up-to-date and relevant community and program data.
If you attended last month’s NHSA Winter Leadership Institute, you might have heard the Office of Head Start (OHS) presentation in which it was shared that, nationally, Head Start enrollment is at 82%. OHS expressed a continued commitment to the Full Enrollment Initiative and the importance of compliance with enrollment requirements. Many programs are in the Full Enrollment Initiative currently, or will be designated soon, and there are strategies and supports to help programs manage the process.
Promoting excellence in early childhood education to support families and strengthen communities.