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Designation Renewal System

System for Designation Renewal of Head Start and Early Head Start Grantees Colleen Rathgeb Office of Head Start Administration for Children and Families September 12, 2012. Designation Renewal System. The Improving Head Start Act changed Head Start grants from indefinite to 5 year grants.

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Designation Renewal System

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  1. System for Designation Renewal of Head Start and Early Head Start GranteesColleen RathgebOffice of Head Start Administration for Children and FamiliesSeptember 12, 2012

  2. Designation Renewal System • The Improving Head Start Act changed Head Start grants from indefinite to 5 year grants. • The Act required HHS to develop a system for “designation renewal.” • Grantees determined to be delivering high quality and comprehensive services receive a five year grant automatically. • Service areas where HHS can not determine that grantees are delivering high quality and comprehensive services shall be subject to an open competition.

  3. Development of Rule • Secretary’s Advisory Committee 2008 • Advisory Committee Report issued December 2008 • Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)issued September 2010 -- 90 days for comment • 16,000 public comments received • Final Rule published November 9, 2011, and became effective on December 9, 2011

  4. Final Rule for Designation Renewal System • One Deficiency in meeting program performance standards identified through monitoring • CLASS Scores below a minimum threshold or in the lowest 10% in Emotional Support, Classroom Organization, or Instructional Support • Failure to establish, utilize and analyze children’s progress on agency established School Readiness Goals • Revocation of License to operate • Suspension by OHS • Debarment by another Federal or State agency or disqualification from CACFP • 7. Determination from Audit of being at risk for failing to continue as “Going Concern”

  5. License Revocation • An agency that has had a license revoked by a state or local licensing agency and the revocation has not been overturned or withdrawn would be required to compete. • Grantees must report the revocation of a license to Office of Head Start within 10 days

  6. License Revocation • Many comments were received on license revocation • Final rule clarifies that condition is only a revocation (or removal of a license to operate) which is the final step in licensing corrective action processes.

  7. Deficiency • Systemic or substantial material failure of an agency in an area of performance that the Secretary determines involves: • A failure to comply with standards related to early childhood development and health services, family and community partnerships, or program design and management, including income verification • A threat to the health, safety, or civil rights of children or staff • A denial to parents of the exercise of their full roles and responsibilities • The misuse of funds • Loss of legal status or financial viability; • Systemic or material failure of the governing body of any agency to fully exercise its legal and fiduciary responsibilities; or • Area of noncompliance that the agency has shown an unwillingness or inability to correct after notice from the Secretary.

  8. CLASS: Background • The Head Start Act requires that as part of monitoring OHS use “a valid and reliable observational instrument that assesses classroom quality through dimensions of teacher-child interaction that are linked to positive child development and later achievement.” • The Act also requires that classroom quality as measured by that tool be considered in DRS. • The Conference Report suggested OHS consider using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) developed at the University of Virginia. • OHS is using the CLASS to fulfill these requirements. • There is no requirement for any grantee to adopt the CLASS.

  9. CLASS: Background • The CLASS is a valid and reliable observational instrument that assesses classroom quality through multiple dimensions of teacher-child interaction. • Measures Three Domains of Classroom Quality: • Emotional Support: Teachers’ skills in supporting social and emotional functioning in the classroom. • Classroom Organization: Classroom processes related to the organization & management of children’s behavior, time& attention. • Instructional Support: Implementation of curricula to effectively support children’s cognitive & language development. • Trained reliable CLASS observers use a seven point scale to rate qualitywith Low (1-2) Mid (3-5) and High (6-7).

  10. CLASS Implementation • CLASS Professional Development since 2008 • CLASS Monitoring Pilot in 2009 • CLASS in 2010 and 2011 Triennial Monitoring • 2012 CLASS Monitoring • Assessor Pool • Random Sampling of Classrooms • Observation Cycles and Timing

  11. CLASS Condition for DRS • Of those grantees assessed in CLASS in any year the 10% of grantees with the lowest average scores in each domain will be required to compete. • Additionally, a grantee with an average score below established thresholds on any of the three CLASS domains will be required to compete (even if that means more than 10% compete based on that domain). • If the lowest 10% in any of the three CLASS domains includes grantees with a score of 6 or 7, those grantees would not be required to compete (even if this means that fewer than 10% would be required to compete based on that domain).

  12. School Readiness Goals Condition • Responsible HHS official has determined that an agency has not established program goals for improving the school readiness of children in accordance with requirement sand taken steps to achieve those goals. • Director of Office of Head Start is currently the responsible HHS official • Regulation further delineates requirements on establishing goals and demonstrating the steps to achieving those goals.

  13. Establish School Readiness Goals • Agencies must establish program goals for improving the school readiness of children participating in its program that: • Align with the Head Start Framework, State early learning standards, and expectations of the schools; • Are appropriate for the ages of children; • Address, at a minimum, the domains of language and literacy, cognition and general knowledge, physical well-being and motor development, social and emotional development, and approaches toward learning; and • Are established in consultation with parents.

  14. Demonstrate Use of School Readiness Goals for Individual Children • Analyzing individual ongoing, child-level assessment data for all children and • Using that data, in combination with input from parents and families, to: • determine each child’s status and progress with regard to, at a minimum, language and literacy development, cognition and general knowledge, approaches toward learning, physical well-being and motor development, and social and emotional development and • individualize the experiences, instructional strategies, and services to best support each child.

  15. Demonstrate Use of School Readiness Goals for Continuous Improvement • Aggregating and analyzing child-level assessment data at least three times per year and using that data, in combination with other program data, to: • Determine progress toward meeting goals, • Inform parents and the community of results, and • Direct continuous improvement related to curriculum, instruction, professional development, program design and other program decisions

  16. Suspension by OHS • An agency that has been suspended from the Head Start or Early Head Start program by ACF and the suspension has not been overturned or withdrawn would be required to compete. • Grantee can be suspended if • Health or safety of children or staff are at risk, or • There is serious risk of substantial injury to property or loss of funds or violation of criminal statute

  17. Debarment or Disqualification • An agency has been debarred from receiving State or federal funds from another State or federal agency will be required to compete • An agency that has been disqualified from CACFP will be required to compete

  18. Audit Findings • An agency is at risk for failing to continue functioning as a “Going Concern” • A finding of Going Concern means that an organization fails to operate without the threat of liquidation for the foreseeable future, a period of at least 12 months

  19. HHS Grants Forecast • Each Forecast includes: • Service area • Available Federal funds • Expected number of awards • 200+ Forecasts made public in January • Will continue to forecast and announce Funding Opportunities • www.acf.hhs.gov/ hhsgrantsforecast/ • grants.gov • www.acf.hhs.gov/grants

  20. Grant Forecast Example

  21. Competition & Transition • Open Competitions • Began in April of 2012 • Paneling Completed in 2012 • All Eligible Applicants • Objective Evaluative Process • Transitions • Minimal Disruption of Services to Children and Families

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