Head Start Reauthorization:New Opportunities for Homeless Children and

Children in Out of Home Care

NAEHCY 19th Annual Conference November 12, 2007

Portland, OR

Young Children Who Are Homeless or in Out of Home Care

• Mobility - loss of structure, routine, stability• Trauma and loss• Deep poverty• Higher rates of developmental delays• Higher rates of chronic and acute health problems• Mental health issues: stress, anxiety, and depression• Disrupted or stressed attachments to caregivers

Homeless children and children in out of home care can benefit greatly from Head Start!

Head Start Overview

• Federal funds directly to local communities - over 2,500 grantees/delegate agencies

• Comprehensive child development program: – Head Start serves ages 3 to 5 –Head Start is in nearly

every community nationwide– Early Head Start serves pregnant women and

children birth to age 3 – Several grantees per state

Head Start Overview, Continued

• Comprehensive and two-generational services– Health and learning, disabilities, family development

and support, community partnerships• Current Law: at least 90% at or below federal poverty • Current Law: at least 10% with identified disability• Federal Bureau with Regional Office oversight and State

Collaboration Offices • Federal Program Performance Standards and

monitoring system

Head Start Reauthorization: Status• Legislation to be completed next week!

• President will sign into law in 2007

• Macro issues: governance, 130%, state advisory councils

Governance-Policy CouncilFinal Bill• Policy Council restored except for approval and disapproval

of the hiring and firing of the director, human resources director, and chief fiscal officer

• Secretary will develop impasse policy procedures

Training for Board and Policy Council• Training for board and policy council

Eligibility

130%• Raises income eligibility guidelines to 130%• Strong community needs assessment• Must prioritize poorest children first• 55% below the poverty line• 35% poverty line up to 130%• 10% over income

Eligibility - Homeless and Foster

• Current regulations: children in foster care are eligible even if family income exceeds guidelines

• Final bill: – Specifies that homeless children are deemed

eligible for Head Start services

Enrollment

• 97% Enrollment• Keep waiting list• Waiver if reasons for shortfall include serving large

numbers of homeless, foster, migrant children

Enrollment - Homeless ChildrenRequires Secretary to issue regulations to require Head Start Agencies to:

•Ensure that homeless children are identified and prioritized for enrollment;•Allow homeless families to apply to, enroll in and attend Head Start programs while required documents are obtained in a reasonable time frame;•Coordinate individual Head Start centers and programs with efforts to implement Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

Definition of “homeless” matches M-V definition (i.e. includes “awaiting foster care placement”)

Competition of Head Start Grantees

Bill• 7 member panel selected by HHS within 3 months• Unresolved deficiency • Strengths and weaknesses/more objective• No federal funds for legal fees on appeals

Criteria for Applicants for New Programs

• Requires as a criteria for applicants for new Head Start programs a plan to meet the needs of homeless children and children in foster care, including transportation needs

Considerations in Allocating Funds to Expand Existing Head Start Programs

•The extent to which applicants have undertaken community-wide strategic planning and needs assessments involving the LEA homeless liaison, and organizations providing services to children in foster care, homeless children, child abuse prevention services, protective services

•The extent to which applicants coordinate with LEA homeless liaisons

Quality Improvement Funds•25% set aside for quality improvement

•Allows quality improvement funds to be used for staff training, child counseling, and other services to address the challenges of homeless children, children in foster care, children referred by child welfare agencies

Transportation

• Waivers still available

• Can use a portion of quality dollars to provide transportation services

Collaboration and Coordination• Requires Head Start agencies to coordinate and collaborate

with the agencies responsible for administering section 106 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a), parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620 et seq. and 670 et seq.), and programs under Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act

• Requires each Head Start program to establish channels of communication between Head Start staff and McKinney-Vento liaisons to facilitate coordination of programs

Collaboration and Coordination (Contd)

• Requires Head Start programs to develop and implement a family outreach and support program in coordination with outreach efforts under the McKinney-Vento Act

• Requires Head Start State Collaboration Directors to develop a strategic plan that will enhance collaboration and coordination with and services provided for homeless children, children in foster care, and children referred to Head Start programs by child welfare agencies, including agencies and State officials responsible for such services

Collaboration and Coordination - State Level

Early Education and Education Councils

Strengths role of collaboration director

Centers of Excellence-200 centers selected

Infants and Toddlers (Early Head Start)

Early Head Start Set-AsideBoth House and Senate bills raise set-aside to 20 percent by the end of the 5 year reauthorization

Infants and ToddlersSeamless Services (Zero to 5)4)(A) Upon written request and pursuant to the requirements of

this paragraph, a Head Start agency may use funds under section 640(a) to serve infants and toddlers if the agency submits an application to the Secretary containing the following information, as specified in rules issued by the Secretary—

(i) the amount of funds under section 640(a) that are proposed to be used in accordance with section 645A(b);

Infants and Toddlers, Contd.Requires Early Head Start programs to coordinate services

with programs in the community for homeless infants and toddlers

Provides funds for technical assistance to Early Head Start programs to create special training and technical assistance initiatives targeted to serving high risk populations, such as children in the child welfare system and homeless children, and provide professional development designed to increase program participation for underserved populations of eligible children

Quality StandardsRequires the Secretary to establish standards for Head Start agencies, through regulation, taking into consideration best practices with respect to homeless children and children in foster care, and changes in the population of children who are eligible to participate in Head Start programs, including the family structure of such children (including children in foster care and the number of homeless children)

Professional Development—Teacher Degrees

• 50% teachers nationally must have BA Within the Next 6 Years/Goal Language

• Each program must report on progress being made• By 2011 all teachers must have an Associate Degree• BA’s for all education coordinators• CDA for teaching assistants

Outcomes

• Terminate NRS (National Reporting System)

• Rewriting of education and performance standards

• NAS panel to develop new assessment

Training and Technical Assistance Funds

• 2.5% to 3% of Head Start funding

• Funds to set up state based training system

• Professional development and fiscal management and PRISM

Training and Technical Assistance Funds, Contd.

• Requires the Secretary to provide technical assistance to improve outreach to, increase program participation of, and improve quality of services available to meet the unique needs of homeless children

• Requires the Secretary to provide, either directly or through grants or other arrangements, to support training for personnel providing services to children determined to be abused or neglected or children referred by or receiving child welfare services, and to address the needs of homeless families

Research and Evaluation• Requires the Secretary to carry out research, evaluation,

and demonstration activities in order to use the Head Start programs to develop, test, and disseminate new ideas and based on existing scientifically based researc, for addressing the needs of low-income preschool children (including children with disabilities, homeless children, children who have been abused or neglected, and children in foster care)

MonitoringFinal Bill• Requires the triennial review use a `risk-based

assessment' system that is less focused on a checklist of more than 1,200 items, and more focused on a broad view of program quality service delivery and sound fiscal management.

• Includes new requirements regarding the qualifications of the review team in order to respond to serious concerns about the qualifications of the members of the review teams.

Monitoring• Requires triennial reviews address program

weaknesses and strengths. The current model of focusing solely on program deficits runs counter to central principles of typical grant review systems and leads to an unnecessarily hostile relationship between Head Start agencies and review teams.

• The Committee believes triennial reviews can be invaluable to improving program quality, but only if they are conducted in a manner in which Head Start programs are collaborators in their own improvements.

Monitoring

• Requires the Secretary to ensure that reviews are conducted by review teams that include individuals who are knowledgeable, to the maximum extent practicable, about the needs of homeless children and children in foster care

Data Collection and Reporting• Requires Head Start programs to collect data on the

number of homeless children and children in foster care participating in the program

• Requires the Secretary to prepare a report on the status of children in Head Start programs, including homeless children, children in foster care, and children referred by child welfare agencies

Voter Education

• Deal reached on voter education language

• No federal funds can be used for voter education activities

• But outside community organization can register parents to vote during hours of operation

Contact InformationBarbara Duffield, Policy DirectorNAEHCYPhone: 202-364-7392Email: bduffield@naehcy.org

JooYeun Chang, Director of Public Policy Casey Family Programs Phone: 202-728-2004Email: jchang@casey.org

Joel Ryan, Executive Director, Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP Phone: 253-373-9100Email: joel@wsaheadstarteceap.com