Each week the Sheldon staff reviews one of our Head Start Policies & Procedures and felt it was important that families stay up to date on these as well. This quarter our focus is on Program Management and Program Governance. If you ever have any questions regarding our policies and procedures, please reach out!
Community Assessment
POLICY:
The program will determine community strengths, needs, and resources. This policy relates to Head Start Performance Standards 45 CFR Part 1302.11
PROCEDURE:
1. A Community Assessment will be conducted within the service area at least once over the five-year grant period to help design a program that meets community needs and builds on strengths and resources. The assessment will use data that describes community strengths, needs, and resources and will include, at a minimum:
A. The number of eligible preschool age children, including their geographic location,
race, ethnicity, and languages they speak, including:
a. Children experiencing homelessness in collaboration with, to the extent possible,
McKinney-Vento Local Education Liaisons (42 U.S.C. 11432 (6)(A));
b. Children in foster care; and
c. Children with disabilities, including types of disabilities and relevant services and
resources provided to these children by community agencies.
B. The education, health, nutrition, and social service needs of eligible children and their
families, including prevalent social or economic factors that impact their well- being;
C. Typical work, school, and training schedules of parents with eligible children;
D. Other child development, child care centers, and family child care programs that serve
eligible children, including home visiting, publicly funded state and local preschools, and
approximate number of eligible children served;
E. Resources that are available in the community to address the needs of eligible children
and their families; and,
F. Strengths of the community.
2. The Community Assessment will be reviewed and updated annually to reflect any significant changes including increased availability of publicly funded pre-kindergarten (including an assessment of how the pre-kindergarten available in the community meets the needs of the parents and children served by the program, and whether it is offered for a full school day), rates of family and child homelessness, and significant shifts in community demographics and resources.
3. The program will consider whether the characteristics of the community allow it to include children from diverse economic backgrounds that would be supported by other funding sources, including private pay, in addition to the program’s eligible funded enrollment, so long as such enrollment would not result in the program serving less than its eligible funded enrollment.
