ERIC Number: ED591024
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 70
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Report to Congress on Head Start Monitoring, Fiscal Year 2015
Office of Head Start, US Department of Health and Human Services
This report presents a summary of the findings of fiscal year (FY) 2015 monitoring reviews, fulfilling the reporting requirements found in Sections 641A(f) and 650(c)(2) of the Head Start Act. It highlights the enhancements made to the FY 2015 monitoring review system, summarizes grantee review outcomes, and describes the types of findings most commonly identified in FY 2015. Head Start monitoring assesses grantee compliance with requirements governing Head Start programs. In FY 2015, the Office of Head Start (OHS) implemented a newly aligned monitoring system to address the OHS grant cycle shift from an indefinite to a five-year project period. The Aligned Monitoring System was designed to provide OHS with comprehensive performance data needed by year four of the five-year grant. OHS will evaluate the data to determine whether the grantee will need to recompete. Additionally, OHS increased its focus on measuring quality along with compliance and is prioritizing having more frequent interaction with grantees to provide information to support their continuous improvement in core performance areas. OHS has identified core performance areas as: (1) Environmental Health and Safety; (2) Management Systems and Program Governance; (3) Fiscal Integrity and Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance (ERSEA); (4) Comprehensive Services and School Readiness; and (5) Teacher-Child Interactions (as addressed through the CLASS® observation instrument). In FY 2015, all five-year grants were monitored using the Aligned Monitoring System. Fiscal year (FY) 2015 reviews are conducted by teams of reviewers knowledgeable about Head Start, and each team is led by a Review Field Lead (RFL). Each review is guided by the standardized methodology and the Monitoring Protocol, which guide reviewers' on-site activities in assessing program performance and compliance. [For the 2014 report, see ED591023.]
Descriptors: Program Evaluation, Federal Programs, Disadvantaged Youth, Early Childhood Education, Compliance (Legal), Grants, Evaluation Methods, Classroom Environment
Office of Head Start, US Department of Health and Human Services. Tel: 866-763-6481; e-mail: headstart@eclkc.info; Web site: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs
Publication Type: Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Administration for Children, Youth, and Families (DHHS), Office of Head Start
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A