Head Start Program Performance Standards

1 Head Start Program Performance Standards45 CFR Chapter XIIIRIN 0970-AC63 Department of Health and Human ServicesAdministration for Children and FamiliesiContentsPart 1301 Program Governance ..1 Purpose..1 Governing body..1 Policy council and policy committee..2 Parent committees..3 Training..4 Impasse procedures..4 Part 1302 Program Operations ..4 Overview..6 Subpart A Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance ..6 Purpose..6 Determining community strengths, needs, and resources..6 Determining, verifying, and documenting eligibility..8 Recruitment of children..14 Selection process..14 Enrollment..15 Attendance..15 Suspension and expulsion..16 Fees..17 Subpart B Program Structure ..18 Determining Program structure.

2 18 Center-based option..19 Home-based option..22 Family child care option..23 Locally-designed Program option variations..24 Subpart C Education and Child Development Program Services ..26 Purpose..26 Teaching and the learning environment..26 Curricula..28 Child screenings and assessments..29 Parent and family engagement in education and child development services. 31 Education in home-based programs ..32 Tribal language preservation and revitalization..34 Subpart D Health Program Services ..34 Purpose..34 Collaboration and communication with Child health status and care..35 Oral health practices..37 Child nutrition..37 Child mental health and social and emotional well-being..38 Family support services for health, nutrition, and mental health.

3 38 Safety practices..39 Subpart E Family and Community Engagement Program Services ..42 Family engagement..42 Parent activities to promote child learning and development..43 Family partnership services..43ii Community partnerships and coordination with other early childhood and education programs ..44 Subpart F Additional Services for Children with Disabilities ..46 Full participation in Program services and activities..46 Additional services for children..46 Additional services for parents..47 Coordination and collaboration with the local agency responsible for implementing IDEA..48 Subpart G Transition Services ..48 Transitions from Early Head Start ..48 Transitions from Head Start to kindergarten..49 Transitions between programs .

4 50 Subpart H Services to Enrolled Pregnant Women ..51 Enrolled pregnant women..51 Prenatal and postpartum information, education, and services..51 Family partnership services for enrolled pregnant women..51 Subpart I Human Resources Management ..52 Personnel policies..52 Staff qualifications and competency requirements..54 Training and professional development..56 Staff health and wellness..57 Volunteers..58 Subpart J Program Management and Quality Improvement ..58 Purpose..58 Management system..58 Achieving Program goals..59 Implementation of Program Performance Standards ..62 Part 1303 Financial and Administrative Requirements ..62 Overview..63 Subpart A Financial Requirements ..64 Purpose..64 Other requirements..64 Federal financial assistance, non-federal match, and waiver requirements.

5 64 Limitations on development and administrative costs..65 Subpart B Administrative Requirements ..66 Purpose..66 Limitations and prohibitions..66 Insurance and bonding..66 Subpart C Protections for the Privacy of Child Records ..66 Establishing procedures..66 Program procedures applicable confidentiality provisions..66 Disclosures with, and without, parental consent..67 Parental rights..69 Maintaining records..70 Subpart D Delegation of Program Operations ..71 Grantee responsibility and accountability..71 Determining and establishing delegate agencies..71 Evaluations and corrective actions for delegate agencies..71iii Termination of delegate agencies..71 Subpart E Facilities ..71 Purpose..71 Approval of previously purchased facilities.

6 72 Eligibility to purchase, construct, and renovate facilities..72 Use of grant funds to pay fees..72 Applications to purchase, construct, and renovate facilities..73 Cost-comparison to purchase, construct, and renovate facilities..74 Recording and posting notices of federal Contents of notices of federal interest..76 Grantee limitations on federal interest..77 Protection of federal interest in mortgage agreements..78 Third party leases and occupancy arrangements..78 Subordination of the federal interest..79 Insurance, bonding, and maintenance..79 Copies of documents..80 Record retention..80 Procurement procedures..80 Inspection of work..80 Subpart F Transportation ..81 Purpose..81 Vehicles..82 Vehicle operation..82 Trip routing.

7 84 Safety procedures..84 Children with disabilities..85 Part 1304 Federal Administrative Procedures ..85 Subpart A Monitoring, Suspension, Termination, Denial of Refunding, Reduction in Funding, and their Appeals ..86 Purpose..86 Monitoring..86 Suspension with notice..87 Emergency suspension without advance notice..88 Termination and denial of refunding..90 Appeal for prospective delegate agencies..92 Legal fees..93 Subpart B Designation Renewal ..93 Purpose and scope..93 Basis for determining whether a Head Start agency will be subject to an open competition..94 Grantee reporting requirements concerning certain conditions..96 Requirements to be considered for designation for a five-year period when the existing grantee in a community is not determined to be delivering a high-quality and comprehensive Head Start Program and is not automatically renewed.

8 96 Tribal government consultation under the Designation Renewal System for when an Indian Head Start grant is being considered for competition..97 Designation request, review and notification Use of CLASS: Pre-K instrument in the Designation Renewal System..99 Subpart C Selection of Grantees through Competition ..99 Selection among applicants..99 Subpart D Replacement of American Indian and Alaska Native Grantees ..100 Procedure for identification of alternative agency..100 Requirements of alternative agency..101 Alternative agency prohibition..101 Subpart E Head Start Fellows Program ..101 Purpose..101 Head Start Fellows Program ..101 Part 1305 Definitions ..102 Purpose..102 Terms..1021 For the reasons set forth in the preamble, under the authority at 42 9801 et seq.

9 , subchapter B of 45 CFR chapter XIII is revised to read as follows:Subchapter B The Administration for Children and Families, Head Start ProgramPart 1301 Program GovernancePart 1302 Program OperationsPart 1303 Financial and Administrative RequirementsPart 1304 Federal Administrative ProceduresPart 1305 DefinitionsPart 1301 Program GovernanceSec. Purpose. Governing body. Policy council and policy committee. Parent Training. Impasse : 42 9801 et seq. Purpose. An agency, as defined in part 1305 of this chapter, must establish and maintain a formal structure for Program governance that includes a governing body, a policy council at the agency level and policy committee at the delegate level, and a parent committee. Governing bodies have a legal and fiscal responsibility to administer and oversee the agency s Head Start and Early Head Start pro-grams.

10 Policy councils are responsible for the direction of the agency s Head Start and Early Head Start programs . Governing body. (a) Composition. The composition of a governing body must be in accordance with the require-ments specified at section 642(c)(1)(B) of the Act, except where specific exceptions are authorized in the case of public entities at section 642(c)(1)(D) of the Act. Agencies must ensure members of the governing body do not have a conflict of interest, pursuant to section 642(c)(1)(C) of the Act. (b) Duties and responsibilities. (1) The governing body is responsible for activities specified at section 642(c)(1)(E) of the Act.(2) The governing body must use ongoing monitoring results, data on school readiness goals, Part 13012 CFR Chapter XIII other information described in , and information described at section 642(d)(2) of the Act to conduct its responsibilities.