T wo years ago, as part of its

ongoing commitment to excellence in serving children and

families, the Head Start Bureau undertook a review of the training and technical assistance (T/TA) system.

Providers and recipients of T/TA,

Federal staff at the national and regional levels, and experts in related fields

provided input on the strengths and

weaknesses of the T/TA system, along

with recommendations for improvement. This resulted in a network of

“cooperative agreements” and a new

partnering between Federal staff and

T/TA providers across the country.

This issue of the Bulletin provides an

overview of the enhanced Head Start

training and technical assistance system.

The four-phase cycle of T/TA —

Assessment, Planning and Coordination,

Implementation, and Evaluation —

receives special attention, since this

process is a central component of Head

Start’s commitment to continuous quality improvement. We hope you find this

information useful,and that you will work

with the T/TA providers in your area to

continue to enhance the quality of services you provide to Head Start children

and families.

Helen H.Taylor is Associate Commissioner of

the Head Start Bureau.

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 1

Partners in Quality

Head Start’s T/TA Network

By Helen H.Taylor

Also Inside this Issue...

HEAD START®

BULLETIN

enhancing head start communication

November 1998 Issue No. 64

Head Start Reauthorization Approved . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Regional Coordinating Councils. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

HSFIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Migrant Programs Branch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

The Four-Phase Cycle for Continuous Improvement

U.S Department of Health and Human Services ★ Administration for Children and Families ★ Administration on Children,Youth and Families

I

II III

IV

Training

and Technical

Assistance

Assessment

Evaluation

Planning and

Coordination

Implementation
2 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Training and Technical Assistance

The Head Start Bulletin is

published six times a year by the

Head Start Bureau (HSB),

Administration on Children, Youth

and Families, Administration for

Children and Families, Department

of Health and Human Services.

Donna E. Shalala

Secretary

Olivia A. Golden

Assistant Secretary

Administration for Children

and Families

Michael Kharfen

Director

Office of Public Affairs

Patricia Montoya

Commissioner

Administration on Children, Youth

and Families

Helen H.Taylor

Associate Commissioner

Head Start Bureau

The Bulletin is a service of HSB’s

Training and Technical Assistance

Branch. Its purpose is to enhance

communication among the Head

Start Bureau, Head Start programs,

and interested national, regional,

and state organizations and agencies.

JoAn Knight Herren

Chief, T/TA Branch

Head Start Bureau

Jeffrey Fredericks

Editor-in-Chief

Head Start Bulletin

The Head Start Bulletin is

prepared under Contract No. 105-96-

2010 with PaL-Tech, Inc. Jean Swift

is Senior Writer.

Head Start Bulletin

TRAINING & TECHNICAL

ASSISTANCE

Issue No. 64

“Partners in Quality”

Contents

Partners in Quality: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Head Start’s T/TA Network

Head Start Reauthorization Approved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The National T/TA Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The Quality Improvement Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The Quality Improvement Centers for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Disabilities Services

Strength-Based Needs Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Regional Coordinating Councils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Quality in Linking Together (QUILT). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Promoting Excellence: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

A Strategic Planning Process

Early Head Start and the Provision of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Customized Technical Assistance

The Hilton/Early Head Start Training Program . . . . . . . . 15

Professional Development in Head Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Academic Institutes Launched. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Technology and Distance Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Historically Black Colleges and Universities. . . . . . . . . . . 18

Partnerships with Colleges and Universities . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Effective Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

“Moving Ahead” with Phase IV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

National Training Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

The T/TA Assessment Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Aspens and Other Interconnections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Central Office News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

In the News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

The National Head Start Fellowship Program . . . . . . . . . 32
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 3

Training and Technical Assistance

O n October 27th, President

Clinton signed the Coats

Human Services

Reauthorization Act of 1998, to provide

the legislative framework for five more

years of Head Start operations. The

new legislation reaffirms core features

of Head Start’s mission and structure,

while adding significant new provisions

to strengthen program quality, accountability, expansion, partnerships, and

research efforts. The Congress also

approved the Administration’s request

for a $305 million increase in Head

Start funding and appropriated $4.66

billion to continue to expand and

improve Head Start and Early Head

Start programs this year.

Important new provisions in the law

include the following:

• Continuing Head Start’s federalto-local funding system, while

strengthening procedures for

consultation with governors in

planning Head Start funding.

• Enhancing program accountability

by mandating new education

performance standards and

performance measures related to

children’s literacy skills and school

readiness, and by expanding Head

Start program monitoring to

assess program effectiveness in

terms of the performance

measures and new child outcome

standards.

• Strengthening program quality by

increasing the proportion of

future budget increases devoted

to quality improvement purposes,

and improving the credentials of

Head Start teachers by setting a

goal of having at least 50 percent

of all teachers in center-based

programs attain an associate of

arts, bachelor of arts, or advanced

degree in early childhood

education or child development

by the year 2003.

• Continuing expansion of Early

Head Start to 10 percent of Head

Start’s budget in 2002, in order to

implement the President’s plan to

double Early Head Start

enrollment to 80,000 children and

families.

• Allowing, for the first time,

for-profit organizations to

become Head Start

grantees and delegate

agencies.

• Enhancing Head Start

partnerships with other

early childhood programs

and state governments by

strengthening Head StartState Collaboration Offices,

providing new flexibility for

grantees to collect fees and

share equipment and

supplies in partnerships to

provide full-day, full-year

services; and launching a

major new training and technical

assistance effort to enhance

linkages with family literacy

programs.

• New research to assess the

impact of Head Start services on

children’s social competence and

school readiness, and to compare

Head Start outcomes with the

results of other early childhood

programs and with the

development of children who

don’t attend any program.

Associate Commissioner Helen

Taylor views the successful completion of

reauthorization as a major achievement

for the entire Head Start community:

This year’s reauthorization continues Head Start’s tradition of generating

bipartisan support from Congress and

preserves Head Start’s unique commitment to providing the highest quality

and most comprehensive services to

America’s neediest young children and

their families. With confidence, we can

face the challenge of working together

to understand the requirements of the

new law and to create implementation

strategies that draw on the best ideas

and work of Head Start managers, staff,

parents, and our key partners in communities and states.

The Head Start Bureau will be

working over the next several months

with ACF Regional Offices, Head Start

grantees and delegate agencies, and

other leaders and experts to develop

more specific policy statements and

short-run and long-range plans to implement this important legislation.

Grantees and delegate agencies will be

receiving an Information Memorandum

in the near future that conveys the full

text of the new law.

Head Start Reauthorization Approved

President Clinton signs the bill reauthorizing

Head Start. Health and Human Services

Secretary Donna Shalala and Helen Taylor, Associate Commisioner of the Head Start

Bureau, are among those present.

(photo by Bert Goulait/The Washington Times)
4 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Training and Technical Assistance

The Four-Phase Cycle for Continuous 

Quality Improvement

Activity Cycle Step 1:

Assessment

Activity Cycle Step 4:

Evaluation

Activity Cycle Step 2:

Planning and Coordination

Activity Cycle Step 3:

Implementation

• Data Collection

• On-Site or

Telephonic

Interviews

• Program

Information

Report Data

• National Trends

• Trends Analysis

1

• Regional

Coordinating

Council

• Head Start

Associations

• Child Care/Early

Childhood

Programs

• Child Care

• Pre-K

• State Collaboration

Offices

• Academic

Institutions

2 • Best Practice

• Flexible Delivery

Systems

• State of the Art

Technologies

• Research Findings

• Emerging Trends

and Knowledge

• Ongoing

3

• Quality Control

• Based on Criteria

and Standards

• Build on Feedback

4
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 5

Training and Technical Assistance

The National T/TA Network

By JoAn Knight Herren

As part of its ongoing commitment to continuous quality improvement, the Head

Start Bureau implemented a new system for providing training and technical assistance (T/TA) to Head Start

programs across the country in the

Fall of 1997. The new system is

designed to support all Head Start

programs in their efforts to enhance

services — from programs with need

areas highlighted in their monitoring

reviews to programs that have consistently received high marks.

Continuous quality improvement

applies to all Head Start programs; in

these times of rapid change, there are

always opportunities for growth.

Step I:Assessment

Central to the enhanced T/TA system

are the regionally-based Head Start

Quality Improvement Centers (QICs)

and QICs for Disabilities Services

(QIC-DSs). These QICs provide T/TA

to meet the needs of all Head Start

grantees and delegate agencies nationwide. Each QIC is staffed with specialists in early childhood education and

development, health, family and community development, technology,

transportation, facilities, and

fiscal/administrative management. In

addition, many of the QICs have staff

members who are outstationed in

state or cluster areas to more easily

support programs over a large geographic region.

Step I undertaken by the QICs,

was an assessment of T/TA needs in

the regions.Most of these assessments

have now been completed.While specific needs vary from region to region,

there were some common themes: (1)

welfare reform; (2) Head Start/Early

Head Start expansion; (3) child care;

(4) family and community partnerships; (5) health and mental health; (6)

the revised Program Performance

Standards and monitoring; (7) outcome-based versus process evaluation;

and (8) technology.

Based on the responses to its own

assessment process, each Region will

develop a plan for meeting the priorities of its Head Start programs.

Step II: Planning and

Coordination

A new feature of the T/TA system is

the creation of Regional Coordinating

Councils (RCCs), whose members are

representative of all parts of the network — from Regional Office staff to

the State Collaboration Offices to

State Head Start Association representatives to QIC representatives and

other T/TA providers in the field of

early child development and education.(See related article on p. 11.) One

of the main purposes of the RCCs is

to reduce fragmentation within the

T/TA system. The RCCs promote

information sharing that is invaluable

to coordinated service provision. The

RCCs also foster collaboration

between community agencies, child

care, governments, academic institutions, and other Head Start programs.

Step III: Implementation

The RCCs, in general, meet quarterly

to: review T/TA needs in the region

and establish priorities; develop and

oversee implementation of a plan to

address these needs (Step III in the

T/TA Activity Cycle); and discuss other

emerging issues. All of the RCCs are

now operational; and many have met

to identify their missions, clarify their

roles in the T/TA system, and address

the T/TA priorities in their Regions.

Step IV: Evaluation

In addition to the evaluations normally conducted after individual training

events, Head Start programs, the

Quality Improvement Centers, and

Federal staff will be involved in evaluating the training and technical assistance system as a whole. The T/TA

Assessment Project currently underway is developing tools and processes

to be used by local programs, the

QICs, and the Head Start Bureau in

conducting this evaluation. (See related article on p. 23.) The results of this

ongoing evaluation will provide the

information needed at all levels of the

Head Start community to make decisions and plan for continuous quality

improvement in Head Start services to

children and families.

National Contracts

At the national level, the T/TA

Network is supported by several key

contracts. In brief, the National

Resource Center (NRC) publishes

the Head Start Bulletin, supports

national T/TA initiatives, and organizes

conferences and institutes; the Head

Start Publications Management

Center (HSPMC) manages the distribution of Head Start publications; and

the Early Head Start National

Resource Center (EHS NRC) provides leadership and support in services to infants/toddlers and pregnant

women. (See Resources for more

information on these and other T/TArelated national contracts.)

JoAn Knight Herren is Chief of the Training and

Technical Assistance Branch at the Head Start

Bureau, T: 202-205-8566; E: jherren

@acf.dhhs.gov
6 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Training and Technical Assistance

The Quality Improvement Centers (QICs)

Region I

Education Development Center, Inc.

T: 617-969-7100

Region IIa

New York University School of

Education

T: 212-998-5550

Region IIb

Development Associates, Inc.

T: 787-281-0100

Region III

University of Maryland University

College

T: 301-985-7990

Region IVa and IVb

Western Kentucky University

T: 502-745-4041

Region Va

Cooperative Educational Service Agency

#5

T: 608-742-8814

Region Vb

The Ohio State University

T: 614-447-0844

Region VIa

Basic Health Management

T: 501-370-9155

Region VIb

Texas Tech University

T: 806-742-3296

Region VII

Community Development Institute

T: 816-356-5373

Region VIII

Community Development Institute

T: 303-989-5929

Region IX

Development Associates

T: 925-935-9711

Region X

Early Childhood Training Center

T: 503-725-4815

Region XI – American Indian

Programs

University of Oklahoma

T: 405-325-4127

Region XII – Migrant Programs

Academy for Educational Development

T: 202-884-8729

I

II a

111

IV a,b

V a

V b

VI a

VI b

VII

VIII IX

X

XI

XII

QIC Central Office Locations

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•

•

•

•

•

•

central office location

• satellite office location in

each region

Washington, DC

Puerto Rico

Hawaii

Alaska •

II b

To order a complete National Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Network Directory, contact

Barbara White at T: 703-243-0495; F: 703-243-0496: E: bwhite@pal-tech.com.
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 7

Training and Technical Assistance

QIC Q+A: Partners in Quality

Q: What is a Quality Improvement Center?

A. Quality Improvement Centers, or “QICs,” are theheart of Head Start’s training and technical assistance

network and valuable resources for Head Start programs.

The QICs work with grantees to support the continuous

quality improvement of all grantees and delegate agencies

as they work to provide effective, high-quality services to

children and families.The QICs have access to a wide variety of resources and information, which they integrate and

make available to all Head Start grantees.

The QIC covers management, teacher and staff development, family services and parent involvement, facilities and

transportation, technology, Early Head Start program development, and Head Start-child care partnerships.The QICDS targets its support specifically for disabilities services

(see page 9).

A new feature of the T/TA system is the establishment of

satellite offices throughout the region — generally at least

one per state — or a specialist in the QIC’s main office

assigned to work with a particular state.This comprehensive network ensures that support for Head Start programs is readily accessible through T/TA specialists who are

familiar with local cultures and issues.

Q: What role do the QICs play?

A:The QICs support Head Start programs by: (1) focusing on management, coordination, and facilitation of

T/TA services within the region; (2) customizing services

based upon research and supported by state-of-the-art

technology; (3) providing training and technical assistance

on-site, and at state and regional Head Start Association

and other conferences; (4) engaging an ongoing strategic

planning process that will allow the system to adapt to a

demanding and changing environment; and (5) providing

joint training opportunities with academic institutions.

Q. Can any Head Start program get support and information from the QIC?

A:Absolutely! It’s a common misconception that onlythose programs with deficient areas in their monitoring reviews can get assistance from the QICs.That’s not

true! All Head Start programs—even those with glowing

reviews—must take steps to ensure that their program and

staff continue to offer high-quality services to children and

families within an ever-changing environment.The Head

Start Bureau wants to ensure that all Head Start programs

are supported in these ongoing quality improvement

efforts.

The QICs make on site visits to virtually all programs in

each region, and work to develop a plan with each program

for addressing its priority areas in the coming year.

Q. How can I get support from the QICs?

A:Give them a call! Or contact the T/TA Coordinatorin your Regional Office to learn what your priorities

for T/TA are.

Q. How much do QIC services cost?

A:Nothing! Services from the Quality ImprovementCenters are free to all Head Start programs.While

some of the training conferences or other activities may

have registration or service fees, Head Start programs do

not pay for the services of the QIC T/TA provider.

Likewise, phone consultations or site visits by QIC T/TA

specialists are free of charge.Take advantage of this valuable resource!

Many thanks to Sheila Skiffington (Region I),Marce Verzarro-O’Brien

(Region IV),Donna McDaniel (Region VII), John Thomas (Region VIII),

and Anita Chisholm and Geneva Strech (Region XI) for their assistance in preparing this article. For more information, contact your

Regional QIC.

The Head Start Training

and Technical Assistance system

promotes excellence by:

✓ Supporting a continuous learning

environment for Head Start staff;

✓ Fostering partnerships among the

Head Start programs,

communities, and governments to

enable children, parents, and staff

to develop their fullest potential;

✓ Cultivating a shared understanding

of and commitment to the Head

Start philosophy; and 

✓ Celebrating the diversity of the

Head Start community.
8 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Training and Technical Assistance

The Quality Improvement Centers for Disabilities

Services (QIC-DSs)

111

IV

V

V b

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

Washington, DC

•

•

•

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•

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•

central office location

• satellite office location in

each region

Puerto Rico

Hawaii

Alaska

II b

I

II a,b

Region I

Educational Development Center, Inc.

T: 617-969-7100

Region IIa and IIb

New York University

T: 212-998-5528

Region III

Child Development Resources

T: 757-566-3300

Region IV

Chapel Hill Training & Outreach

Program

T: 919-490-5577

Region V

University of Illinois

T: 217-333-3876

Region VI

University of Arkansas UAP

T: 800-831-4827

Region VII

University of Kansas Medical Center

T: 913-588-5960

Region VIII

Utah State University

T: 435-797-0985

Region IX

Sonoma State

T: 800-625-7648

Region X

Portland State University

T: 503-725-4815

Region XI – American Indian

Programs

Three Feathers Associates

T: 405-360-2919

Region XII – Migrant Programs

Academy for Educational Development

T: 202-884-8700

QIC-DS Central Office Locations

To order a complete National Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Network Directory, contact

Barbara White at T: 703-243-0495; F: 703-243-0496: E: bwhite@pal-tech.com.
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 9

Training and Technical Assistance

Q:What do the Quality Improvement Centers forDisabilities Services (QIC-DSs) do?

A:Everything a Quality Improvement Center does, butspecifically for working with special-needs children

and families.The QIC-DSs are the primary vehicle for providing Head Start grantees with training and technical assistance to enable them to serve children with disabilities and

their families.They provide support services and materials

to grantees and other groups to ensure the inclusion of

children with disabilities and to encourage enrollment of

greater numbers of children with more severe disabilities

in Head Start.

Q:How many partners does it take for a QIC-DS tosupport new Early Head Start (EHS) programs?

A:One more than yesterday! QIC-DS partnerships growdaily with each new resource uncovered — universities and community colleges; state agencies and other federally-funded projects that provide training and technical assistance; state videoconferencing resources; Regional Resource

Centers; and other members of a quintet of Head Start

technical assistance providers that includes the QIC and the

QIC-DS in each region, the National Resource Center for

Early Head Start (EHS NRC), the Hilton/Early Head Start

Training program, and the Regional Office.

In many regions, two or more technical assistance partners

are joining together to visit each new program to determine its strengths and technical assistance needs. In Region

VII, EHS grantees were visited by a team representing the

QIC, QIC-DS, and the EHS NRC to discuss the new programs’ plans, challenges and strategies and to plan coordinated technical assistance to meet grantee needs. In Region

X, teams of QIC and QIC-DS staff combined their initial

visit with on-site training requested by the grantees on priority issues such as referral, screening, and compliance with

the Americans with Disabilities Act. Region V has taken its

partnerships high tech, working with the Intranet to allow

the QIC and QIC-DS to integrate not only their technical

assistance services but their information systems as well.

Q:What strategies are being used to meet EHS needsfor training and technical assistance?

A:As many as there are needs! In Region III, on-siteteam visits, written questionnaires, and follow-up

phone calls have helped uncover real strengths among the

EHS grantees. It’s not surprising that technical assistance is

requested most often around implementing the revised

Program Performance Standards; working with children

with specific disabilities; and recruiting, particularly infants

and toddlers with more severe disabilities.

In Region I, the QIC and QIC-DS are working on-site with a

program in Willimantic, CT, to build systems that ensure

consistency in services for families who have children in

both EHS and Head Start.At program staff meetings facilitated by technical assistance providers, programs have agreed

that each family will have only one Family Partnership

Agreement, and that only one family service worker (representing both programs) will be assigned to a family.Together,

the QICs are developing a communication system to ensure

that Head Start and EHS staff working with the same family

meet and plan jointly when appropriate.

An EHS institute in Region III, sponsored by a partnership

among the QIC-DS, a local early intervention program, and

a university offering credit for the five-day training, provided participants with observation and hands-on opportunities to learn new skills in screening, assessment, and the

development of IFSPs. Participants left with back-home

work plans that will be supported by follow up training

later this year.

Submitted by Corinne W.Garland, Project Director Region III QIC-DS;E:

cgarland@gc.net. Many thanks to the other QIC-DS Project Directors

for their input For more information,contact your regional QIC-DS.

QIC-DS Q+A:

Partners for Families with Special Needs

The mission of the National Training and

Technical Assistance System is to develop a

network of:

✓ Federal staff,

✓T/TA providers,

✓ Key partners,

✓ Head Start programs, and

✓ Consultants

that consistently offer the highest quality

training and technical assistance, to help

programs meet and exceed Performance

Standards.
Training and Technical Assistance

10 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

I

t’s always easier to focus on areas in

your life and work where there is room

for improvement, and to forget about all

the wonderful things you’re doing well.

Because of this tendency to see deficits and

not strengths, Head Start is placing a

renewed emphasis on strength-based needs

assessment.

This method is consistent not only with

Head Start’s values, but with all of early

childhood education if you think about it. If

you want to help children identify colors, do

you ask them about all the colors they don’t

know? Or do you start with the colors they

do know and build from there? Do you

praise a child’s strengths, or dwell on his or

her weaknesses?

The same is true for Head Start programs. Programs are doing a lot of things

right, and we need to acknowledge that and

build on it.The purpose of a strength-based

needs assessment is to identify the gap

between “what is” and “what ought to be”

in Head Start programs, and identify how

programs can help each other grow and

develop.

The Quality Improvement Center (QIC)

in Region III recently developed a strengthbased needs assessment survey for programs in its region. To devise appropriate

questions, QIC staff looked to the Program

Performance Standards to review what each

program should be doing, then developed

questions on that basis. This assessment

enabled the QIC to develop a firmer understanding of where their programs were, in

order to plan for the future.

After the assessment tool was developed, the QIC sent out the survey with a

cover letter emphasizing the importance of

the project. Next, the Grantee Liaisons in

the Region visited each program to work

with them on the assessment and answer

any questions. Finally, a reminder letter was

sent to any grantees that had not yet

responded, and the Grantee Liaisons will follow up with them again.

Once the information from the needs

assessments is gathered, the responses will

be entered into the QIC database, which

will also serve as the basis for the Region’s

grantee directories. Information on

strengths and needs will be shared with the

State Collaboration Offices and the state

Head Start Associations, as well as the

Regional Office and Head Start Bureau, to

help them in planning for future events.

With the information received from the

survey, the QIC is establishing a network of

PODS — Programs Organized to Develop

Strengths — throughout the Region. These

PODS will link grantees in support of one

another. The programs will combine their

resources to build capacity, to share innovative projects, and to enhance peer

exchanges. Based on the needs assessment,

the Region III QIC can identify which programs have the ability to provide mentors

and mentoring services to other programs.

The QIC will also link programs with similar

experiences and concerns in planning cluster trainings, developing written resource

information and materials, and providing

training and technical assistance.

Some of the greatest strengths identified

to date are:

• Sound financial and fiscal systems

• Community partnership processes

• Effective Policy Council/Board/staff

decision making

• Sound staff development practices

With the completion of the needs

assessment, the QIC, the Regional Office,

and the Head Start Bureau will have a more

comprehensive understanding of the

strengths and needs of the Region III Head

Start programs and will be better able to

plan for the future.

Madhavi Parikh is Project Director for the Region

III Quality Improvement Center,T: 301-985-7990,

E: parim@hsrtc.umuc.edu.

Strength-Based Needs Assessment By Madhavi Parikh

PHASE I: Assessment

“To become 

different from

what we are, we

must have some

awareness of

what we are.”

—Eric Hoffer
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 11

Training and Technical Assistance

Anew feature of the training and

technical assistance system is the

creation of Regional Coordinating

Councils (RCCs) whose members represent

all parts of the system. RCC members come

together to share their perspectives on T/TA

and report activities of the broader T/TA

community.Thus the RCCs provide a mechanism for forming partnerships within the

community, and create a bridge to other

T/TA providers to ensure that comprehensive services are provided. The RCCs also

foster collaboration between community

agencies, governments, academic institutions,

and child care.

The Regional Coordinating Councils are

managed through a partnership between the

ACF Regional Offices and the Quality

Improvement Centers. Other stake holders

include:

• Head Start State Collaboration Offices;

• State and Regional Head Start

Association representatives;

• Key providers, such as Johnson &

Johnson Management Fellows and

regional and cluster T/TA entities;

• Other T/TA providers in the areas of

child care, early childhood education,

health, family development, community

development and program planning;

and

• Other Federal agencies.

The Regional Coordinating Council serves as

an advisory board for Regional Office Staff by

helping to identify T/TA priorities, developing

a Regional or sub-Regional T/TA plan, connecting and coordinating services in and

among the different levels of the system, and

reaching out to the community. It meets regularly to review the assessment process,

develop a fair balance for the provision of

services among grantees, and prepare and

update Regional or sub-Regional T/TA plans.

The system promotes excellence by emphasizing quality program improvement, local

capacity building, and ongoing evaluation,

while reducing fragmentation and ensuring

that comprehensive T/TA services are provided throughout the country.

For more information on the Regional

Coordinating Council in your region, contact

the T/TA Coordinator in your Regional

Office (noted below).

Clayton Roth is Program Specialist in HSB’s Training

and Technical Assistance Branch,T: 202-205-7359,

E:croth@acf.dhhs.gov.

Region I

Andrea Dodge

T: (617) 565-1127 / F: (617) 565-2493

E: adodge@acf.dhhs.gov

Region II

Matthew Shottenfeld

T: (212) 264-4116 / F: (212) 264-4826

E: mshottenfeld@acf.dhhs.gov

Region III

Burma Stokes

T: (215) 861-4042 / F: (215) 861-4070

E: bstokes@acf.dhhs.gov

Region IV

Sandy Goines

T: (404) 562-2977 / F: (404) 562-2981

E: sgoines@acf.dhhs.gov

Region V

Leonard Norberg

T: (312) 353-9676 / F: (312) 886-5373

E: lnorberg@acf.dhhs.gov

Region VI

George Campbell

T: (214) 767-8845 / F: (214) 767-2038

E: gcampbell@acf.dhhs.gov

Region VII

Thomas Reck

T: (816) 426-5401 ext.190

F: (816) 426-5401

E: treck@acf.dhhs.gov

Region VIII

Debra Hedin

T: (303) 844-3100 ext.371

F: (303) 844-2624

E: dhedin@acf.dhhs.gov

Region IX

Maria Fort

T: (415) 437-8445 / F: (415) 437-8438

E: mfort@acf.dhhs.gov

Region X

Nancy Hutchins

T:(206) 615-2557 ext. 3067

F: (206) 615-2575

E: nhutchins@acf.dhhs.gov

Region XI

Ory Cuellar

T: (202) 205-8899 / F: (202) 401-5916

E: ocuellar@acf.dhhs.gov

Region XII

Sandra Carton

T: (202) 205-8397 / F: (202) 401-5916

E: scarton@acf.dhhs.gov

RCC Regional

Office Contacts

PHASE II: Planning & Coordination

The Regional Coordinating Councils By Clayton Roth
12 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Training and Technical Assistance

The Head Start and Child Care

Bureaus, as well as other early education leaders, recognize that successful

early education partnerships enhance quality

and expand service delivery for children.

They do this by maximizing the effective use

of funds to provide continuity of services to

better meet the needs of working families.

ACYF has recently strengthened its commitment to promoting partnerships at the local,

state, regional, and national levels by launching a new national initiative, Quality in

Linking Together (QUILT): Early Education

Partnerships.

Two entities, Education Development

Center, Inc. (EDC) in Newton,

Massachusetts, and Community Development Institute (CDI) in Denver, Colorado,

have come together to lead the QUILT initiative. In the initial planning phase, the

Bureaus and QUILT staff will engage with

leaders in the fields of early education and

training and technical assistance (T/TA) to

develop a strategic and systematic approach

that supports and promotes Head Start and

early education partnerships. The national

initiative will:

• Collect, assess, develop, and share

descriptive information on partnership

models and collaborative strategies;

• Build strategic alliances and enhance

partnerships between Head Start, child

care, and other early education

programs; and

• Conduct national and regional training,

forums, and meetings for Head Start,

child care, and other early education

leaders.

Deborah Hinrichs is Project Director for the Region

VIII QIC at Community Development Institute

(CDI) in Denver, Colorado; Sheila Skiffington is

Project Director for the Region I QIC at Education

Development Center, Inc. (EDC) in Newton,

Massachusetts.

For more information on the QUILT Project,contact

Grace Hardy, Region VIII QIC Resource Specialist,

at T: 800-488-2348, E: Grace_Hardy@ceo.cudenver.edu; Mary Shiffer, Program Specialist, Training

and Technical Assistance Branch, Head Start

Bureau, T: 202-260-2670, E:

mschiffer@acf.dhhs.gov; or Lillian Sugarman,

Director, Training and Technical Assistance, Child

Care Bureau, T: 202-690-6243, E:

lsugarman@acf.dhhs.gov.

Quality In Linking Together (QUILT)

A New Federal Initiative To Provide National Support To Head Start, Child Care,

And Early Education Partnerships

By Deborah Hinrichs and Sheila Skiffington

PHASE III: Implementation

“Work is the very fire where we are

baked to perfection, and like the master of the fire itself, we add the essential ingredient and fulfillment when

we walk into the flames ourselves and

fuel the transformation of ordinary,

every day forms into the exquisite and

the rare.”

—From David Whyte’s

The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the 

Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 13

Training and Technical Assistance

W ith all of the opportunities and

obstacles facing Head Start programs, how can we know if the

decisions we make today will take us where

we want to be tomorrow? The revised

Performance Standards recognize this question and require all Head Start programs to

“implement a systematic and ongoing

process of planning.” Thirteen programs in

Region Va (Wisconsin, Michigan, and

Minnesota) have recently taken this one step

further by participating in Promoting

Excellence, an event sponsored by the Great

Lakes Head Start Quality Network (Q-Net).

Promoting Excellence is a multi-step

process designed to help agencies without a

strategic plan to develop one, and to help

those agencies with a plan to extend it creatively into the future. It focuses on the

development of an agency vision through

creativity and strategic thinking skills, as well

as building plans that are based on the shared

values of staff and parents.Through a combination of on-site visits, a week-long planning

event, and follow-up work, each participating

agency takes steps to envision its ideal future

and creates plans to reach it.

Planning to Plan

Prior to the Promoting Excellence event,

each program “planned to plan” by deciding

whether they were ready to invest their time

and energy in the strategic planning process.

Each program also identified the mix of staff,

administrators, parents, and board members

that would be involved in the agency’s planning team.These teams then began to examine the core values of their members.

(Promoting Excellence is built on the concept that the plan must be based on the key

values of the major stakeholders or it will

not work.) Once the core values were identified, the team created a mission statement

for the program that addresses: (1) who the

program serves; (2) what needs the program

will fill; and (3) how the program will attempt

to achieve its goals.

The week-long event was held in

Minneapolis at the end of March with over

100 staff members and parents participating.

The work teams were led by a facilitator

skilled in strategic long-range planning.

Throughout the week, the agency planning

teams worked to create a vision for their

programs.Then, with this vision in mind, the

teams built a strategic business model that

identified their lines of business and how

their success in reaching their goals will be

measured.

Looking to the Future

Follow-up work for the programs included

involving the stakeholders who were unable

to attend the event, translating the model’s

vision into action plans, and developing contingency plans.

By focusing resources and energy on its

vision, each participating program will be better able to make effective decisions when

confronted by the myriad opportunities and

challenges they encounter daily. The

Promoting Excellence strategic planning

process will enable programs to achieve their

vision of quality services for Head Start children and families.

Bill Welch is Program Specialist at the Region Va

QNet. For more information, contact Bill at

welchb@cesa5.k12.wi.us.

Promoting Excellence:

A Strategic Planning Process

By Bill Welch
14 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Training and Technical Assistance

Training and Technical Assistance

(T/TA) support provided directly

to Early Head Start programs has

continued to evolve since the initial funding of 68 programs in the Fall of 1995.This

evolution can be attributed, in large part,

to the tremendous growth in the EHS initiative—there are now nearly 300 EHS

programs funded across the nation—and

the recognition that locally designed EHS

programs need and deserve T/TA that is

both flexible and individually tailored to

meet their unique needs.

The commitment to provide targeted T/TA has been the driving force

behind the work of the Early Head Start

National Resource Center (EHS NRC)

and the regionally based Infant/Toddler

Specialists located at the Quality

Improvements Centers (QICs).

Together, the EHS NRC and the

Infant/Toddler Specialists make up the

Infant/Family Network. This Network

has worked in partnership since the creation of the EHS initiative to provide

flexible, responsive, and respectful T/TA

support to newly funded EHS programs.

One of the chief “lessons learned”

from on-site T/TA visits to the first wave

of EHS programs was that increased

attention to planning is needed during

the implementation year. Because of the

time that elapses between the writing of

grant applications and the actual funding

of awards, many EHS grantees need to

re-evaluate the viability of strategies and

approaches proposed in their grant

application. In addition, a number of programs are transitioning from other program models (e.g., Parent and Child

Centers, Comprehensive Child

Development Programs) which require

a shift in the intensity and emphasis of

services.Programs are also anticipating a

number of changes associated with welfare reform. These challenges suggest

the need for a customized approach to

providing T/TA.

In the fall of 1996 the Head Start

Bureau provided all Wave II EHS programs with access to a Start-up Planner.

While the nature and intensity of services provided by these planners varied

from program to program, each program had consistent access to a designated Planner. This feature—ongoing

access to consistent support—was

seen as being especially important given

the critical role that relationships play in

achieving effective T/TA outcomes. The

following provides a partial listing of key

activities in which a Start-up Planner

might participate:

• Providing program managers with

key questions to consider as they

move forward in implementing

services;

• Facilitating a process that involves

revisiting program goals,

objectives, and outcomes with

program staff, Board Directors,

Policy Council Chair, parents, and

other relevant community

providers;

• Providing program managers with

resources needed to develop

services that are grounded in an

understanding of prenatal and

infant development;

• Assisting program managers in

developing effective strategies to

successfully incorporate EHS

services into a larger

organizational structure;

• Providing program managers with

a comprehensive approach to

planning and supporting ongoing

staff development; and

• Assisting program managers with

developing a continuous program

improvement plan, including the

development of a Management

Information System.

Feedback provided by Wave II EHS

programs suggests the addition of this

targeted source of support was very

beneficial, especially for those programs

converting from other program models.

Hence, the HSB continues to recommend that newly funded EHS programs

make provisions in their “start-up” budget for this service. Regionally based

QICs have access to resources and

trained consultants who are able to provide start-up services. Decisions made

during the implementation year of an

EHS program can forever impact the

manner in which services are provided

to the community.An entire Network of

support is in place to ensure that EHS

programs are able to obtain individualized and targeted T/TA services.

To learn more about this valuable

resource for Early Head Start programs, please contact the Infant/Toddler

Specialist at your regional QIC for

more information. The name and contact information of each Infant/Toddler

Specialist can be found quickly by visiting the Program Support Network page

of the EHS NRC website located at:

www.ehsnrc.org.

Tammy Mann is Director of the Early Head

Start National Resource Center,T: 202-638-

1144; E: t.mann@zertothree.org, or visit the

EHS NRC website at www.ehsnrc.org.

Early Head Start and the Provision of

Customized Technical Assistance

By Tammy Mann
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 15

Training and Technical Assistance

The Hilton/Early Head Start Training

Program joined the Head Start T/TA

system this year. This program is a

public/private partnership between the

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the Head

Start Bureau, and is administered by the

California Institute on Human Services at

Sonoma State University. Its mission is to

help professionals and family members

involved in Early Head Start (EHS) and

Migrant Head Start (MHS) programs develop skills and strategies for working with

infants and toddlers who have significant 

disabilities.

The training is conducted in intensive

five-day workshops called SpecialQuests.The

initial curriculum was developed in response

to a needs assessment of EHS programs

attending the Head Start Infant/Toddler

Institute and in collaboration with national

experts. It emphasizes three topics:

• Including infants and toddlers with

significant disabilities;

• Nurturing relationships with families; and 

• Building and maintaining relationships

with early intervention partners.

Themes of teaming, understanding cultural differences, problem solving, reflective

practice, and the use of technology to serve

infants and toddlers with disabilities and their

families are infused throughout the curriculum. Training is presented by nationally

known experts in Head Start, parenting children with disabilities, and early-intervention.

Each SpecialQuest team develops individual and team goals for implementing the

SpecialQuest concepts into their own programs.These goals are activities and practices

that participants select to take back and

implement when they return home. While

support is offered to teams throughout the

training, participants are encouraged to take

responsibility for their own learning. In keeping with the principles of adult learning, participants start by examining their own attitudes, beliefs, and practices and move

towards collaboration and inclusion in their

day-to-day work.

Learning coaches work with participants

during the SpecialQuest, and are available for

up to three days of follow-up support.While

the SpecialQuest is not a training of trainers,

team members are encouraged to share

what they learned with their colleagues. A

variety of materials are provided to help

them do that. In addition, a training video will

be made available to participating programs

late in 1998.

Teams of five members — EHS and MHS

staff, parents of children with disabilities

enrolled in Head Start, and community earlyintervention partners — participate in a

series of four annual SpecialQuests. As of

August 30, 1998, three SpecialQuests had

been completed in Concord, CA;Atlanta, GA;

and Washington, DC, attended by teams from

Wave 1 and 2 EHS and MHS in Regions I, II,

III, IV, IX and X.The American Indian EHS programs also participated, as did representatives

of the Head Start Bureau, the Regional

Offices, and the Quality Improvement

Centers.Waves 3 and 4 begin their four-year

cycle in 1999.

Linda Brekken, Hilton project director,

had this to say about the SpecialQuests: “It

has been a privilege to meet and learn from

so many parents of young children with disabilities, Early and Migrant Head Start staff,

and early interventionists. With all of us

working together, there is no doubt that

there will be a positive difference for infants

and toddlers with significant disabilities and

their families in EHS/MHS programs throughout the country!”

For more information,contact Joanne Knapp-Philo,

SpecialQuest Director/Coordinator of Regions IX,

X, and XII, at T: 707-664-2707; F: 707-664-2417

or contact the Hilton website at

www.sonoma.edu/cihs/Hilton_EHS/.

The Hilton/Early Head Start Training Program By Joanne Knapp-Philo
Training and Technical Assistance

16 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

At a recent meeting in

Washington, D.C., Associate

Commissioner Helen Taylor

issued a challenge to the Head Start

community — she challenged us to

reinvent Head Start in order to

improve the educational experience for

every Head Start child in the country.

To meet this challenge, and to provide the best possible services to Head

Start children and their families, we

must have a strong and stable base of

competent staff. Professional development thus plays a key role in continuous

quality improvement in Head Start.

The professional development

movement has a number of goals, one

of which is to increase the stability of

the early child care workforce.Turnover

is currently high, and continuous change

in caregivers interferes with bonding

and hinders a child’s learning and 

development.

A second goal of the professional

development movement is to establish

wage compensation for increased training.A third goal is to establish a career

ladder that offers upward mobility to

early child care workers.

To accomplish these three goals, a

movement has been underway in 49

states to unite the child care community into one system (as opposed to separate systems where resources are disconnected).Andrea Genser,Director of

The Center for Career Development

in Early Care and Education at

Wheelock College, has stated that such

a unified system:

• Presents a broader picture of the

entire early childhood community,

including the children and families

being served

• Enables a broad view of the field

— what’s being done, and where

gaps and areas of need still exist

• Makes available more voices and

resources to deal with barriers

• Facilitates the development of

core competencies

• Enables the expansion and coordination of money and resources

• Provides opportunity for

partnerships and open

communication

• Facilitates the development of

policy solutions

The Child Development Associate

(CDA) certification also plays a role in

early childhood professional development. Carol Phillips, Executive Director

of the Council for Early Childhood

Professional Recognition, noted that,

since 1992,the CDA requirements have

been changing in two ways:

• Training: Before 1992, 120 clock

hours of informal training were

necessary to be eligible for CDA

assessment. Now, formal education

is required, in addition to the 480

hours of work experience.Training

providers will establish the formal

requirements.

• Renewal: To be eligible for CDA

renewal, candidates must now

participate in continuing education

in two ways. First, a CDA candidate

must be a member of a professional

organization (any appropriate

organization of the candidate’s

choosing). Second, candidates must

take at least one post-secondary

class or complete 4.5 continuing

education units within five years of

their initial certification.

The Council for Early Childhood

Professional Recognition believes that

these measures will enhance the quality

of professional development and help

to ensure that early child care workers

have the knowledge base they need to

do their jobs effectively.

A new handbook on professional

development in Head Start, Learning

and Growing Together, has just been

published by The Center for Career and

Early Childhood Professional Development, in partnership with the Head Start

Bureau. In addition to providing a general overview of professional development

in Head Start, Learning and Growing

Together also provides descriptive information on a number of professional

development partnerships that have

been developed by Head Start programs

around the country. (See p. 28 for information on how to order the book.)

The future of the professional

development movement lies in its dedication to collaboration among early

childhood disciplines and with higher

education. As more partnerships are

established with colleges and universities, Head Start can pioneer a system

that promotes not only the development of our children but the staff and

parents who care for them.

For more information, contact the Center for

Career Development in Early Care and

Education at Wheelock College, T: 617-734-

5200 x211,or its website at ericps.crc.uiuc.edu.

The Council for Early Childhood Professional

Recognition can be reached at T: 202-265-

9090,or visit its website at www.cdacouncil.org.

Professional Development will be the topic of

an upcoming issue of the Head Start Bulletin.

Professional Development in Head Start
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 17

Training and Technical Assistance

Recent advances in technology

have greatly enhanced opportunities for training and professional development. You’ve probably

heard a lot about our “global community” and how the world is becoming

interconnected. Distance learning has

made that a reality, enabling people all

over the country, and the world for that

matter, to share information and learn

from each other using a wide variety of

technologies. Distance learning is education that can be delivered using audio,

video, and computer technologies. Even

though the learner is not in the same

room as the trainer/teacher, instruction

is communicated through fax, mail, computer, and very often,through interactive

video and audio conferencing.

There are a variety of ways distance

learning can take place, some more

sophisticated than others. On the less

sophisticated end are paper transactions, audio or video cassettes, CD

ROMs, or other non-interactive methods. Think of these as your portable

methods.

On the more sophisticated side are

audio conferencing systems.Audio conferencing connects learner and teacher

through telephones to provide an interactive system. The most sophisticated

methods of distance learning are systems that include: (1) video conferencing; (2) satellite systems; (3) cable or

fiber optic systems that use TV channels to offer two-way audio and video

connection at three or four sites; and

(4) workstation conferencing that relies

on the Internet to offer multiple windows displaying sites.

In many cases, distance learning

courses are typically listed on transcripts without any notation of the fact

that they were not conducted in a

classroom. An academic institution

reviewing the transcript decides

whether to accept the credit based on

its merits and the institution’s criteria,

as with any other listed courses.

Many QICs in the T/TA Network

also use the Internet to communicate

information. Although the Internet is

not usually characterized as distance

learning, it is an invaluable source of

information. Thirteen QICs (including

QICs for Disabilities Services) are using

Internet systems in their Regions —

including establishing web pages and

chat groups that are available to Head

Start programs throughout the Region.

Trish Warner is Writer/Analyst at the

National Head Start Training and Technical

Assistance Resource Center. She can be

reached at PaL-Tech, Inc.,T: 703-243-0495,

E: twarner@pal-tech.com.

Technology and Distance Learning By Trish Warner

Bay Mills Community College in Michigan (BMCC), a tribal college, is offering college courses on the Internet. In

partnership with the Intertribal Council of Michigan, the

Administration for Families and Children, and Region XI

— the American Indians Program Branch — Bay Mills is

offering college classes that focus on Head Start issues.All

you need to participate and earn college credits is access

to an online computer.

BMCC is currently developing a two-year Associate of

Arts degree in the Children and Families Program.A oneyear CDA certificate completion course will also be

offered beginning in January 1999. In addition to classes on

early childhood education, BMCC offers a class on the

revised Program Performance Standards.

For more information, contact BMCC’s website at

www.bmcc.org.

Region I...

has launched a partnership program with universities in each

of the six states for staff to receive undergraduate or graduate credit for QIC training institutes.

Region IV...

is collaborating with ECPDN to offer satellite learning to

eight states. Four two-hour broadcasts will address guiding behaviors and inclusiveness for teachers, parents, and

early childhood specialists.

Region VIb...

is using the Regional Education Service Centers in Texas

to offer training via satellite.

Region VIII...

is planning its third satellite conference, which will discuss

grant applications and include the entire six-state area.

Region X...

is developing a 120-hour, computer-based distance learning course with certification through Western Washington

University.

BMCC Virtual College In the Regions...
18 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Training and Technical Assistance

The White House Initiative on Historically

Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

began with the signing of an Executive Order

by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, and continued to gain momentum throughout the

Reagan, Bush, and Clinton Administrations.

The Initiative is a means to support

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

in their efforts to model institutions of

teaching, learning, and services in educating

diverse populations for the nation and the

world. Through this initiative, a structured

effort has been established to help HBCUs

work with federally funded programs. The

result has been a partnership between the

Head Start program and Historically Black

Colleges and Universities.

Head Start/HBCU Partnership

The purpose of the Head Start/HBCU partnership is to use the capabilities of the

HBCUs to improve the quality and long-term

effectiveness of Head Start by developing

models of academic training for Head Start

staff. The participating HBCUs work with

local Head Start grantees in developing training programs to meet their individual needs.

Since this partnership began in 1990, fourteen colleges and universities have been

funded to provide services to the Head Start

community.

From the Field

Delaware State University is one example of

a Head Start/HBCU partnership that nurtures a continual goal of providing high-quality educational experiences to Head Start

participants by:

1. Enhancing the competence of

teachers and teachers’ aides;

2. Improving parenting competence and

life management skills to ensure that

the work of Head Start is continued

in the home; and 

3. Improving the administrative,

managerial, and leadership skills of

center directors so that Head Start

resources, including personnel, are

used as efficiently as possible.

Through the Head Start/HBCU partnerships,

various Head Start programs throughout the

country will be able to gain the individualized

training and experience they need to provide

the best possible learning environment for all

those involved with their programs.

For more information contact Trellis Waxler, Federal

Project Officer, at T: 202-205-8422; E:

twaxler@acf.dhhs.gov.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

By Trellis Waxler
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 19

Training and Technical Assistance

Head Start programs across the country are looking at

partnering with colleges and universities to enhance

training and technical assistance opportunities.In Ohio,

the Ohio Head Start Association, Inc.(OHSAI) and a local Head

Start program developed a staff position geared specifically to

meet the needs of Head Start staff and parents who want to further their education. This pilot program, which is funded by

QNet, the Region V QIC, will facilitate linkages to local colleges

and universities and establish a professional development track

for Head Start staff and parents.

One of the key roles of the Professional Development

Specialist is to be a liaison between Head Start agencies and local

colleges and universities.The Professional Development Specialist

organizes meetings between Head Start directors and Early

Childhood Education (ECE) and Social Work Department chairpersons and professors. These partners identify courses that

meet the education requirements for the Child Development

Associate (CDA) and the Family Service Worker Credential.

The group then determines a clear path of professional

development.This path can be used by Head Start staff and parents to move in stages from a credential, to a certificate, to an

associate’s degree, to a bachelor’s degree, and on through masters and doctorate levels. Each level of education moves seamlessly to the next with no loss of credit or course work.

Head Start parents and staff also receive training at the

local, state, regional, and national levels. Guided by their individual development plans, they can enroll in newly formed

programs.

Important partners in this effort include the Region V

Quality Improvement Center for Disabilities (QIC-DS), as well

as a variety of statewide organizations. In addition, one step of

the pilot project was to create an Advisory Committee consisting of representatives from Head Start, the Ohio Board of

Regents, early childhood and social work professors from twoand four-year colleges, Region Vb Q-Net, Ohio Department of

Education, child care, and the Head Start-State Collaboration

Office.This Advisory Committee, with its range of expertise, is

an invaluable resource to the project.

Through the efforts of this pilot program and many helpful

hands along the way, adult learners can be assured that their

hard work and sacrifice will count fully toward the personal

education and career objectives they have set for themselves.

For more information, contact Maria Boykin, Professional Development

Specialist at OHSAI, at T: 937-435-1113,E: Boykin@erinet.com.

Partnerships with Colleges and Universities

By Maria Boykin

For the first time, Head Start staff

in Region I will be able to receive

graduate or undergraduate credit

for training offered by the T/TA Network.

The Region I Quality Improvement Center

(QIC) will launch an institute with partner

universities in each of its six New England

states. Three graduate or undergraduate

credits will be awarded for successful completion of the institute.

The institute spans a five-month period. The first phase offers three-day residential training at the University of

Connecticut at Storrs with participating

programs sending teams of teachers and

their supervisors.The second phase of the

institute provides on-site technical assistance to the supervisors assisting participating teachers with their professional

development plans.In the last phase,teams

travel to a different university — the

University of New Hampshire — for

another three days of intensive training.

Several sessions lead by QIC and

university staff have teachers and supervisors learning as a team. In other sessions, institute faculty work with the

separate groups, providing supervisors

an opportunity to sharpen their teacher

observation and feedback skills.

Supervisors then support participating

teachers as they implement what they

have learned in their classrooms.

The content and assignments of the

first institute focus on applying current

research on emergent literacy to teachers’ classroom practice, and on improving the quantity and quality of children’s

literacy experiences. At both university

sessions, participants observe literacy

activities at nearby Head Start, child

care, and laboratory programs.

The Spencer Foundation will evaluate the institute and the impact of this

innovative approach to training teachers.The institute’s approach encompasses what the field of early education has

learned from research on teacher development and training. It provides a rich

academic experience that supports

teachers’ and supervisors’ growth and

change through back-home technical

assistance from QIC staff.

For more information on the institutes, call

Sheila Skiffington, QIC Project Director,

Education Development Center,T: 617-969-

7100 X. 2347; E:sheilas@edc.org.

Academic Institutes Launched

By Sheila Skiffington
I

n 1992, the Head Start Bureau funded fourteen Head

Start Teaching Center Demonstration Projects to identify

effective training approaches for Head Start staff.The following list highlights some of the techniques that participants

and trainers found effective.

• Hands-on participatory activities: Guided practice,

observation, and role playing.

• Integrating training with program activities: Providing

training within the context of a Head Start program allows

trainees to see what they are learning “in action,” and to

practice new skills in “real-life” situations.

• Mentoring: Using highly qualified staff to provide

feedback to trainees, answer questions, help plan future

activities, and set goals. Mentor should also be available to

answer questions and discuss problems and plans after the

trainees return to their programs.

• Collaborative Learning: Small groups, with members

engaging in discussions, providing feedback to one another,

participating in joint activities, and problem solving.

• Training Teams from the Same Program: Teachers,

teaching assistants, parent volunteers, supervisors, and

component coordinators participate in training together.

This approach enhances communication and the ability of

staff to implement the training when they return home.

• Individualizing Training: Designing training to meet

specific participant needs.

• Use of Professional Development Plans: Identifying

areas of growth that each staff member wishes to pursue

over the short and long term. Trainers follow up with

trainees to ensure that they carry out their plans or

accomplish their goals.

Jacquline Smollar is a consultant to the National Head Start T/TA Resource

Center at PaL-Tech,Inc. A complete copy of the Teaching Center report

is available on the web at www.hsdds.org

Effective Training By Jacqueline Smollar

Training and Technical Assistance

20 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

As part of its ongoing commitment to leadership development, the Head Start Bureau

is developing a curriculum that focuses

on skills important to leadership positions in the Head Start community.The

Phase IV training is competency based,

self directed, and emphasizes active

learning to stimulate participant interest. Participants receive detailed

instructional materials, including background reading, exercises, discussion

guides, and examples.

Key components of the training

package include:

• A Self-Assessment Instrument

to inform participants’ decisions about

which skill-building activities to pursue

• Head Start 101: History, Values,

and Regulations

• Four training modules: Orienting

New Staff; Building Essential Skills

in Facilitation, Decision Making,

and Communication; Promoting

the Vision of Head Start, which

includes conflict management and

presentation skills; and Improving

Program Quality Through Program

Monitoring and Self-Assessment.(Other

modules are under consideration.)

• The “Toolbox,” which includes an

inventory of the self-paced, selfdirected,skill-building activities for each

of the four modules

• A Participant’s Guide designed to

facilitate understanding of the training

process and guide participants through

each step

• A Leaders’ Guide that provides

managers or other designated individuals with information they need to

utilize the toolbox with program staff

Participants using the Phase IV materials have the opportunity to:

• Identify their skill-building needs

within a situation-based context that is

relevant to their actual on-the-job

performance needs

• Discuss the relevance of the

identified skills to the performance

situation scenario, as well as to their

ongoing job needs

• Enhance skills that are applicable to

a number of on-the-job situations

through generic skill-building sessions

• Practice newly acquired skills

through job-related simulations

• Work with other participants with

differing training needs

Pilot sessions have been held in

Denver, Chicago, Boston, and

Washington, D.C. and included representatives from local programs, Quality

Improvement Centers, the Regional

Offices, and the Head Start Bureau.

More details will be available soon

on the implementation plan for Federal

and local staff participation.

For more information contact Frankie

Gibson, Head Start Bureau, at T: 202-205-

8399; E: fgibson@acf.dhhs.gov

“Moving Ahead” with Phase IV
Training and Technical Assistance

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 21

National Training Guides

Disabilities Services

▲ Setting the Stage: Including Children with Disabilities in

Head Start (Foundation Guide)

▲ Including Children with Significant Disabilities

▲ Leading the Way: Disabilities Services for the

Management Team

▲ Supporting Children with Challenging Behaviors:

Relationships Are Key

▲ Translating the IEP into Classroom Practice

Education

▲ Nurturing Children (Foundation Guide)

▲ Individualizing:A Plan for Success

▲ Emerging Literacy: Linking Social Competence

to Learning

▲ Enhancing Children’s Growth and Development

▲ Observation and Recording:Tools for

Decision Making

Health

▲ Laying a Foundation in Health and Wellness

(Foundation Guide)

▲ Caring for Children with Chronic Illness

▲ Enhancing Health in the Head Start Workplace

▲ Preventing and Managing Communicable Diseases

▲ Promoting Mental Health

▲ Safety First: Preventing and Managing

Childhood Injuries

▲ Sustaining a Healthy Environment

Management

▲ Participating in the Management Process

▲ Leading Head Start into the Future

Parent Involvement

▲ Engaging Parents (Foundation Guide)

▲ Building on Success

▲ Communicating with Parents

▲ Family Partnerships:A Continuous Process

▲ Partners in Decision Making

Social Services

▲ Building Supportive Communities

(Foundation Guide)

▲ Community Partnerships Working Together

▲ A Design for Family Support

▲ Supporting Families in Crisis

Transition

▲ Effective Transition Practices: Facilitating Continuity

(Foundation Guide)

▲ Parents as Key Partners in Transitions

▲ Planning for Transitions

The Training Guides for the Head Start Learning Community are part of a vast array of resources available to assist Head

Start programs in their quality improvement efforts. Staff should choose resources appropriate for the particular needs and

interests of their own programs, including resources outside the Training Guide series.

The following is a list of the Head Start National Training Guides developed to date:
22 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Training and Technical Assistance

The Training Guides for the Head Start

Learning Community were created to

help programs implement the Head

Start Program Performance Standards. The

following is a sampling of Training Guides that

might be helpful for particular sections of the

Performance Standards.

Subpart B:

Early Childhood Development

and Health Services

• Engaging Parents

• Laying a Foundation for Health and

Wellness

• Nurturing Children

• Setting the Stage: Including Children

with Disabilities in Head Start.

Subpart C:

Family and Community

Partnerships • Building Supportive Communities

• Effective Transition Practices

• Laying a Foundation for Health and 

Wellness

• Participating in the Management 

Process

• Setting the Stage: Including Children

with Disabilities in Head Start.

Subpart D:

Program Design and

Management

• Engaging Parents

• Participating in the Management 

Process

Section 1308:

Services for Children with

Disabilities

• Building Supportive Communities

• Effective Transition Practices

• Engaging Parents

• Laying A Foundation for Health and 

Wellness

• Nurturing Children

• Participating In the Management 

Process

• Setting the Stage: Including Children

with Disabilities in Head Start

To order copies of the Training Guides,fax or e-mail

your request to the Head Start Publications

Management Center at 703-683-5769 or

hspmc6@idt.net.

For more information on the Training Guides, contact Kathy Hallissey, Program Specialist at the

Head Start Bureau, T: 202-205-8420, E: khallissey@acf.dhhs.gov.

Training Guides and the Program

Performance Standards

Train-the-Trainer Institute

Everyone is looking for new and innovative ways to

approach T/TA, and in Kansas they are making headway.The two QICs co-sponsored a Train-the-Trainer

Institute for early care and education leaders.This successful

event brought together some of the leading trainers from

Head Start: Parents as Teachers, Resource and Referral,

KAEYC, and the Kansas Department of Education and Social

and Rehabilitative Services.

The two-day Institute used the National Training Guides

(NTGs) as its core material. One of the benefits of the

Institute was a wider distribution of the NTGs in early child

care and education settings. Success was also measured by the

strengthened network of early care and education trainers

that resulted from the Institute. Kansas now has a cadre of

experienced trainers in early childhood education ready to

provide joint workshops to the Head Start and child care

communities.

This model Train-the-Trainers program has received high

marks in Kansas, and Region VII will continue its use in the

future.

For more information,contact the Region VII QIC at 816-356-5373,or the

QIC-DS at 913-588-5960, or by e-mail to rapusers@kumc.edu.
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 23

Training and Technical Assistance

Akey part of training and technical

assistance is taking a step back and

asking the question, “How is this

system working, and how can it be more

effective?” The Administration on Children,

Youth and Families (ACYF) has contracted

with CSR, Incorporated, to assist the Head

Start Bureau in developing and testing models

that can be used to assess training and technical assistance (T/TA) in Head Start. This

assessment will help to promote good decision-making at the local, state, regional, and

national levels and contribute substantially

toward achieving Head Start’s vision of continuous quality improvement.

Three models are being developed for

collecting T/TA information. The first model

is for use within the T/TA network to assess

the T/TA that QICs and the National

Contractors provide. The second model is

for use by Head Start grantees and delegate

agencies to assess the T/TA that their staff

receives. The third model is for use by the

Head Start Bureau to assess on an ongoing

basis the quality and quantity of training and

technical assistance occurring within Head

Start T/TA. These models will encompass

each of the four phases of the T/TA cycle:

• Assessment

• Planning and Coordination

• Implementation

• Evaluation

The ACF Regional Offices, grantees, and

the T/TA Network are providing input to the

Head Start Bureau regarding the format and

content of the proposed models.The models

will be field tested with the QICs and nine

grantees in two regions. Any necessary revisions to the models will be made, and the

revised models will be distributed throughout

the Head Start community.

The evaluation of training and technical

assistance in Head Start will also consider that

effects are not always immediate. The true

impact of services may be apparent over time.

For this reason, a data-based tracking system

that assesses impacts over time will also be

developed and implemented.

Final versions of the models are targeted

for completion in February 1999, and will be

used on an ongoing basis thereafter.

Jeff Fredericks is Publications Manager at the

Head Start Bureau and Project Officer for the T/TA

Assessment Project. T: 202-205-8629; E: jfredericks@acf.dhhs.gov.

The T/TA Assessment Project By Jeffrey Fredericks

PHASE IV: Evaluation

“A [person’s] work is in danger of deteriorating when he thinks he has found the

one best formula for doing it. If he thinks

that, he is likely to feel that all he needs is

merely to go on repeating himself . . . . So

long as a person is searching for better

ways of doing his work he is fairly safe.”

—Eugene O’Neill
Training and Technical Assistance

24 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

On a trip to Wyoming last year, I learned something

about aspen trees that made me appreciate them

for more than their great beauty. It seems that

aspens, while they look like separate trees, are actually

linked by a common root system. Water and nutrients

drawn in through the roots are shared among members of

the group.This shared commitment to the well-being of the

group remains even in the face of hardship -- in times of

drought, trees nearer to the source of water will draw up

only as much as they need to survive. This allows more

water to be passed along through the roots to trees further

up the hillside.

We share similar kinds of connections in Head Start.

We're all part of the Head Start community, which has

spread throughout the nation.We are at the national level,

and at the regional level through the Regional Offices, the

Regional Coordinating Councils, and QICs. We are at the

State level through the State Collaboration Offices, statelevel partnerships, and the QIC network.We are at the local

level through each Head Start program, their children and

families, and the community partnerships and linkages that

they've created.

And we are connected. Like the aspens, we in Head Start

have a strong commitment to the well-being of our community and its members. Each of us, individually and as a group,

is working to create a better, stronger Head Start — to

improve quality and enhance the services we provide to children and families, and to help those children and families

realize their fullest potential.

At the T/TA Network meeting in June, I shared the story

of the aspens and my vision of our interconnectedness in

Head Start. By the end of the meeting, I had received the following poem from Dawn Thomas, Coordinator of the QIC

for Disabilities Services in Region V. May you draw support

and affirmation from this poem, and from your friends and

colleagues through the Head Start community.

Aspens and Other Interconnections

By JoAn Knight Herren

Like The Aspen

Like the Aspen tree that grows

With roots entwined and digging deep

When streams of living water flows

Ensuring life; fulfills, completes

The picture in our vision’s eyes

And melodies within our ears

With nurturance against demise 

The Aspen strains throughout the years

So, like the Aspen we belong

In communities and families

And like the root, sure and strong

We bind ourselves to find the keys

To nourish and to pass along

Sustaining brooks that feed the soul

And learn from those who simply long

To share the parts, and form the whole

— Dawn Thomas

Coordinator, Region Va & b QIC-DS

June 23, 1998
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 25

Training and Technical Assistance

National Contracts Related to T/TA

The National Head Start

Training and Technical

Assistance Resource Center

The National Head Start Training and

Technical Assistance Resource Center

(NRC) supports the Head Start Bureau

(HSB) in: (1) identifying emerging trends, priority items, and other project issues;(2) gathering information and coordinating activities

to further promote HSB priority items; and

(3) promoting awareness and incorporation

of promising practices.The NRC is responsible for producing the National Head Start

Bulletin, and for providing editorial assistance

to HSB in the production of policy manuals,

training materials, and other national publications.Additional activities include coordinating national conferences, maintaining a

national calendar of events, and supporting

the program development and networking

activities of the Head Start State

Collaboration Offices.

The National Head Start Training and Technical

Assistance Resource Center

PaL-Tech, Inc.

1901 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 301

Arlington,VA 22209

(703) 243-0495

Dorothy V. Harris, Project Director

Early Head Start National

Resource Center

The Early Head Start National Resource

Center (EHS NRC) provides both training

and technical assistance to Early Head Start

programs. Major responsibilities and activities

of the EHS NRC include: (1) providing Early

Head Start programs with state-of-the-art

information and materials; (2) providing EHS

programs with technical assistance to meet

their unique needs;(3) enhancing the work of

the Infant/Family Network, which is composed of an Infant/Toddler specialist from

each of the Quality Improvement Centers

and the Early Head Start Federal Project

Officers; and (4) participating actively in each

region’s Infant/Family Network activities.

Early Head Start National Resource Center

ZERO TO THREE—National Center for Infants,

Toddlers and Families

734 15th Street, NW, 10th Floor

Washington, DC 20005

(202) 638-0851

Tammy Mann, Project Director

Head Start Publications

Management Center

The Head Start Publications Management

Center (HSPMC):(1) provides ready access to

Head Start information and materials; (2) disseminates materials throughout the Head

RESOURCES
26 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Training and Technical Assistance

National Contracts Related to T/TA (cont.)

Start community; and (3) builds the capacity of

user groups to service their information and

materials needs. Major activities include: (1)

managing, marketing, and distributing HSB and

other select materials;(2) monitoring state-ofthe-art issues in knowledge transfer activities;

(3) providing information and clearinghouse

services; (4) conducting outreach; and (5) providing analyses of how the Head Start community gathers, processes, and uses information, and recommending plans to enhance the

excellence and quality of Head Start programs.

Requests for materials must be submitted

in writing, or by fax to (703) 683-5769 or email to hspmc2@mail.idt.net.

Head Start Publications 

Management Center

Trans-Management Systems Corporation

1025 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 1025

Washington, DC 20005

(202) 737-1030

Ken Burns, Project Director

National Data Management

Project

The National Data Management Project: (1)

operates the Head Start electronic Bulletin

Board Services (BBS); (2) supports the development and management of Head Start

Internet-based information services,reviews,

and critiques of Head Start-specific software;

and (3) designs and maintains the National

Head Start Web Site.The web site is located

at http://www.hsbbs.org.

Head Start National Data 

Management Project

Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc.

3030 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 305

Arlington,VA 22201

(703) 528-2772

James Tyson, Project Director

The Head Start

Research Library

The Head Start Research Library is designed

to identify, gather and maintain all published

and unpublished Head Start research documents. It also provides access to Head Start

research materials and information for

researchers, the Head Start community, and

the general public. INTERNET access to the

Head Start research bibliography and current

research compendium is available through

the Head Start Bureau’s home page. The

Head Start research documents available

through the Research Library are available

upon request.

The Head Start Research Library

Ellsworth Associates, Inc.

1749 Old Meadow Road, Suite 600

McLean,VA 22102

Cheryl Clark, Project Manager
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 27

Training and Technical Assistance

A number of the QICs also have websites. Give yours a call to find out!

Administration for Children and Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.acf.dhhs.gov

Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education. . . . . http://ericps.crc.uiuc.edu/

ccdece/ccdece.html

Child Welfare League of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.cwla.org

Children’s Defense Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.childrensdefense.org

Council for Early Childhood Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://cdacouncil.org

Department of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ed.gov

Early Head Start National Resource Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ehsnrc.org

ERIC Clearinghouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.aspensys.com/eric

Head Start Bureau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/hsb

Health and Human Services Fatherhood Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://aspe.hhs.gov/fathers/

fhoodini.html

Health Care Financing Administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.hcfa.gov

Healthfinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.healthfinder.gov/

default.html

National Association for the Education of Young Children . . . . . . . . www.naeyc.org

National Association for Family Child Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nafcc.org

National Black Child Development Institute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nbcdi.org

National Center for Children in Poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/nccp/

National Center for Education on Maternal and Child Health. . . . . www.ncemch.org

National Child Care Information Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://nccic.org

National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect. . . . . . . . . . . . www.calib.com/nccanch

National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ncfy.com

National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System. . . . . . . . . . . www.nectas.unc.edu

National Father’s Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.fathersnetwork.org

National Head Start Association. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nhsa.org

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilitieswww.nichcy.org

National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care. . . . http://nrc.uchsc.edu

Welfare reform information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.acf.dhhs.gov/news/welfare/

Zero to Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.zerotothree.org

T/TA-Related Websites
28 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Training and Technical Assistance

CTI/Cleverex is providing free Head

Start Family Information System

(HSFIS) training to Head Start HSFIS

users and third-party consultants. All

training sessions are held in the

Cleverex Computer Lab located in

Rockville, Maryland.The site is approximately 10 miles from downtown

Washington, DC, and conveniently

accessible by the Metro subway system.

Class size is limited to 16 participants

per session to ensure individualized attention and quality training.There is no

cost for attending the training sessions;

however, participants are responsible

for all travel and per diem expenses.

Two types of training sessions are

currently being conducted: User and

Train-the-Trainer.

User Training: Each User conference

consists of two consecutive sessions.

Session A, Automation Management,

lasts 1-1/2 days and focuses on issues

related to managing an automated Head

Start program using the HSFIS software.

Session B, Data Entry and Processing,

lasts for 3-1/2 days and focuses on

tracking child and family information and

service provision using HSFIS.

Participants are able to choose which

session best fits their needs.

Train-the-Trainer: The Train-theTrainer sessions provide participants

with an in-depth overview of the HSFIS

software.This training is geared toward

experienced users and consultants who

are interested in providing training and

technical assistance to Head Start programs using HSFIS.At the completion of

each training session, a list of participants

interested in providing fee-based consulting services will be sent to the HSFIS

liaison in each Regional Office and Quality Improvement Center (QIC).

CTI/Cleverex has conducted seven

User sessions and two Train-the-Trainer

sessions to date. Overall feedback from

participants has been very positive.After

a recent user training session,one participant commented “...data was explained

thoroughly. I didn’t have any trouble

understanding what was being presented.

Thank you for a great week!”

Interest in the HSFIS training has

been very high and sessions are currently booked through February. Seven

User sessions and four Train-theTrainer sessions have been scheduled

through March 1999, with more likely

to be scheduled after April 1999. In

addition, a second training location is

currently expected to be operational by

Summer 1999.

If you are interested in attending

one of the HSFIS training sessions,

please contact your regional QIC to

obtain more detailed information and

an application form.Your QIC may also

have information about HSFIS training

being provided by independent consultants in your area.

For more information, contact Jennifer

Rubenstein at 301-738-1122, E:

jrubenstein@cleverex.com

Professional Development

Learning and Growing Together:

Head Start and Child Care

Professional Development Partnerships presents examples of

professional development partnerships implemented across

the country, including initiatives

in: (1) statewide career development and service delivery

systems; (2) community training linkages to state career

development efforts; (3) statewide training; (4) multi-area

training; and (5) community-based training.

For more information, or to order a copy of the book,

contact The Center for Career Development in Early

Care and Education at Wheelock College, 200 The

Riverway, Boston,MA 02215,T: 617-734-5200x211, F: 617-

738-0643, E: centers@wheelock.edu.

Now in Stock

The Head Start Publications

and Management Center

(HSPMC) has received Revisit

and Renew: Supporting Implementation of the Revised Head

Start Program Performance Standards. If you don’t have this

valuable training resource,

order your copy today!

Also, HSPMC has the Head

Start blocks logo on disk in

color and black and white.Now

it’s easy to add the official Head Start logo to all your Word

or WordPerfect materials.

Here’s how to order: Fax your request to 703-683-

5769 or write to HSPMC P.O. Box 26417,Alexandria,VA

22313-0417.

HSFIS Training
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 29

Training and Technical Assistance

“Migrant Head Start programs

have traditionally been rather

isolated — just like the children and families they serve,” said Iran

Rodriguez, Chief of Head Start’s Migrant

Programs Branch. The isolation of migrants

stems in large part from their physical isolation—in rural areas and away from urban

centers—along with the lack of a sense of

belonging to the communities in which they

temporarily find themselves.

Rodriguez came to the Head Start

Bureau last winter from the Regional Office

in New York. Since his arrival, the Migrant

Programs Branch has been fully staffed, a

new five-year contract for technical support

has been awarded, and a new vision for Head

Start’s migrant communities has been

launched.“My vision,” Rodriguez states,“is to

raise the visibility of the migrant community,

to highlight the contributions made by

migrants in this country, and to build interstate connections for the Migrant Head

Start community to better serve children

and families.”

Who are the Migrant Head

Start families?

There are currently some 30,000 children

being served by 25 grantees, and 41 delegate

agencies in 33 states across the country.The

majority of families in Migrant Head Start have

one or two children (62 percent) with both

parents present (85 percent).The living conditions in which migrant families find themselves

are often substandard and risky—especially

for the children. And moving from place to

place, wherever there is work, is very stressful

for families.

What special challenges 

do they face?

Family mobility poses some unique challenges to Migrant Head Start.“Facilities are a

major issue for us,” Rodriguez explained.

“Too often Migrant programs are using

someone else’s space, where the facilities

are substandard or not available to the programs for the entire time they’re needed.We

need to obtain our own facilities that are

safe and appropriate and available when we

need them.”

Information sharing is another major issue

in Migrant Head Start. Children and families

often find themselves going through the same

assessments and planning processes each time

they move to a new area. Services to children

and families are not always consistent, nor are

plans necessarily maintained from one site to

another. This “patchwork”

approach can also leave gaps,

where such fundamentals as

immunizations fall through the

cracks. “We need a system for

sharing information among the

sites serving particular children

and families,” Rodriguez stated.

“The Internet is one possibility —

if not for transferring files, then at

least for viewing them.”

What opportunities are

out there?

One of the greatest opportunities in the Migrant Programs

Branch is in the area of bilingualism. “Migrant Head Start,”

Rodriguez says, “has a golden

opportunity. Unlike any other

program, we have the children from birth

through age five and can develop and implement a model program to fully support their

bilingual development.” An advisory group

Iran Rodriguez

The Migrant Programs Branch

continued on page 30

CENTRAL OFFICE NEWS
30 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Training and Technical Assistance

will be brought together during the coming

year to explore appropriate and effective

methods of promoting bilingual development, keeping in mind the mobility issue in

Migrant Head Start and the need for a plan

that will be implemented consistently from

site to site. “Family literacy is a key component of this initiative,” Rodriguez says.

“Migrant parents not only want their children to learn English, they want to improve

their own knowledge of English.”

How is the Migrant Programs

Branch meeting theses challenges and opportunities?

An unexpected opportunity surfaced

between Migrant Head Start and services to

children with special needs. A member of the

Regional Coordinating Council for the

Migrant Program Branch, who has restricted

mobility, pointed out that children seat-belted in for traveling face the same challenges of

restricted mobility as many children with

special needs. He suggested that curriculumrelated materials could be developed for use

by children who are largely immobile, to the

benefit of both migrant children and children

with disabilities.

The Migrant Programs’ Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) is an integral aspect of

the Migrant Branch.The Region went through

a comprehensive process to develop a mission

for its RCC and to ensure broad representation within the group. Says Rodriguez of the

Regional Coordinating Council,“It’s more than

a T/TA group— it’s a Vision Group.” And vision

is something that Iran Rodriguez and the

Migrant Programs Branch has in abundance!

For more information on the Head Start Migrant

Programs Branch,contact Iran Rodriguez at T:202-

205-401-5916; E: irodriguez@acf.dhhs.gov.

continued from page 29

The Migrant Programs Branch (cont.)

CENTRAL OFFICE NEWS
National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 31

Training and Technical Assistance

State Collaboration

Meeting

The Head Start-State Collaboration Network

meeting was held June 22–24 in Washington,

D.C. Participants included the State

Collaboration Office Directors, State Head

Start Association Presidents, and other state

and regional partners. For the first time, joint

sessions were held with the T/TA Network.

For more information, contact your Head

Start-State Collaboration Director, Tom

Schultz at tschultz@acf.dhhs.gov or by phone

at 202-205-8323, or Karen Mitchell at

KMitchell@acf.dhhs.gov or 202-260-4797.

Community

Mediation Meeting

A meeting of the Head Start/Community

Mediation Projects was held July 14–15 in

Washington, D.C. The five project sites (San

Jose, CA; Haverhill, MA; Grand Rapids, MI;

Dallas,TX; and Everett,WA) were established

to build on the Haverhill experience as a Head

Start Demonstration Grantee (1991–1994).

The purpose of the Head Start/Community

Mediation initiative is to: (1) infuse the local

Head Start community with constructive conflict resolution attitudes, behaviors, and skills;

(2) develop appropriate models, building on

home and classroom interaction, to educate

Head Start staff and parents in creative conflict

resolution; and (3) help Head Start children

learn peaceful and productive conflict resolution skills.The project was undertaken with the

support of the Head Start Bureau, which provided funds for one year to coordinate the

project and support two meetings in

Washington,D.C.For more information on the

Head Start/Community Mediation Projects,

contact JoAn Knight Herren at the Head Start

Bureau (jherren@acf.dhhs.gov, or by phone at

202-205-8566) or Marge Baker at the National

Institute for Dispute Resolution (margebaker@crenet.org,or by phone at 202-466-4764).

T/TA Network

Meeting

Staff from the Quality Improvement Centers

met in Washington,D.C.on June 23–26 for the

National Training & Technical Assistance Network Meeting. Joint sessions were held with

members of the Head Start-State

Collaboration Network during the first two

days of the meeting. For more information,

contact your regional Quality Improvement

Centers or Jo Herren at jherren@

acf.dhhs.gov or by phone at 202-205-8566.

Fourth National

Research

Conference

Head Start’s Fourth National Research Conference was held on July 9–12 in Washington,

D.C.Entitled “Children and Families in an Era of

Rapid Change: Creating a Shared Agenda for

Researchers, Practitioners, and Policy Makers,”

the conference was planned in conjunction

with the Columbia School of Public Health,the

Center for Population and Family Health, and

the Society for Research in Child Development, and involved more than 60 other cooperating organizations.Proceedings from the conference will be available later this fall. For more

information, contact Ester Kresh at ekresh@

acf.dhhs.gov or by phone at 202-205-8118.

Calendar

For a complete listing of

national events, see the

Head Start Calendar of

Events posted on the

Head Start Web page at

www.hsbbs.org or contact Kandi Kartchner at

the National Head Start

T/TA Resource Center,

T: 703-243-0495, E:

Kkar tchner@paltech.com. For more

detailed information on

regional or local events,

contact your Regional

Office or QIC.

IN THE NEWS
Training and Technical Assistance

32 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Based on his interest in promoting

male involvement in Head Start,

Wendell worked on the Department’s

Fatherhood Initiative, which encourages the development of innovative

collaborative approaches to help men

from disadvantaged backgrounds

become successful parents. Working

with Frankie Gibson, Program Specialist for the Parent

Involvement and Social Services Branch, Wendell developed an

outline for use on the Fatherhood Website to link information

regarding innovative programs on this topic. He and his colleague,

James Miller, also proposed linking the Mississippi Fragile Fathers

program to the Atlanta Head Start project.They believe that these

programs could serve as national models of federal/state cooperation in providing financial incentives for community-based fatherhood programs. During the year, Wendell also spoke on issues

related to the Fatherhood Initiative at both the NAEYC conference and at National Head Start Association’s annual meeting.

Toward the end of his fellowship,Wendell focused on the Bureau’s

efforts to ensure the safe transportation of Head Start children.

Wendell Campbell

St. Louis, Missouri

The National Head Start Fellowship Program

Over the past 30 years,Head Start has served as a national laboratory for services to young children and their families,and has

shared the knowledge gained

with the entire early childhood

field.In keeping with this tradition,in 1996 an exciting dimension was added to support the

development of early childhood leaders with the introduction of the National Head

Start Fellowship Program.

Established under the

bipartisan reauthorization of

the Head Start Act, the Head

Start Fellows Program engages energetic professionals to

serve as apprentices in the

areas of program development, research, child and

family development, health,

and policy. Due to the program’s focus on professional development, the Fellowship

Program is overseen by the Training and Technical

Assistance Branch of the Head Start Bureau.

Ten Fellowships are offered each year to outstanding and

promising leaders in early childhood and family services professions for the purpose of further developing their skills.The core of

the National Head Start Fellowship Program is an intensive work

experience.Based on their interests and experience, Fellows are

placed in work assignments within the Federal government. For

example, this year they tackled issues surrounding the reauthorization of the Head Start Act,the expansion of Head Start,Head

Start collaborative efforts,and Early Head Start.

In addition to the work experience, the Fellows participate

in a Leadership Development program one day a week.This

process involves meeting with and learning from national leaders and experts.It also provides opportunities for skill development and practice, and discussions of current research and

national trends. Each Fellow

has ongoing opportunities to

discuss issues with Helen

Taylor, the Associate Commissioner of the Head Start

Bureau.This past year, Fellows

also met with Donna Shalala,

the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human

Services; Olivia Golden, the

Assistant Secretary of the

Administration for Children

and Families; Dr. David

Weikart, the President of

High Scope Educational Research Foundation; and Sarah

Greene, President of the

National Head Start

Association.

During the course of the year,Fellows will take the lead on

a project and develop a position paper in an area of interest;

participate in public speaking and training events; and keep a

journal of their experiences to support their work on an endof-the-year report.This report summarizes their initial goals

and objectives, what they accomplished during the year,

whether and how their goals changed, and how their experiences will affect their future plans.

The 1997-98 National Head Start Fellows have recently completed their year in Washington.Below is an introduction to each

Fellow and what they accomplished during their fellowship year.

For more information on how to apply for a Fellowship,contact the Commission

on National Head Start Fellowships at T: 202-205-9090; F: 202-265-7309; or

mail application requests to Carol Brunson Phillips at 2460 16th Street, NW,

Washington, DC 20009-3575.Applications are due by December 4, 1998.

The 1997-1998 National Head Start Fellows

meet with Donna Shalala, Secretary of the

Department of Health and Human Services
Training and Technical Assistance

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 33

Gwen, a State Collaboration Director when in Austin, worked in

the Training and Technical Assistance Branch under the supervision of JoAn Knight Herren. Her major emphasis during her fellowship year was the implementation of the new Quality

Improvement Centers (QIC) system. She provided significant

leadership for T/TA workgroups and participated in planning for

the T/TA Network meeting in June of this year. She also worked

on training for trainers, developed a national calendar of training

events, and served on the Phase IV Management Training

Workgroup. During the year, she also participated in the planning

process for the T/TA directors, T/TA specialists, and State

Collaboration Offices National Network meetings.

Bringing her expertise in collaboration to the Bureau, she

worked with the National Network Descriptive Study of the

Head Start-State Collaboration

Advisory Committee. As part of her

fellowship year, she presented at the

NHSA annual conference and a conference sponsored by the National

Governors’ Association. This conference, “Education in the Early Years: A

Conference for States on Early

Childhood Education,” provided the opportunity for her to share

The Texas Early Care and Education Tool Kit, a training manual of

capacity-building activities to support community partnerships.

Gwen Chance

Austin,Texas

Linda’s fellowship was focused on the American Indians Program

Branch (AIPB), where she worked closely with Dr. Helen

Schirbeck, Chief of the AIPB branch. Linda’s assignment involved

analyzing noncompliance issues for American Indian grantees and

working on the Tribal College Initiative. She used her expertise in

home-based programs to plan and implement home-based cluster

training for the Navajo Nation. Linda also conducted AIPB and

Early Head Start monitoring reviews across the country during

her fellowship year.

In addition to her work with AIPB, Linda was nominated during her fellowship year to participate in a specially designed project to support Latino Head Start leaders. During Phase I of this project, she

was trained in facilitative leadership.

With her knowledge of home-based

programs, Linda also provided a critique of the Revised Head Start

Program Performance Standards from

the home-based perspective.

Linda Cohen

Santa Maria, California

Amy began her Fellowship in the Child Care Bureau. Her first project was to plan and organize the White House Conference on

Child Care.Amy then moved to the Office of the Deputy Assistant

Secretary for External Affairs to continue her supervision with

Joan Lombardi. Head Start reauthorization was a major issue during her fellowship year. She wrote specifications for the legislative

proposal, a follow-up to Head Start’s Reports to Congress, and a

summary of innovative projects for infant/toddler child care.

Amy also traveled to conferences. She presented at the NHSA

Conference in Seattle and facilitated a session on Infants and

Toddlers at the State Collaboration Conference. Collaboration

was another focus for Amy. She worked

on the finalization of the collaboration

plan between the Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services Administration

(SAMHSA) and ACF regarding mental

health and substance abuse issues in

relation to welfare reform. Her most

recent achievement was the birth of

her first child, Kyler Stephens Cubbage, born July 11, 1998.

Amy Cubbage

Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Training and Technical Assistance

34 National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998

Dell is an experienced Head Start

Collaboration director in her home

state.With this focus,she worked closely with the National Head Start

Collaboration Offices, and Child

Care/Head Start Collaboration. Under

the supervision of Dr. Tom Schultz,

Special Assistant to the Associate

Commissioner, she helped organize and provide training presentations for two National Head Start Collaboration conferences, one

jointly with the Head Start State Association Presidents and the

other with Head Start Quality Improvement Centers.Dell also provided technical assistance and support for State Head Start

Collaboration directors. She has been a member of the Child

Care/Head Start Work Group that consists of representatives from

the Child Care and Head Start Bureaus. Dell presented on Head

Start/Child Care Collaboration and Head Start/Prekindergarten

Collaboration at a forum sponsored by the National Council of

State Legislatures, other legislative forums, and Head Start regional

and national conferences. Dell also helped design the new Quality

In Linking Together (QUILT) project (see article on page 12). Given

her valuable experience in the area,Dell was assigned to assist with

the development of a report on Head Start Collaboration at the

state and program levels for Head Start Reauthorization.

In addition, Dell co-facilitated a Future Search conference for

the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children and

provided consultation to the Devereux Foundation on early childhood mental health issues. Dell will continue her work with the

Collaboration Offices and provide expertise on collaboration

during Head Start and Early Head Start expansion.

Dell Ford

Salem, Oregon

Like his colleague Wendell Campbell,

James has placed The Fatherhood

Initiative high on his list of priorities.

He was very involved with the initiative, both in Head Start and in other

Department of Health and Human

Services offices. Frankie Gibson,

Program Specialist,served as his supervisor in the Parent Involvement Branch. James was also assigned to

the Office of Community Services (OCS), where he was supervised by Margaret Washnitzer. During his fellowship year, James

devoted a significant amount of time to a Memorandum of

Understanding between Head Start and OCS.This memorandum

formalizes collaborative strategies for improving the working relationship between Community Action and Head Start program

administrators, which results in improved program performance

and better outcomes for children and families. Under this agreement, the OCS and the Head Start Bureau will continue to support cooperation and coordination among their programs at the

Federal level (national and regional), as well as with other agencies

involved in issues affecting Head Start children and families.

James also worked on a state-funded demonstration project in

Mississippi. He reviewed the proposal, planned action steps, and

developed a paper. He also worked with Gwen Johnson in Region

IV on the Atlanta project and its potential link to the Fragile

Fathers program within his home state of Mississippi. Based on his

work over the past year, James developed a policy paper on best

practices to help Head Start programs reconnect with fathers.

James Miller

Port Gibson, Mississippi

Christine spent her fellowship year

working with the Head Start Program

Management and Operations Branch

under the supervision of Rita Schwarz,

Branch Chief. As part of this assignment, Christine was a member of the

team that planned and implemented a

new design for the Annual National

New Director’s Conference. In support of this conference, she

facilitated the Directors’ Panel, conducted a follow-up evaluation

of the conference, and presented the results to the New

Directors’ Training Technical Workgroup. She worked closely with

this workgroup, wrote its Purpose Statement, and was actively

involved in its meetings and training sessions.

Christine is also a member of the technical workgroup for

Head Start Monitoring and the Bureau’s internal monitoring workgroup. Their tasks have been to design and implement both an

interim and a new monitoring system that reflects the Revised

Performance Standards.Through this assignment, Christine participated in meetings, conference calls with the regions, Phase I, II, and

III Head Start monitoring (PRISM) field tests, and submitted a proposal for the evaluation of a formal complaint system for the

PRISM process.

Christine Killen

Crab Orchard, Kentucky
Training and Technical Assistance

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Training and Technical Assistance 1998 35

Eileen was assigned to the Health and Disabilities Branch of the

Head Start Bureau to work with the Early Head Start programs.Dr.

Mimi Kanda, Chief of the Health and Disabilities Branch,supervised

Eileen as she worked on services to pregnant women, and mental

health issues affecting Head Start children and their families.

Eileen was co-assigned to the Substance Abuse and Mental

Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), where she brought

both her research expertise and the Head Start perspective to

the Starting Early Starting Smart project. Dr. Pat Salomon was her

supervisor, and Eileen served as liaison between the Bureau and

SAMHSA. At SAMHSA, she worked with the Expert Panel that

proposed the study design of the project, and with the Data

Coordinating Center to insure the appropriateness of the interventions at the Head Start sites. She

also participated in developing a proposal for a Children’s Summit targeted

for the year 2000. SAMHSA is the lead

agency on this project, and Eileen is

working to involve the Head Start

Bureau, other pertinent agencies in

ACF, and other federal agencies.

During her fellowship year,Eileen presented at numerous workshops,regional meetings, and the NHSA National Conference. She

also participated in the Healthy Children 2010 Mental Health workgroup and the Children and Tobacco workgroups.

Eileen O’Brien

Columbia, Maryland

Juanita was assigned to the Head Start Program Management and

Operations Branch under the supervision of Rita Schwarz,

Branch Chief.As a member of the team that planned and implemented a new design for the Annual National New Director’s

Conference, Juanita was responsible for co-presenting one of the

core workshops on human resources. She also worked as a

member of the Head Start Monitoring Technical Workgroup and

the Bureau’s internal monitoring workgroup. This assignment

included participation in meetings, conference calls with regions,

Phases I, II, and III PRISM field tests and training, and quarterly

meetings with the Technical Workgroup. Juanita also delivered

training for reviewers in Region IX and Region XII on the use of

the interim monitoring tool.

During her fellowship year, Juanita

also spent time working with the

Migrant Programs Branch. She assisted

in the development of a plan for a formal study of the characteristics of seasonal farm worker families. In collaboration with the Migrant Programs Branch,

she also developed a training project to

enhance leadership, managerial, and community development skills

in the Migrant Head Start system. The project incorporates

Facilitative Leadership training and the use of Future Search techniques. Juanita has continued training to support Latino Head Start

leaders, and has completed Phase II of the program.

Juanita Santana

Portland, Oregon 

Traceyanne brought a deep interest in health issues with her to

Washington, D.C. She worked closely with Dr. Mimi Kanda, Chief

of the Health and Disabilities Branch in the Head Start Bureau.

Together they focused on infant feeding issues and other health

topics. One of Tracey’s primary interests is the potential for collaboration between WIC and Head Start programs.Therefore, in

collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),

Tracey initiated work on a WIC-Head Start collaboration guide to

promote a close relationship between these programs at the local

level. She also developed an option paper on discretionary nutrition projects and conducted health workshops for various conferences, including the National Head

Start Association conference. In addition to her health and nutrition expertise, Tracey used her previous experience in television news production to

help with Head Start Bureau initiatives

in technology and distance learning.

She also worked on various projects

related to Early Head Start and developed a format to aid in clarifying program policies and practices.

Traceyanne Yee

Seattle,Washington
36 Training and Technical Assistance 1998 ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

The purpose of the Bulletin is to serve the Head Start community, and we want to hear from you! Send us information

on events and new initiatives you’ve been involved in, and

send us photographs! When you send us photos, please be

sure to include the following:

• The names of any people pictured

in the photo

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photo giving us permission to print it

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(or at what event)

• The name of your Head Start program

Please do not write in ink on the back of the photo—it

smears when you stack them and ruins the picture underneath! Use a label or a pencil (and don’t press too hard).

Because we keep these materials on file for use both

now and in the future, we would appreciate your sending

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returned. Send your questions, comments, and contributions to:

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