With the reauthorization of

the Head Start program in

1994, Congress established

a new program for low-income families

with pregnant women, infants, and toddlers: Early Head Start. In creating this

program, Congress was responding to

strong evidence suggesting that early

intervention through high quality programs enhances children’s physical,

social, emotional, and cognitive development; enables parents to be better caregivers and teachers to their children;

and helps parents meet their own goals,

including economic independence.

Early Head Start (EHS) focuses on the

current best practices essential to quality programs: child development, family

development, community building, and staff

development, all of which are embedded in the

Head Start Performance Standards. The services provided by EHS programs are designed

to reinforce and respond to the unique

strengths and needs of each child and family.

These services include:

• Quality early education both in and out of

the home;

• Home visits, especially for families with newborns and other infants;

• Parent education, including parent-child

activities;

• Comprehensive health and mental health

services, including services to women

before, during, and after pregnancy;

• Nutrition; and

• Ongoing support for parents through case

management and peer support groups.

Early Head Start is going through a period 

of rapid expansion. In 1995, there were 68 EHS

programs. Currently there are more than 600

programs serving nearly 45,000 children.

As Early Head Start continues to expand, our

highest priority is to maintain quality programming that reflects the needs of individual children, their families, and their local communities. The Head Start Program Performance

Standards represent a constellation of comprehensive services to serve children’s and

families’ individual and changing needs. The

Performance Standards are an important tool

in managing and implementing change. They

define the services that are to be 

provided to children and families without

being prescriptive in how the services must be

carried out. Within the framework of the 

Performance Standards, programs are encouraged to develop and provide services in ways

that fit individual family needs and are driven

by family, community, and program goals.

Early Head Start

By Judith Jerald

Inside this Issue...

Early Head Start National Research 

and Evaluation Project 7

Curriculum in Early Head Start 14

Early Head Start Facilities 18

Selecting the Appropriate Program Option 25

continued on page 3

August 2000

Issue No. 69

HEAD START ®BULLETIN

enhancing head start communication

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

October 2000 

Issue No. 69

www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/hsb

Celebrating 35 Years of Head Start

®
Early Head Start

2

Contents

Early Head Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Readiness and Relationships—Issues in Assessing 

Young Children, Families, and Caregivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

Early Head Start National Research 

and Evaluation Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–10

Designing EHS Programs in Changing Times . . . . . . . . . . 11-13

Curriculum in Early Head Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14–15

Socializations for Infants,Toddlers, and

their Families in the Home-Based Option. . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17

Early Head Start Facilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

The Rosemount Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Start-Up Planning and the EHS Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20–21

The Senior Early Childhood Specialists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

The Early Head Start National Resource Center . . . . . . . . . . 23

The Infant Toddler Specialists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Selecting the Appropriate 

Program Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

A Systems Approach to Serving Pregnant 

Women in Early Head Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26–27

New Shoes to Celebrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Early Head Start Programs and Quilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

The Hilton/Early Head Start Training Program . . . . . . . . 30–31

Teaming on Rural Maine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32–33

Migrant Head Start Services for Infants and Toddlers . . . . . . . 34

Early Head Start Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Commonly Asked Questions about Early Head Start . . . 36–37

EHS Contacts in QICs, DSQICs, and Regional Offices . . 38–39

Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40–43

The Head Start Bulletin is

published six times a year by the

Head Start Bureau, Administration

on Children, Youth 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

Douglas Klafehn

Acting Associate Commissioner

Head Start Bureau

The Bulletin is a service of the 

Head Start Bureau’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

Donnell Savage

Managing Editor

Head Start Bulletin

The Head Start Bulletin is

prepared under Contract No. 105-96-

2010 with PaL-Tech, Inc.

Jean Swift

Senior Writer/Editor

Trish Warner

Co-Editor

Head Start Bulletin

E ARLY H EAD S TART

Issue No. 69

Judith Jerald was a guest editor for this issue.
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 3

Challenges

EHS leaders face the challenge of maintaining high standards of

program quality while simultaneously meeting specific local

needs—in other words, balancing quality and flexibility. In addition, EHS programs face other significant challenges, including:

Transitions—from pregnancy to birth, from EHS to Head Start

and other preschool programs; from home-based services to

center-based services, and sometimes center-based to family

child care or home-based depending on families’ changing needs.

Welfare reform—meeting the challenges by supporting self-sufficiency goals while maintaining the focus on child and family

goals, including work.

Special populations—fathers, teenagers, families from a variety

of cultures.

Whether programs can meet these challenges may depend in

large part on their ability to:

• Embrace innovation to meet changing family and community needs;

• Develop and maintain a clear and strong leadership 

structure;

• Build strong, respectful linkages with community institutions while enhancing community knowledge of and 

commitment to the EHS population;

• Ensure appropriate staff selection and ongoing professional development; and

• Plan and implement meaningful self-evaluation and 

continuous improvement activities.

Resources

The Head Start Bureau has established a network of

resources and support for EHS programs, including Central

and Regional Office staff, Senior Early Childhood Associates

in each region, Infant/Toddler Specialists at the Quality

Improvement Centers (QICs) in each region, specialists at

the Quality Improvement Centers for Disabilities Services in

each region, and the Early Head Start National Resource

Center at Zero-to-Three. These and many other resources

are described in this issue of the Head Start Bulletin.

Head Start Bureau Goals

Our goals in continuing to build and strengthen the Early

Head Start program are to:

• Develop and clarify policies on service delivery and the

Program Performance Standards as they relate to EHS 

in home-based, center-based, family child care, and combination options;

• Develop a national communication structure and system

that integrates the regionally-based Senior Early

Childhood Associates, the Infant/Toddler Specialists,

Regional Office staff, and staff within the Bureau’s Central

Office in Washington;

• Raise awareness of the comprehensiveness and complexity of EHS, in terms of service intensity, the need for flexibility, and the need for quality services that are comprehensive, collaborative, and continuous over time;

• In collaboration with the Head Start Training and Technical

Assistance Branch, implement strong, national professional

development systems and start-up planning systems;

• Help programs to recognize the value of continuous

improvement and self-evaluation, and to make a commitment to these efforts;

• Help programs focus on theories of change and outcomes;

and

• Provide a variety of training and technical assistance

opportunites.

Through the pursuit and achievement of these goals, the

Head Start community will create a quality Early Head Start

system that embraces the Program Performance Standards;

responds to family and community needs; follows national

best practice standards for early learning and family development; and focuses on outcomes.

Conclusion

Early Head Start is expanding rapidly in response to the 

critical need for quality infant/toddler care in communities

across the country. Programs are building partnerships and

leveraging community resources to the benefit of young 

children and their families. We hope that you find the 

information and resources provided in this issue of the Head
Early Head Start

Start Bulletin to be useful in your efforts

to respond to the changing needs of

children and families in your local communities.

Judith Jerald is the National Early Head

Start Coordinator at the Head Start Bureau,

T: 202-205-8074, E: jjerald@acf.dhhs.gov.

4 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Key Concepts in 

Early Head Start:

Quality

Relationships

Partnerships

Flexibility

Diversity

Consistency

Performance Standards

Developmental Appropriateness

Service Integration

Judith M. Jerald

Judith Jerald, MSW, is the national Early

Head Start Coordinator at the Head

Start Bureau. Her commitment to the

guiding principles of Head Start and

Early Head Start principles, which

include relationship building and trust,is

genuine and indisputable. In one speech

outlining her four principles of best

practice — integration, interagency

improvement, innovation and intensity

— she said, ” If you remember nothing

else of what I have said this morning, I

hope you will remember this: we are

building relationships between parents

and staff, between parent and child, parent to parent, and among parents, staff

and the community. We serve families

regularly over a significant period of

time, and in flexible ways that are tailored to meet a family’s particular

needs. Relationships and trust are what

we consider our building blocks."

In her work with the Head Start

Bureau, Judith has been involved in

training and technical assistance, monitoring, and program management.

While in Vermont, she administered a

variety of programs, including Early

Head Start, Head Start, Even Start,

state welfare reform and child care

contracts, and school district preschool programs.

Judith currently serves on the

National Corporation for Public

Broadcasting’s Ready to Learn Advisory

Board. Judith has also served as an

appointee to the National Advisory

Committee on Services to Families

with Infants and Toddlers — the committee that designed Early Head Start

in 1994. In 1996, as a result of her

work with Early Education Services,

in Vermont, Judith was featured on

ABC’s Nightline. That same year,

she was also a participant in the 

White House Conference on 

Brain Development.

Other previous work includes

school social work, casework, child

care training, and preschool and high

school teaching.
Early Head Start

Readiness and Relationships — Issues in Assessing

Young Children, Families, and Caregivers

By Samuel J. Meisels

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 5

School readiness has become a near

obsession in this country. Although no

agreed-upon definition of readiness

exists, children are now being asked to

take standardized “readiness” tests as

early as the beginning of first grade.This

obsession with readiness has even gone

below preschool and kindergarten.

Recent years have witnessed an explosion of interest in infants’ developing

brains. Books and magazines are filled

with information on how to “grow the

best brains possible.” Though some of

this information is quite good, these

publications fuel the view that infants’

brains are essentially moldable as long

as you intervene early enough, and that

if you don’t intervene early enough,

you’ve missed the boat.

The critics of this interpretation

of brain research complain that brain

development is not over at age three,

and they are correct. However, that

does not free us from an obligation to

nurture, support, and seek to advance

the development of children during

those years. What we do during the

first three years is extremely important, even though much more growth

and development is still to come.

An essential element of good

practice in the first three years is

assessment. Assessment should give a

picture of the whole child, not just

splinter skills and milestones, and it

should help to differentiate and

expand parents’ and providers’ perception of their babies. In early childhood, assessment is not the same thing

as testing. Assessment should engage

us in a process of ongoing discovery. It

should be viewed as a collaborative

process of observation and analysis

that involves formulating questions,

gathering information, sharing observations, and making interpretations to

form new questions.

Functional Assessment

What does an assessment like this look

like at a practical level? My colleagues

and I make two assumptions in our

work on new assessment tools.The first

is that skills and behaviors that have

functional applications should be 

the centerpiece of early intervention. A

second is that positive relationships

between infants and their primary care

providers, both within and outside the

family, advance development most effectively. In short, our overall purpose is to

enhance relationships by strengthening

infant/toddler competence and increasing parental and caregiver knowledge,

information, and skills. We can do this

through functional assessments.

Functional assessments focus on everyday, naturally occurring behaviors that

are easily recognizable. In a functional

approach, children do not have 

to score at a certain level or exhibit a

certain type of behavior to achieve a

certain acceptable score. Instead, we’re

trying to help parents and caregivers

appreciate children’s abilities in the first

three years of life and think about how

that relates to a whole range of other

developmental indicators.

Functional assessments help

families and service providers set

goals. They also enable families and

providers to work together to document accomplishments and identify

areas in need of further development.

This type of assessment provides a

vehicle for families and service

providers to learn to observe the child
Early Head Start

6 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

and contribute to the evaluation of his or her growth. It links

intervention with assessment, programs with families, and

families with young children’s developing competence.

Returning to school readiness, we must begin to think

of readiness as much more than a few skills seen in the first

few weeks of kindergarten. Consistent with ZERO TO

THREE’s “Heart Start Indicators” described in the 1992

Head Start Report, The Emotional Foundations of School

Readiness, the characteristics that equip children to come to

school with knowledge of how to learn include confidence,

curiosity, intentionality, self-control, and the ability to relate,

communicate, and cooperate.To attain these readiness skills,

children need a sense of self that can only be developed over

time and through interactions with trustworthy and caring

adults.We believe that functional assessments can contribute

to these kinds of relationships.

We have reached a critical moment in the life of Head

Start. Besieged by those who advocate a downward extension of K–12 testing practices, Early Head Start must remain

strong in its commitment to children, families, and communities. It must remain committed to maximizing meaning in all

aspects of its activities, and particularly in assessment. If we

can use assessment data to enhance the child’ s primary context— the family—then we will have engaged in something

meaningful—something that will open the doors to lifelong

learning for untold numbers of children.

Sam Meisels is Professor of Education at the University of MichiganAnn Arbor.T: 734-763-7306, E: smeisels@umich.edu.

Practices to avoid in assessments:

• Young children should never be challenged during assessment by being separated from

their parents or familiar caregivers.

• An unfamiliar examiner should never assess young children.

• Assessments that are limited to areas that are easily measurable, such as certain

motor or cognitive skills, should not be considered complete.

• Formal tests or tools should not be the cornerstone of an assessment of an infant or

young child. (Greenspan & Meisels, 1996)

Functional assessments focus on everyday, naturally occurring, practical behaviors and

accomplishments that are:

• Easily recognized by parents and service providers,

• Central to the emergence of infant and toddler competence,

• Learned and assessed in context,

• Form the fabric of the relationships between infants and their primary caregivers, and

• Serve to elicit, support, and extend children’s skills, abilities, and accomplishments.
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 7

The Early Head Start Research and Evaluation project

launched an intensive study of the new Early Head Start program and simultaneously began a longitudinal study of infants

and toddlers in low-income families in 1995.Today, the Early

Head Start study includes approximately 3,000 families living

in 17 diverse communities that reflect the socioeconomic

and political context of low-income families in the United

States in the late 1990s.

In 1996 and 1997, the Administration on Children,

Youth and Families (ACYF) selected 17 programs from

around the country to participate in the Early Head Start

National Research and Evaluation Project. These research

programs constitute a balanced group in terms of program

background, race/ethnicity, region, and urban/rural settings.

The research programs broadly resemble the full group of

programs founded in ‘96 and ‘97 based on comparisons with

Program Information Report (PIR) data.Thus, lessons learned

from the research programs are expected to be applicable to

other Early Head Start programs.The research programs are

located in Russellville, Arkansas; Venice, California; Denver,

Colorado (two programs); Marshalltown, Iowa; Kansas City,

Kansas; Jackson, Michigan; New York City; Kansas 

City, Missouri; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Sumter, South

Carolina; McKenzie, Tennessee; Logan, Utah; Alexandria,

Virginia; Kent, Washington; Sunnyside, Washington; and

Brattleboro,Vermont.

The Early Head Start National Research and

Evaluation Project is being conducted by Mathematica Policy

Research, Inc. and Columbia University in collaboration with

15 university research teams working in partnership with the

17 programs and is being coordinated by the Early Head

Start Research Consortium.The research includes five major

components: (1) an implementation study; (2) an impact evaluation; (3) local research studies; (4) policy studies; and (5)

continuous program improvement.The research aims to produce a knowledge base to inform the development of the

young Early Head Start program.

A Child Development Program: Findings

from the Implementation Study

The Early Head Start program is serving the needs of families with infants and toddlers in a variety of ways that include

child development and health services, parent education,

child assessments, services for children with disabilities, parent partnership agreements, services of all types for families,

staff development, and collaborations in communities. Each 

of these themes could become an article in its own right;

however, one particular service area is highlighted in this 

article—child care. Here we tell the story of the Early 

Head Start families’ increasing needs for child care under

welfare reform; different approaches programs are taking to

provide child care; the quality of care of different program

options; and the creative efforts ongoing in working with

community child care.

Early Head Start programs select from among Head

Start program options—center-based, home-based, combination, or locally designed options—for meeting the needs of

children and families in their communities. Programs are

responsible for ensuring that child care provided by Early

Head Start for families who need out-of-home care must

meet the Program Performance Standards. Due to widespread child care needs, every program has faced the challenge of designing or working with community partners to

provide quality child care.

Child Care Needs,Availability and Quality

in the Early Head Start Communities

How prevalent is the need for child care among Early Head

Start families? More than half of the families in the Early Head

Start research sample were working or attending school 

or training when they enrolled. Specifically, 23 percent of

applicants were employed and another 22 percent were in

school or training (usually school) as their main occupation

at the time they enrolled.

Early Head Start National Research and Evaluation Project: 

Meeting the Child Care Needs of Families

By Helen Raikes, Ellen Kisker, Diane Paulsell and John Love
A substantial proportion of families reported at the time of

enrollment that their child care needs were not being adequately met. Overall, 34 percent of the families reported that

they did not have adequate child care arrangements when

they enrolled. The percentage of families without adequate

child care arrangements ranged from 8 to 66 percent across

the research programs.

During site visits conducted by the research team, staff

and community members in most of the Early Head Start

research sites reported that the quantity and quality of child

care available for infants and toddlers in their community

were inadequate.This is consistent with findings in a number

of studies showing that the quantity of child care is inadequate, and that the quality of care for infants is poor across

much of the country.

Child Care Use

What forms of child care do Early Head Start children

access? In 1999, across all the 17 research sites, 30 percent

of the children were estimated to be in child care directly

provided by Early Head Start centers. Another 9 percent of

Early Head Start children attended community child care

centers, while 8 percent were in community family child care.

Another 15 percent were in other child care selected independently from Early Head Start, while 38 percent of the

children were not using child care.

Use of Child Care Subsidies

What is the role that subsidies play in meeting the child care

needs of EHS families? In several sites, staff members noted

that the availability of subsidies was limited and long waiting

lists had developed. In some areas, state regulations and child

care subsidy levels set a low threshold for child care quality,

and programs needed to identify other resources to provide

higher quality care.

Most of the EHS programs had enrolled many families

who received state subsidies and in many cases EHS programs worked with subsidy administrators. A majority of the

17 programs helped families apply for subsidies.About half of

the programs that provided direct center-based care used

subsidies to partially fund children in Early Head Start centers, and a majority of the programs implemented strategies

to prevent interruptions in care for children who were

receiving subsidies. During periods when families became

ineligible for subsidies, the Early Head Start program often

covered the child care costs so that children did not experience discontinuities in caregiving. Early Head Start programs

sometimes covered the co-payment required of families

receiving subsidies or supplemented subsidies to help cover

the costs of quality child care.

Center-based Care by 

Early Head Start Programs

Eleven of the 17 Early Head Start research programs provided center-based child care directly to some or all families in

fall 1999.These services were almost always full-time, were

based on a variety of curriculum resources, were usually provided to infants and toddlers with relatively small child-staff

ratios (on average 2.9 to 1), and in small group sizes (on average, 5.9 children), as required by the revised Head Start

Program Performance Standards. Seventy-eight percent of

EHS teachers had a Child Development Associate (CDA) or

higher degree or were working on obtaining a CDA. In 1999,

turnover of teaching staff was at about the level of national

averages, around 40 percent.

The preliminary observational data from nine programs

suggest that, on average, the quality of center-based child care

provided directly by the Early Head Start programs during their

first two years of serving families was good. Quality of center

care was measured using the Infant Toddler Environment Rating

Scale (ITERS), which yields scores ranging from 1 to 7, with 4-

5 considered good quality and 6-7 considered excellent. ITERS

scores in center-based EHS programs ranged from 4.4 to 6.3

and averaged 5.3 overall. In two programs, the average ITERS

score was 6 or higher, indicating that the quality of care

observed was excellent. Early Head Start centers tended to

receive the highest scores in the personal care routines, interactions,and program structure categories of the ITERS and the

lowest scores in the meeting adult needs category, furnishings

and the learning activities category of the ITERS. Four of the

programs had attained National Association for the Education

of Young Children accreditation.

Early Head Start

8 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Child Care used by EHS Children
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 9

Working with Community 

Child Care Providers

Initially, some EHS sites did not fully realize their responsibilities as grantees to ensure that any child care provided as

part of the EHS design must meet Head Start Performance

Standards. Many parents of children in the Early Head Start

research programs sought child care in their communities. In

some cases, program staff helped them find child care and in

other cases, the families found it on their own.

Community Center-Based Care.Across the 15 EHS

sites where observation data have been collected in community child care centers, the average ITERS score in 1998-99 was

4.5, lower than for EHS centers but in the minimal-good range.

Average ITERS scores ranged from 2.9 (less than minimal) to

5.9 (good-excellent) across classrooms in community child

care centers serving Early Head Start children.

Among programs that were assessing and/or monitoring

quality of community center-based care, average ITERS scores

were all in the minimal-good to good-excellent range (from 4.3

to 5.4). In 11 of the 15 Early Head Start sites, community child

care centers caring for Early Head Start children provided care

that was, on average, of good or excellent quality.

It is notable that the ITERS scores in center-based

community child care settings were more variable than the

scores observed in the Early Head Start centers, which were

more consistently good. Community child care centers 

caring for Early Head Start program children tended to

receive the highest scores in the interactions and program

structure categories of the ITERS and the lowest scores for

the adult needs, furnishings and learning activities categories

of the ITERS.

Family Child Care. Family Day Care Rating Scales

(FDCRS) scores for 1998-1999 averaged 3.5 across the 12

programs with observations, below the 4.0 considered the

lower boundary of the good range. Average FDCRS scores

ranged from 2.0 (less than minimum) to 4.5 (good) across

the family child care homes. Average scores were good

(above 4.0) in five sites. Of the four programs making efforts

to assess and/or monitor quality in family child care homes,

two had average FDCRS scores in the good range. Both 

of these programs paid for the family child care provided 

to EHS children.

Program Efforts to Form Partnerships and

Ensure Quality of Child Care

By fall of 1999, most of the Early Head Start programs were

actively involved in efforts to support the quality of child care

for families in their programs. Programs working with 

community child care were challenged because families 

often selected providers before considering Early Head Start

community child care partners. Sometimes parents needed

to arrange care very quickly when they began a new job.

Sometimes parents preferred that relatives or other trusted

friends or neighbors care for their children. Despite the challenges, programs used many strategies to ensure quality of

child care for children in their programs.

A number of the programs had created formal 

contracts with community child care providers. Through 

contractual arrangements, Early Head Start funds were being

used to build program quality, including paying for construction and renovation, and covering child care during gaps 

in subsidies. Child care programs, as part of their formal

agreements with EHS were committed to meeting the

Program Performance Standards.

• A few of the programs formally assessed quality before

families enrolled in a program, usually using the ITERS or

program-developed observation tools.

• A number of the programs monitored quality of community child care on an ongoing basis, often using

the ITERS.

• Most of the programs

provided training to

community child

care providers.

• About half of the

programs visited

children in community child care settings. In some cases,

home visitors substituted one or two

home visits a month

with visits to the child

care setting. This was

often a strategy when

most of the child care was in family

home settings.

• Several of the programs worked 

closely with local resource and referral

organizations, especially in sites where

many of the families used family 

child care.
Early Head Start

10 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

• In a few cases, state-level initiatives enabled creative blending of child care subsidies and Early Head Start funds at the

program level (rather than at the individual family level).

States with research sites making this option available

included Kansas, Missouri and Vermont.

• Important partnerships are being built between Early Head

Start and child care providers in many of the communities.

They are working together to create a new standard of

child care, using the Head Start Program Performance

Standards as their guide.

Ensuring that all Early Head Start children who are in

child care attend centers or family child care homes that

meet the Head Start Program Performance Standards is a

major challenge. It is one that programs are working very

hard to meet, in the context of important 

limitations in the supply and quality of existing care. It is a

tribute to the dedication of Early Head Start and child care

staff everywhere that such a large effort is underway to

address quality in infant-toddler child care.

Using the Head Start Program Performance Standards

as a guide, the research demonstrates that programs can

achieve high quality child care. Quality of child care directly

provided by Early Head Start programs was high in 1997 and

has been maintained over multiple assessment points

through 1999. (Note that four of the six model EHS programs in the following article were research sites.)

A number of recommendations can be drawn from the

current findings on child care quality and use within Early

Head Start.

• Conduct periodic assessments of care quality, using a good

assessment instrument.

• Take a special look at learning activities, furnishings and the

features of the program that support the staff as areas that

are currently not as strong as other areas.

• Form written contractual arrangements with community

providers to ensure compliance with the Head Start

Performance Standards.

• While it adds to the workload of EHS staff, consider

strategies to support families who choose informal 

familial care.

• Build relationships and collaborations with child care

providers. Begin with support and work towards formal

arrangements. It takes time to build the networks and relationships that will ensure the Head Start Program

Performance Standards are met.

• Understand the child care subsidy system in your state 

and work closely with your state child care administrator.

Although major challenges occur when grantees work

with existing child care providers, in the long run it may reap

highly significant changes in infant-toddler care across the

United States. Programs that were using the Head Start

Performance Standards in their work with community center-based child care demonstrated levels of quality that were

good—not as high as Early Head Start center-based care—

but good. Family child care is often the option of choice for

EHS families and programs are also beginning to become

active in establishing formal arrangements with family child

care providers.

Helen Raikes is a Society for Research in Child Development Visiting

Scholar for the Administration on Children Youth and Families,T: 402-

486-6504, F: 402-486-6300, E: heraikes@acf.dhhs.gov. The other

authors are from Mathematica Policy Research in Princeton, N.J.

John M. Love is a Senior Fellow,T: 609-275-2245, E: jlove@mathematica-mpr.com. Diane Paulsell is a Researcher,T: 609-275-2297, E:

dpaulsell@mathematica-mpr.com. Ellen Eliason Kisker is a Senior

Researcher,T: 303-652-8929, E: ekisker@attglobal.net.

The Early Head Start Research and

Evaluation Reports

Publication dates are in parentheses. Early Head

Start papers and reports, as they become available,

can be accessed at http://www.mathematicampr.com/.

• Leading the Way: Descriptive Report of Early Head

Start Programs, a three-volume report about the

research programs after they had been serving

families for about a year. (1999/2000)

• Pathways to Quality. Program implementation after

3 years of serving families. (2000)

• Policy Reports: Health (late 2000), and Child Care

(2001/2002).

• Interim Impacts Report. Program impacts on 

children at 2 years of age (2001).

• Final Impacts Report. Program impacts on children

at 3 years of age (2002).

• Synthesis Report. Combined report from all 

studies (2002).

• Father Studies, Welfare Reform Studies, and

Disabilities Studies. (1999-2002).

• Local Research Reports. (1999-2002)
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 11

Designing EHS Programs in Changing Times:

Six Programs That Have Met the Challenge

E

arly Head Start programs are constantly adapting to meet the

diverse and changing needs of

very young children and families across

the country. Each of the six programs

featured here has developed dynamic

and innovative ways to meet their families’ needs.

Child Development, Inc.

Russellville,Arkansas

For Child Development, Inc. (CDI),

Early Head Start has been an exercise

in change from the outset. CDI has

offered infant and toddler care for 

the past 13 years, before Early Head

Start—or even Parent Child Centers—

existed. So when CDI looked into

developing an Early Head Start program, it had to consider how Head

Start regulations and the Program

Performance Standards would change

the way they’d done business for quite

some time. Some of the major challenges they encountered were the 

differences between their state requirements concerning staff-child ratios and

the Program Performance Standards.

CDI also had to manipulate their existing centers,which were constructed for

larger group sizes. The program 

worked to change their room 

environment by putting up walls and

purchasing equipment.

CDI is a large agency, serving

over 2,000 children across 13 counties

in a variety of programs, including

Migrant/Seasonal Head Start; Starting

Early, Starting Smart; and preschool

Head Start. CDI’s Early Head Start program primarily provides center-based

services in its six rural locations. Each

program is located within a child care

center that provides Head Start and

Developmental Child Care services

along with Early Head Start.This design

provides seamless service delivery for

children from birth to age 12. But CDI

is also a flexible program, providing

home-based services when there is a

family need. Jana Gifford, EHS director,

feels that it is very important for an

EHS program to be designed to meet

the needs of the community, and not

the other way around. “We serve a

number of teenage mothers,” says

Gifford,“and often when they are home

from school in the summer they prefer

to keep their babies at home. We will

shape our program to meet that need.” 

Building strong relationships with

parents is a crucial element of CDI’s

program. CDI weaves parent training

into its services, offering education and

skill building training to parents. Also,

the same teachers who care for the

infants and toddlers during the day are

responsible for working closely with

parents to involve them in activities

with their children at night, developing

strong bonds between staff members

and families.

Mid-Iowa Community

Action Agency

Marshalltown, Iowa

This rural program serves 69 Early

Head Start children across five counties. However, EHS is only a portion of

the agency’s total array of services,

which also includes Head Start for preschool children. Mid-Iowa primarily

offers home-based services, and as a

part of its program design a team of

one Infant-Toddler Specialist and one

Family Development Specialist works in

each county with families. Kathie

Readout, EHS director, feels that this

two-person system is a very important

part of the services they provide.

“Often,” says Readout, “child development services can be lost when only

one staff person goes in—families have

so many daily crisies to work on.” She

feels it’s important to have two people

to work with each family, each with a

specific purpose—one to work 

with the family and one to focus on

child development.

While the program has offered

home-based services since the first day

of operation, the community’s needs

are changing, and Mid-Iowa Community

Action is planning on providing centerbased services starting in the summer

of 2000.A major catalyst for this change

has been welfare reform, which has

resulted in more families in training 

or working.

And though the change to centerbased services is an exciting aspect in

the program’s growth, Readout is finding that her families feel strongly that

home-based services should still be

offered. In this rural area, many Head

Start and Early Head Start families can

be isolated. The relationships that are

developed between families and the

EHS staff members become important

to both parties. So Mid-Iowa

Community Action plans to develop a

menu of program options, including

center- and home-based services.

Mid-Iowa Community Action also

works closely with family child care

providers to meet the need of its families.“Sixty to eighty percent of children

in Iowa who are in care outside the

home are in family child care,” says

Readout.“That’s a lot of children and a

lot of opportunities for collaboration

and quality improvement.” Mid-Iowa

Head Start works closely with its local

family child care providers, developing

agreements that specify training

requirements and, in return, offer

increased compensation. Readout recommends that EHS programs look

ahead to see how their families’ dynamEarly Head Start
Early Head Start

ics and needs are changing, and mold

their program to meet those needs.

Project Eagle

University of Kansas Medical Center

Kansas City, Kansas

Project Eagle uses a blended method of

funding to serve over 200 Head Start

children, almost all of them infants and

toddlers.About half of the children are

funded through Federal Early Head

Start money, while the remaining slots

are funded through state money and

contributions from their unified city

government. In fact, Project Eagle does

not receive any preschool Head Start

money from the federal government —

all of its funding for preschool services

comes from the state.

Martha Staker, the Early Head

Start Director, reports that this blended funding model represents Project

Eagle’s commitment to doing business

in creative ways. Project Eagle has also

created a unique system for offering its

families four program options: 1) homebased services; 2) combination services

with intensive home visits; 3) advanced

combination services with less intensive home visits; and 4) center-based

services for infants and toddlers who

are at risk. Project Eagle provides this

variety to meet the range of families’

needs in the community. But Project

Eagle did not always offer this menu of

options—it started as a solely homebased program. With the advent of

welfare reform, though, more and more

parents needed care outside the home.

This need for center-based services provided an exciting opportunity

for Project Eagle to reach out to the

local child care community.The organization decided to contract out for all of

its center-based services, but they

understood that this would not be possible without agreements aimed to

improve the quality of local centers. So

Project Eagle developed four types of

agreements for the early care and education community to make this

arrangement possible.

1.The first is with the participating

child care agency. It states that the

agency will: meet the Program

Performance Standards; identify staff

to participate in three courses

offered by the local community colleges on early care and education

specific to infants and toddlers; help

staff members develop a professional

development plan; and participate 

in center assessments using recognized instruments.

2.The second is signed by each teacher

working with Head Start children. He

or she agrees to attend courses and

additional classes at the local community college and to plan for CDA

credentialing. Staff salary enhancements are included into this design in

the form of annual bonuses and

tuition reimbursement with stipends

for attending classes.

3. The third agreement is written with

each parent,stating that they agree to

participate in two assessments at the

center.

4.The fourth agreement is written with

the local community colleges, stating

that the college agrees to provide

specific early care and education

courses and to integrate CDA

assessment into its course design.

Once the contracts have been

signed, Project Eagle sets up a schedule

to monitor classroom quality among its

participating centers. Both a Child Care

Coordinator and a Child Care

Specialist travel to each center once

every two weeks to make ongoing

assessments. Staker has found this

endeavor to be very positive, but not an

easy task.“It takes some time for a center to ‘get there,’"says Staker.“We work

with them and provide financial support, and training and technical assistance services.” 

In this way, Project Eagle has been

able to reach out to the broader child

care community to increase the quality

of care for all children. Project Eagle has

worked deliberately within a theory of

change across all program options.

Staker works with her home visitors to

enforce the idea that they are agents of

change, working for improved outcomes for children and families.

"I have been in social services for

20 years,” says Staker, “and this is the

most exciting project I’ve ever worked

with. I feel that we are really making

changes in people’s lives, starting at the

earliest moments."

Baltimore Friends of the

Family, Inc.

Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore Friends of Family, Inc., has

been working with pregnant mothers,

infants, and toddlers for years—long

before Early Head Start began.And the

program has built upon its strengths to

create a quality program that works to

meet the changing needs of the families

it serves.

Baltimore Friends of Family EHS

has three delegate agencies, one in an

urban area and two in rural parts of the

state. A total of 148 children are

served.This diversity has prompted the

program to offer a combination model

of services to its families, changing the

program often to meet the individual

needs of a family. “What’s nice about

our program,” commented Clare

Siegel, Grantee Coordinator for the

EHS program, “is that parents aren’t

stuck in one model of services. Some

parents fit into the 90 minutes a week

home-visiting schedule and others need

all center-based care. Others combine

these two options, and their combination can revolve with the child coming

into the center more days one week

than the next.” With parents entering

the workforce and participating in job

training, this flexible menu of options

has been very effective.

One of the challenges that

Friends of the Family EHS currently

faces is continuing to keep parents

involved, given their busy schedules.

“We believe strongly in the model of

family support,” says Siegel, “and we

weave it into everything that we do.” To

help get parents interested in activities

at the centers, Friends of the Family

offers adult education and GED training

along with parenting classes. Siegel has

found that once parents come into the

center for these types of services,

they can begin to see the benefits of

being involved.

12 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 13

Carman-Ainsworth

Community Schools

Flint, Michigan

The Carman-Ainsworth Community

Schools Head Start functions as both a

Head Start delegate agency serving

almost 300 preschoolers and as an EHS

grantee serving 75 pregnant women,

infants, and toddlers.The program also

provides other preschool services,Even

Start, and adult education. With all of

these services running simultaneously,

Carman-Ainsworth has the challenge of

working in a school district, where

many of its partners are not familiar

with the year-round nature of EHS.

"It is important to explain that our

services don’t start in September and

end in June,” says Carolyn Rutledge, EHS

Director.“The computer systems are set

up so that they work on a nine-month

calendar.” Carolyn is working to broaden

understanding within her school district

of what EHS is and how it functions,

while at the same time building support

for the program among her partners.

Carman-Ainsworth primarily

offers home-based services to its families, but center-based services are available for families who need care during

the day due to training or a new job.The

program has a long history of home visiting—it is in its ninth year of offering

Even Start services—but recently the

program has been facing new challenges.

“We have recently had to hire four new

home visitors,” said Carolyn,“and usually

we have our seasoned home visitors act

as mentors to our new staff.” What she

has come to realize recently, however, is

that the “seasoned” home visitors really

needed training in how to effectively

mentor a new staff member.“There is a

difference between letting someone

observe what you’re doing and explaining

to them why you’re doing what you’re

doing and getting that new staff member

involved,” says Carolyn.

Carolyn is dedicated to helping her

staff do the best job possible. When

asked what element of her program she

was most proud of, she was quick to

mention her dedicated staff.

University of Pittsburgh

Office of Child Development

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The University of Pittsburgh’s EHS program is primarily a home-based program

serving 150 children. However, the university has realized that many of their

families need care outside the home.To

meet this need, the program relies heavily on collaborations with local child care

centers to provide its children and families with high-quality child care.

As a part of this program design,

the university has hired a highly respected staff member from the child care

community to visit local child care centers and provide assessments on their

strengths and weaknesses. Based on this

evaluation, the EHS program develops

cooperative agreements for funding and

training. An Improvement Plan is also

developed so that the programs can

work together to increase classroom

quality. Issues commonly addressed

include staff-child ratios and staff qualifications.Vivian Herman, EHS director, has

observed that child care and family child

care staff are usually very receptive to

increased training.“Most staff want additional training,” says Herman.

High-quality child care is the

most important thing to Herman, but

finding the resources to make this 

possible is her greatest challenge. “The

cost of quality is unbelievable,” says

Herman, “and we have to come to an

agreement with centers to help them in

this area.” The program also works to

inform parents about what makes 

a quality child care program, so they

can make informed decisions when

choosing care.

While child care is an important

aspect of its EHS program, the university truly values its home visiting services. “Home visiting works!” says

Herman. “Home visiting allows you to

work with the whole family to provide

support and effect change.” She also

emphasizes that the program works

because of its qualified and committed

staff. Herman stresses the importance

of a common philosophy and vision

about the program’s goals.This includes

making sure that everyone understands

the Head Start Program Performance

Standards.

For more information on these

programs, contact:

Child Development, Inc.

P.O. Box 2110

Russellville,Arkansas 72811

T: 501-968-6493

Mid-Iowa Community Action

1001 South 18th Avenue

Marshalltown, Iowa 50158 

T: 515-752-7162

Project Eagle

University of Kansas Medical Center

Gateway Center Tower 2

Suite 1001

Fourth and State Avenue

Kansas City, Kansas 66101

T: 913-281-2648

Baltimore Friends of 

the Family, Inc

1001 Eastern Ave, 2nd Floor

Baltimore, Maryland 21202

T: 410-659-7701

Carman–Ainsworth

Community Schools

G 3475 West Court St.

Flint, Michigan 48532

T: 810-234-3600

University of Pittsburgh

Office of Child Development

1811 Boulevard of the Allies

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

T: 412-281-3811
Curriculum in Early Head Start

By Sarah Semlak

Defining curriculum for infants and

toddlers is a challenge for professionals in the fields of child development and early childhood education.

Curriculum for children under three is

often described as “everything they do.”

And curriculum in Early Head Start is discussed in terms of a program’s philosophy,

or a common set of beliefs that is shared

by parents and staff. (Refer to Section

1304.21 of the Program Performance

Standards.)This philosophy—for example,

“...supporting infants’ healthy development"—is accompanied by general goals

for children served by the Early Head 

Start program.

Children’s goals, which relate to

their development and overall wellbeing, are drafted by staff and parents

working together.Whether the program

offers home- or center-based services,

or a combination of the two, children’s

goals should drive the development of

planned experiences, the roles of staff

members and

parents, as well

as the materials

and equipment

that will be 

provided to support goals.While

Early Head Start

programs may

choose to purchase a curriculum, this set of

materials should

complement the

program and

parent’s beliefs,

and be individualized to meet

the needs of children enrolled in

the program.

(Refer to Section 1304.21(c)(1)). In

addition, if the curriculum does not

encompass all aspects of health and

address all relevant Program

Performance Standards, then it must be

expanded and adapted.

According to the Head Start

Program Performance Standards,

curriculum is a written plan. To design 

an appropriate plan and subsequent 

set of experiences for children under

three, staff must have a solid understanding of child development and experience 

in applying this knowledge to programs

serving infants and toddlers.

Understanding and respecting individual

differences among children is critical to

the successful implementation of planned

and unplanned experiences for infants

and toddlers. Staff must have respectful

relationships with children and their parents to gather key information about routines, such as feeding, and any cultural

practices associated with these routines.

An example of planning related to routines

is making a sipper cup available during

mealtime to assist a child in transitioning

from a bottle. The younger the child, the

more that planning will focus on infant

needs and routines rather than activities.

While staff must have a written plan,

individuals implementing planned experiences for children under three should be

ready to adapt this plan and their expectations to better meet the needs of the child

during the actual experience.For example,

if a child is tired, he/she may not respond

as if rested.In light of a child’s lack of sleep,

a caregiver may decide not to introduce

the child to an activity, or to limit the

amount of time they spend supporting the

child’s engagement in the activity. Helping

parents to recognize opportunities to

engage children in activities, which in turn

will support their role as primary teacher

Early Head Start

14 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 15

The following is a list of questions that an Early Head Start program may want to consider when designing or evaluating their

curriculum:

1.What is the overall philosophy for the program? How does this philosophy relate to the services to children? (For example, the program’s philosophy might include community collaboration, which may translate to

the involvement of representatives from various agencies, such as early

intervention, in the delivery of services to children.)

2.What are the major program goals that drive the Early Childhood and

Education Services? (For example, to support parents in their role 

as “primary teacher;” to promote children’s overall development,to provide children with safe environments.)

3. How are parents involved in the development of the program philosophy and goals for Early Childhood Services? How is information passed

along as new families enter the program? (Is there a parent committee

that specifically focuses on Early Childhood Services in the program? Are

there materials that describe early childhood services and an orientation

available to new parents?)

4. How are goals for children developed? (Is information from screening,

assessment, and ongoing observations of children’s development used 

to formulate goals? Are parents included in the selection of goals to 

be addressed?) 

5. How do staff members gather feedback from parents on their 

impression of the experiences during home visits or through notes or

conversations before, during, or after center-based experiences? 

How are changes made to the services based on the child’s and parents’

reactions?

The Head Start Program

Performance Standards define

curriculum as a written plan that

includes:

• Goals for children’s development and

learning;

• Experiences through which they will

achieve the goals;

• Roles for staff and parents to help

children to achieve these goals; and 

• Materials needed to support the

implementation of a curriculum.

The plan must also be based on the

Program Performance Standards and

sound Child Development Principles.

and nurturer, is also essential to the implementation of a curriculum for children under three. (Refer to section 1304.21(a)(2).)

Developing a curriculum that continuously meets the needs of children

from birth to three is an important task for any Early Head Start program.

For more information on curriculum in Head Start and Early Head Start,

please refer to the Head Start Bulletin on curriculum published in March 2000.

Additional resources are listed on p. 40 of this Bulletin.

Sarah Semlak is a consultant for Zero to Three,T: 202-638-1144.
Early Head Start

The home-based program option

is a viable option for families

who are available for home visiting, and when this is the option that

best meets the families’ needs. By

working with children and parents in

their home for ninety minutes on a

weekly basis, home visitors support

parents as their child’s primary teacher.

Home-based services are driven

by Head Start’s overall goal of promoting children’s social competency. In light

of this goal, child development and early

education services are designed to

address each child’s ability to successfully tackle everyday experiences while

simultaneously preparing him or her to

succeed in the future. Home-based

families receive the same comprehensive services as those participating 

in the center-based program option.

These services include health, nutrition,

dental, mental health, early childhood

development, and family and community partnerships.

The Head Start home-based 

program option has always included the

opportunity for children and their 

parents to engage in activities outside

their home. These group experiences

are referred to as “socializations.”

Socializations are offered twice a

month and involve children and parents

in activities that further the goals

addressed during home visits. Parents’

roles should be clearly defined through

family partnership agreements; parents

are key to planning and carrying out

activities during socializations.

Early Head Start staff support

parents’ involvement with their infants

and toddlers. In addition to home visitors, other staff responsible for socializations should have a background in

the design and operation of high-quality group experiences for children

under three. Other staff involved in

socializations may include family service

workers, health educators, and individuals from partnering community organizations, such as WIC (Women, Infants

and Children—a federally funded nutrition program), local health clinics, the

Le Leche League, or any other organization that is able to present parents

with valuable information.

Very Young Infants

Socializations in Early Head Start look

different from those that take place 

in preschool Head Start programs.

While the overall goal of social competency is the same, infants and toddlers

need very different experiences to 

successfully develop and

move towards this goal.

Very young infants need

experiences that promote

feelings of “trust.” Having 

a safe, warm environment,

such as the arms of their

parent where they can 

be fed and attended to

when needed, is an appropriate experience for a

young infant during a

socialization.

Programs serving young infants

and their parents need to keep in mind

the environment in which they offer

socializations. Staff should consider that

for parents to sit and hold their infants

there needs to be equipment, such as

adult-sized chairs that are comfortable.

Also, if parents are breastfeeding, these

chairs should be located in a quiet area

where parents may have privacy if they

choose. Since young infants spend considerable time sleeping, staff should

consider where infants will be placed if

parents choose to put their babies

down. Surfaces must be clean, firm (as

opposed to a pillow or folded blanket

where a child might suffocate), and

away from mobile toddlers.Infants must

be visible and easily attended to at all

times, so keeping parents in the room

with their very young children is

strongly advised.

Mobile Infants

Socialization experiences for mobile

infants, approximately nine to eighteen

months of age, should continue to support the parent-child relationship 

by offering activities that keep the 

parents close to and engaged with 

their child. Creating an environment 

for children that says,“Yes, move, touch,

and explore!” will provide the opportunity for parents to observe their infants

and their wide

range of emerging abilities.

Serving a

nutritious meal

or snack is an

example of an

activity the EHS

staff can use to

work with parents to address

children’s individual goals. For

example, a parent who is transitioning

his or her infant from a bottle to a sipper cup may share experiences with

staff and other parents. Discussions

about routine activities such as feeding

and sleeping are a critical aspect of the

socialization experience for parents.

Health and safety issues, such as not

putting a child to bed with a bottle filled

with milk or any liquid that may harm a

child’s teeth, can be easily addressed

during socializations.These parent education experiences can be held during

mealtime or other parent-child activities rather than separating parents

from their children.

Socializations for Infants, Toddlers, and their Families

in the Home-Based Option

By Judith Jerald, Willa C. Siegel and Sarah M. Semlak 

16 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 17

Toddlers

Socialization experiences for toddlers,

nineteen to thirty-six months of age,

may begin to look more like those

offered to preschool-aged Head Start

children and their parents. In light of

the advancements in toddlers’ development, they are able to spend more time

focusing on a range of activities such as

fingerplays, looking at books, and art.

Toddlers, however, are not preschoolers. Toddlers spend the majority of

their time playing alone or with adults,

rather than with peers. They may also

spend more time observing than actually engaging in group activities.

Planned activities for toddlers

should support their need to do things

by themselves. Toddlers’ frustrations

with not being able to complete tasks

independent of adults often leads them

to bite, hit, and say “No!” In light of

their need to be independent yet closely supervised, socialization experiences

should offer a range of developmentally

appropriate activities in a safe environment.Adults must be available to assist

children, but are not always central to

their involvement with materials and

equipment. Helping parents to “read”

their child’s cues so that they are better

able to respond to their toddler’s needs

is a central focus of the socialization

experience for parents. Looking for

teachable moments in which a parent

can successfully engage in a child’s play

and extend the learning that occurs

during that time is key to advancing a

child’s social-emotional, cognitive, and

language development.

Recognizing that socializations

are a vital component of the homebased program option, Early Head Start

programs must be careful in how they

plan these experiences to meet the

individual needs of families with children under age three. Programs should

consider the following when designing

socializations in Early Head Start:

Considerations

1.What is the purpose of these experiences? In light of your community

and families, what are the goals driving socialization experiences? Does

the term “socialization” accurately

describe these experiences? (Many

programs have named these group

experiences “Parent-Child Time,” or

something that emphasizes the fact

that parents participate in activities

with their children.)

2. How will EHS staff address the individual goals for families during socializations? Limiting the number attending a socialization to no more than

twelve children will allow staff to be

more effective in addressing the goals

of each child and his or her parent.

3.To meet families’ needs, will socializations be organized by child age or

home visitor caseload? Will socializations be offered at different times

and provide opportunities for fathers

and working parents to participate?

How will siblings’ needs be addressed

(i.e., will they be directly involved in

socialization activities, or will separate, developmentally appropriate

activities be made available)?

4. Depending on the goals of the socialization, which Early Head staff

besides the home visitor should be

involved in the design and implementation of the activities? What should

their qualifications be (e.g., a health

background, center-based early childhood program experience, or family

counseling)? How can members of

the community, such as Health

Services Advisory Committee participants, be involved in socializations?

5.At what point should parents be 

encouraged to attend “full group”

socializations with their newborns, as

opposed to other activities, such as

smaller clusters of parents meeting in

someone’s home? Programs may

want to consider inviting pregnant

women and their families to socializations. Connecting with a family

before the birth of their child can

provide the pregnant woman with 

a support group and the opportunity

to learn about parenting a 

young infant.

6. How can the requirement of offering

24 socializations a year be met for all

families? Is it possible to cluster activities whereby families would be

offered a socialization every week for

a period of time and then none for a

month in the summer? 

Developing consistent yet flexible

approaches to supporting families

enrolled in an Early Head Start homebased program is essential to the success of executing high-quality socialization experiences.

Judith Jerald is the National Early Head Start

Coordinator at the Head Start Bureau,

T: 202-205-8074; Sarah Semlak is a 

consultant for Zero to Three, T: 202-638-

1144; and Willa Siegel is an Education

Specialist at the Head Start Bureau,

T: 202-205-4011, E: wsiegel@acf.dhhs.gov.
While home may be the best

environment for many children to experience an

introduction to learning, to social interaction, and to personal self-identification,

families today often need to arrange for

their children to be cared for out of the

home. Early Head Start programs place a

tremendous emphasis and priority on

nurturing and caring for our youngest

children. This should be reflected not

only in our interactions with infants and

toddlers, but in the design and management of the classroom.

Many EHS facilities are planned by

professionals who either have little

experience in designing facilities for the

very young (age birth to 3 years), or

who have experience but use a standard

design approach basically used in 

planning facilities for older children.

The standard design approach is 

usually driven by cost rather than by

age-appropriateness. For EHS children, this approach may not produce

the best results.

A key resource in creating a

well-designed classroom is the local

Planning Team. Best practice for a

successful classroom design is to

convene this group before any decisions are made or ideas offered.

Teams should have members with

four areas of expertise, including

child growth and development, classroom design, architectural and engineering specifications; and program

management. Certainly members with

other knowledge could also be added.

The Planning Team brings a wide

array of knowledge and expertise to

designing an EHS facility. In the initial

stages, the Team must identify design

alternatives and formulate classroom

philosophies. To accomplish this, the

Team should use the Head Start

Facilities Manual and the Head Start

Design Guide. The Facilities Manual promotes the concept of the Design Team

by providing details and direction. It

also provides information on acceptable assessments, discusses compliance

issues, some design principles, and project processes. The Head Start Design

Guide offers detailed design alternatives, best practice requirements, and a

systematic conceptual design format

that establishes minimum standards and

principles for the EHS classroom. (For

more information, contact the Head Start

Publications Management Center. See 

p. 40 of this Bulletin.)

Regardless of the source of information or the basic classroom philosophy adopted by the Planning Team, the

EHS classroom must follow the 35

square feet per child minimum standard. Although this standard is common in state licensing requirements and

the above Administration for Children

and Families (ACF) publications, a 50

sq. ft. per child standard is highly desirable and recommended. The larger

square footage offers the Planning Team

more flexibility in all aspects of classroom design, including the purchase

and placement of specialty equipment,

such as the three or four emergency or

evacuation cribs and multiple passenger-sized strollers or bye-bye buggies.

The Planning Team also must consider other requirements and best

practices. The EHS classroom requires

at least two water sources. One sink

for hand washing must be at the changing station, and one sink must be at the

food preparation area. If restroom facilities are provided in the classroom,

which is recommended, additional sinks

may be necessary. Some EHS classrooms are incorporating risers and low

walls to designate different activity

areas. Carpeting, floor surfaces and textures should vary according to activity

and child development level. Light, both

natural and artificial, and its location,

should be staged to help control noise

and to direct play activities. Child play

movement, whether crawling or walking, should be guided by the design and

layout of the classroom, as well as by

the location of equipment and toys.

Emphasis should be placed on color to

influence mood. Classroom furniture

and equipment should be of wood with

rounded corners, and should be simple

and size-appropriate.

Experience shows that the design

and planning of the EHS classroom is as

important and influential to the longterm success of our children as the

quality and credentials of classroom

leadership.The task of the EHS Planning

Team is critical and can not be underestimated. Each participant is vital, not

only in the initial planning process, but

in every phase throughout the entire

project. From project planning, to

designing plans, to reviewing bids, to

bidding oversight, the Team’s input is

essential. It must work closely with

the budget and finance staff to

ensure budget compliance. Members

also should work with project management to ensure that each change

meets the basic philosophy initiated

during the onset of the planning

process. The Team’s influence must

be felt during the construction

process, the licensing process, and

even the close-out process.

Early Head Start plays an invaluable role in serving America’s most vulnerable citizens—its low-income

infants and toddlers. Our political leaders have made a considerable financial

commitment to the EHS program.This

endorsement is in recognition that our

families are changing, that our society is

changing, and that our culture is changing. Our classroom and educational philosophy also need to change, to ensure

that our infants and toddlers have

enriching early experiences that can

contribute to their future personal and

economic self-sufficiency.

Bobby Crooks is a Facilities Management

Specialist at the Region IV Quality

Improvement Center, T: 270-745-4041, E:

bobby.crooks@wku.edu.

Early Head Start Facilities: Doing It Right

By Bobby Crooks

18 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin
Early Head Start

The Rosemount Story

By Karen McKinney

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 19

I

still remember the

excitement

when we were

notified in the

summer of 1996

of our Early

Head Start grant

award. Our Rosemount Center was

going to be one of the early “pioneers”

in the new Early Head Start initiative.

We quickly convened our families, community partners, and staff to

discuss the start-up plans and implementation phases. Like most

new grantees, we were looking

forward to providing services.

All of our staff had infant/toddler CDAs, and we had a facility

with space for infant/toddler

areas, so we felt we were far ahead of

the game. Our date to be fully operational was August 1997, and we felt we

would be ready.

In November 1996, the revised

Head Start Program Performance

Standards were issued, which included

regulations for infant/toddler care. We

were in the midst of ordering our new

furnishings and equipment for the existing classroom space when we became

concerned that our space was not consistent with the standards. We were

worried that we did not have space for

cribs at 3 feet apart, or adequate plumbing to have separate areas for diapering

and food preparation. I spent many

hours communicating with our Federal

Program Specialist and with specialists at

our regional Quality Improvement

Center (QIC) and Quality Improvement

Center for Disabilities Services.I wanted

to be sure I understood the intent of the

regulations and how we could address

them when we had very little money in

the grant allocated for facility issues. At

this point, the facilities became a major

challenge in the start-up of our program.

In the spring of 1997, I participated in the West-Ed Infant/Toddler

Intensive Training with the Early Head

Start National Resource Center. There

I learned about a process for designing

infant/toddler space in a presentation

by Louis Torelli of the organization

Spaces for Children. After seeing the

presentation, I knew that Rosemount

Center needed help or we would not

be able to meet the Federal regulations

on facilities. I took immediate steps to

consult with Louis about appropriate

modifications to our space and to discuss budget changes with our Program

Specialist. It was then May of 1997.We

were confident that, if we could get on

a fast track with architects and construction specialists, we could make the

necessary changes and be fully operational by August.

We hired a project manager with

experience in construction to serve as

my advisor. He was instrumental in helping me understand all the issues

involved, and he posed a major question:

Had there been a “hazmat” (hazardous

materials) study of the space? After

some investigation, the answer was no:

no study of the building had been done.

We had to embark in a new direction.

The study revealed both lead and

asbestos in some areas of our center.

The good news was that it wasn’t 

a problem unless we disturbed it. The

bad news was that we were planning to

disturb it to install new plumbing. Our

plans to be fully operational by August

seemed to evaporate as we brought

various engineers to the table to discuss the best route for getting our

space in order.

Although the abatement of

asbestos and containment of lead took

several months, we were able to complete our remodeling in time for our

Federal Review in August 1998. During

this two-year period I learned many

important lessons and met many wonderful people who were there as partners to help us build a quality program.

As I often tell others, I could not have

done it without support from the

Federal Team, our Program Specialist,

QIC, DSQIC, and other

consultants who provided

direction or assisted in

areas such as training, while

I focused on facility issues.

To me, this demonstrated

tremendous commitment to building

Early Head Start from all levels.

I cannot stress enough the importance of space design planning in the

scope of start-up for an Early Head Start

program.To provide quality services, you

must have a space that provides an environment where infants and toddlers can

learn in their daily routines, as well as

one that supports staff in their role as

responsive, nurturing caregivers for our

infants, toddlers, and their families. The

message along this journey was always

clear: Early Head Start must provide

quality services. The challenge to

grantees is comprehensive planning—

including facilities and space design.

Karen McKinney is the Early Head Start

Director at Rosemount Head Start,T: 202-

265-9885, E: McKinneyK@aol.com.

At this point, the facilities 

became a major challenge in the 

start-up of our program.
Early Head Start

E

arly Head Start affords a unique

opportunity to provide comprehensive services to low-income

expectant parents and families with

infants and toddlers. Along with that

opportunity, however, comes a great

responsibility. Because of their particular vulnerabilities, very young children

and their families require services of

the highest quality.

Programs that intend to provide

EHS services must be thoughtful in how

they design and implement their program. Start-up planning refers to the

activities grantees engage in throughout

the first 12 months of funding and during the early stages of service delivery.

Ideally, however, planning for program

implementation begins during the grant

application process.

Activities completed during the

planning process should include input

by parents, policy groups, community

members, and staff. All Early Head Start

grantees may take up to 12 months for

start-up planning to achieve the

requirement of being fully operational

within one year of the grant 

award date.

Using Your Program

Support Network

All newly funded EHS grantees have a

variety of resources available to support their start-up efforts.These essential resources include:

• A Federal Program Specialist

• A Start-Up Planner

• The Quality Improvement Center

(QIC and DSQIC) Infant/Toddler

Specialists

• The Early Head Start National

Resource Center staff

• Neighboring EHS centers and existing Head Start programs

• Local Part C early intervention 

agencies

• Other community partners.

Reviewing and Developing

Management Systems and

Procedures

Regardless of the grantee’s organizational experience or goals for the EHS

program, all EHS grant applicants

should have in place key management

systems and procedures.To become an

EHS grantee, applicants will be required

to provide services in accordance with

Head Start regulations. Management

systems and procedures are necessary

to ensure that the program is meeting

the Head Start Program Performance

Standards. Furthermore, well-functioning management systems provide the

foundation for all program activities

and are essential to developing a highquality program. Key systems, procedures, and data that should drive program design are community assessment, written plans for the three major

areas of the Program Performance

Standards, communication procedures,

and an organizational structure.

Community Assessment

The community assessment is one way

of ensuring that programs are designed

to meet the needs of families in local

communities. The community assessment helps programs to identify priorities, goals, and resources. It can also be

the basis for establishing relationships

and collaborating with community 

partners.

Section 1305.3 of the Program

Performance Standards provides an

extensive description of the information that should be included in a community assessment, as well as how the

information should be used.

Written Plans

Written plans illustrate how the program intends to support infants, toddlers, and their families and how the

Program Performance Standards will be

implemented. These plans should

include goals, objectives, and outcomes

for children and families. The process

for developing the written plans can 

be determined by the grantee.

However, policy groups, parents, and

community members must be involved

in the process.

Communication Procedures

While planning for an EHS program, it

is important to ensure that key stakeholders, such as parents, policy group

members, staff, and community partners, have the opportunity to share

ideas and learn about the progress of

the grant or the program. These individuals have vested interests in helping

improve the quality of an EHS program

and can do this only with adequate

information and regular opportunities

to provide feedback.

Putting procedures and formal

agreements in writing helps to clarify

communication and promote understanding. It is also important to check

with partners periodically to ensure the

quality and timeliness of the information.

Organizational Structure

Each program must develop an organizational structure that will enable it to

carry out the goals and objectives specified in the written plans. Before hiring

staff, a map should be developed that

specifies the type of staff needed, how

many for each position, and the lines of

supervision. Developing an organizational structure also allows Head Start

programs currently serving preschool

children to determine how they might

use any existing staff to meet the needs

of infants and toddlers. Preschool Head

Start programs need to consider which

staff roles require specific training and

experience with infants and toddlers,

and which roles would be applicable to

Start-Up Planning and the Early 

Head Start Program

By JoAn Knight Herren and Mary Shiffer

20 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 21

both preschool Head Start and Early

Head Start.

Preparing for Program

Activities

Putting a new EHS program into action

involves multiple, simultaneous tasks.

Identifying a team or individual to plan

and manage this process provides

structure and organization to program

planning. Some of the important implementation activities to consider

include:

• Hiring staff;

• Initiating staff development activities;

• Preparing facilities;

• Identifying an approach to curriculum;

• Ensuring that community partners are

ready to receive families; and 

• Recruiting and enrolling families.

Start-Up Planners

Hiring a Start-Up Planner or consultant

has been helpful to many new EHS programs.While hiring a planner is optional, a good planner can be instrumental

in facilitating the start-up process. This

consultant can help ensure that the

program meets the Program

Performance Standards, has developed

appropriate policies and procedures,

and is ready to be fully operational by

the end of the first year of funding.The

Head Start Bureau recommends that

programs include a line item for 

hiring a Start-Up Planner in their first

year’s budget.

It is important that programs

choose a Start-Up Planner who:

• Knows how to operationalize the

Program Performance Standards;

• Possesses management and organizational development skills;

• Understands and can work with staff

and a program planning group;

• Understands Head Start/Early Head

Start within the context of the 

community;

• Can facilitate the implementation and

planning process; and 

• Knows when to seek additional help

from the Federal Program Specialist

or QIC staff.

Staff from the QICs and the Early Head

Start National Resource Center (EHS

NRC) can help EHS grantees find an

appropriate Start-Up Planner. It is up to

the program, though, to ensure that the

Start-Up Planner complements the

existing staff or planning group.

JoAn Knight Herren is Chief of the Head

Start Bureau’s Training and Technical

Assistance Branch,T: 202-205-8566, E: jherren@acf.dhhs.gov.Mary Shiffer is a Program

Specialist in Region III,T: 215-861-4043.

The 12-month start-up planning period gives Early Head

Start grantees a unique and

valuable opportunity. Take

advantage of this time to

develop the highest quality

program for infants, toddlers,

and their families!
Early Head Start

With an eye on the continuous improvement of EarlyHead Start programs,

Helen Taylor, former Associate

Commissioner for the Head Start

Bureau, designed a new initiative to

establish SECAs in each office and in

the Head Start Bureau. The SECAs

assist federal staff in their efforts to

fund, monitor, and support Early Head

Start Programs.

The EHS National Resource

Center (EHS NRC) provided contractual support for this initiative. As such,

the associates are employed and supervised by the EHS NRC.

The main thrust of the Senior

Early Childhood Associates’ activities

involves serving as a consultant to federal staff as they learn more about

infant and toddler development and its

connection to program planning and

operation.The associates provide birthto-three expertise to federal staff and

are physically located in the ten ACF

Regional Offices, the American Indians

Program Branch, the Migrant Programs

Branch, and the Head Start Bureau.

Based upon individualized work

plans, the associates consult with

Regional Office staff and provide technical assistance through a variety 

of activities that may include:

• Providing individual consultations 

with program and fiscal staff;

• Offering presentations on topical 

workshops;

• Analyzing EHS grant awards;

• Accompanying program specialists

on TA visits to programs;

• Participating in technical assistance

visits with program specialists;

• Organizing and participating in

regional and national conferences;

• Supporting program specialists during

on-site monitoring visits;

• Coordinating regional activities with

other technical assistance providers;

• Maintaining a resource library of

books, video tapes, and other training

materials for professional development of the federal staff; and 

• Participating in Regional Coordinating

Council meetings.

We are excited about this new

level of support and its contribution to

quality enhancement in Early Head

Start programs.

For more information, contact Lillian

Sugarman, Assistant Director of the EHS

NRC, at T: 202-638-1144 or by e-mail at

l.sugarman@zerotothree.org.

The Senior Early Childhood Specialists (SECAs):

A Regional Network of Infant and Toddler Experts

By Lillian Sugarman

22 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Libby Zimmerman, Region 1 Boston, Massachusetts

Lisa Leifield, Region 3 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Lisa Goldman, Region 4 Atlanta, Georgia

Maureen Patrick, Region 5 Chicago, Illinois

Tisha Bennett, Region 6 Dallas,Texas

Judy Cryzado-Gyerrero, Region 7 Kansas City, Kansas

Sandra Petersen, Region 8 Denver, Colorado

Alisa Burton, Region 9 San Francisco, California

Theresa Elofson, Region 10 Seattle,Washington

Jennifer Boss, Migrant Branch Washington, D.C.

Angie Godfrey,AIPB Washington, D.C.

Lynette Kimes, Central Office Washington, D.C.

The following Senior Early Childhood Associates have been hired

and are located in the following offices:
Early Head Start

The Early Head Start National Resource Center

By Mary Shiffer

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 23

The Early Head Start National

Resource Center (EHS NRC)

was created in 1995 by the Head

Start Bureau to provide support to

Early Head Start programs throughout

the country. The EHS NRC works in

partnership with the Regional Offices

and the Infant/Toddler Specialists at the

Quality Improvement Centers (QICs)

and QICs for Disability Services.

What Services Are

Available?

The EHS NRC provides training and

technical assistance in the following ways:

Leadership

The EHS NRC supports the Head Start

Bureau and T/TA system in providing

national leadership by:

• Convening and facilitating twice

annual meetings of an expert

Technical Work Group (TWG);

• Synthesizing TWG discussions and

offering recommendations to the

HSB;

• Conducting leaders’ seminars twice

annually for regional staff working

with EHS programs; and

• Organizing and maintaining a

Resource/Network database of

national experts.

Access to Information

The EHS NRC provides EHS programs

with access to information by:

• Developing a compendium of quality

training resources;

• Identifying and sharing information

on model program strategies;

• Conducting presentations on “best

practices” at national and regional

conferences;

• Creating Technical Assistance Papers

on select topics; and 

• Disseminating of resources via our

Web site (ehsnrc.rd.net).

Training Events and Technical

Assistance Services

The EHS NRC plans and conducts

training events for EHS program staff,

including:

• National Orientation Conferences

for newly funded EHS programs;

• Annual Institutes for EHS programs;

• Program for Infant/Toddler

Caregivers (PITC) Intensives and

certification process for EHS programs.

• Teleconferences;

• TV programming; and 

• Listservs on select topics for EHS

programs.

Partnership/Linkages

The EHS NRC fosters partnerships and

creates linkages among EHS programs

and the broader Head Start T/TA 

system by:

• Maintaining regular contact with

Infant/Toddler Specialists in regional

QICs and QICs for Disability

Services;

• Conducting Training of Trainer

events for the broader T/TA system;

• Creating Technical Assistance tools

for the T/TA network; and 

• Hosting listservs for the Infant/

Family Network and expanded EHS

community.

For more information, contact the EHS NRC

at 202-638-0851, or visit the Web site at

www.ehsnrc.org.. Mary Shiffer is a Program

Specialist in Region III,T: 215-861-4043.
Early Head Start

The Head Start program’s extensive

technical assistance system includes

Quality Improvement Centers

(QICs) and Quality Improvement Centers

for Disabilities Services (DSQICs) in each

geographic region, as well as for American

Indian and Migrant Head Start programs.

These centers provide training and technical assistance support to programs in the

areas of program and administrative services and serving children with disabilities.

Each QIC and DSQIC has Infant/Toddler

Specialists who can provide valuable technical assistance on Early Head Start and

infant and toddler programming.

The Infant/Toddler Specialists serve

as professional resources to Early Head

Start programs beginning with initial funding

through an ongoing delivery of services

designed to enhance quality programming

for pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and

their families.These services are specifically

targeted to meet the individual needs of

each Early Head Start program. One 

function of the Infant/Toddler Specialists is 

contacting newly funded grantees shortly

after grant awards are announced.They also

provide on-site technical assistance, access

to local consultants, and regional training.

To contact the Infant/Toddler

Specialist in your region, contact the

Federal Program Specialist in your

Regional Office, or look at the Early Head

Start National Resource Center’s Web

site at www.ehsnrc.org.

Mary Shiffer is a Program Specialist in Region

III,T: 215-861-4043..

The Infant/Toddler 

Specialists 

By Mary Shiffer

24 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

This poem appears on a plaque on a bridge over the Connecticut River

between Walpole, New Hampshire, and Bellows Falls,Vermont. It was contributed by Judith Jerald.

“The Bridge Builder”

by Will Allen Dromgoole

An old man going along a highway

Came at evening, cold and gray

To a chasm vast and wide and steep

With water rolling cold and deep.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim

The sullen stream held no fears for him;

But he turned when safe on the other side,

And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,

“You are wasting your strength with 

building here.

Your journey will end with the ending day,

You never again will pass this way,

You’ve crossed the chasm deep and wide,

Why build this bridge at eventide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head.

“Good friend, in the path I have come,”

he said.

“There followeth after me today

A youth whose feet must pass this way.

The chasm that was naught to me

To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be:

He, too, must cross in twilight dim –

Good friend, I am building this bridge for him.”
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 25

Selecting the Appropriate Program Option(s): 

Serving the Needs of Early Head Start Families

through Center and Home-Based Program Options

By Judith Jerald and Sarah M. Semlak

E

arly Head Start was created in

1994 to serve low-income pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and

their families.As with Head Start, Early

Head Start offers children and families

comprehensive child development

services through center, home-based,

and combination program options.The

majority of the Early Head Start programs funded in 1995 were homebased and were designed to support

the development of the parent-infant

relationship. Through weekly ninetyminute visits to families’ homes, home

visitors are able to help parents to

understand their role in fostering their

child’s overall healthy development.

Closely following the establishment of Early Head Start came the

reform of the welfare system in this

country. Under new welfare legislation,

many Early Head Start parents must be

employed or involved in schooling or

job training when the EHS child is still

an infant. To better meet needs identified in the community assessment and

family partnership agreements, many

Early Head Start grantees and delegate

agencies are finding it necessary to

reassess the adequacy of the homebased option. In some cases, the result

of this assessment may lead to a change

from home-based to center-based services for children. In other cases, as

when programs use community centerbased or family childcare, they may

decide to enhance services by providing home visiting while also contracting

with local child care centers and family

day care providers. In this situation, the

program is responsible for ensuring that

the quality of care that Early Head Start

children receive in the community 

centers and family day care homes meets

the Head Start Performance Standards.

As with other Head Start community

collaborations, the grantee tracks and

supports the services received by the

children outside of their homes.

In light of families’ goals that

relate to self-sufficiency and ultimately

result in the need for child care, some

programs are finding it necessary to

offer more than one program option

for service delivery. For example, an

Early Head Start program may offer a

home-based option for some families

for a period of time, center-based services if they are needed, and a combination model when and if that program

option is appropriate.

In addition, due to changes in their

work and schooling, families may participate in different program options at different times while enrolled in Early Head

Start. For example, parents of newborns

and young infants who have not

returned to work may opt for homebased services. Once a child is older and

the parent returns to work or enters

job training, the need for part-day care

outside the home is often required.

Ultimately, a parent may obtain a fulltime job.At that point, a child will need

to be in a center-based setting, whether

it is directly operated by the Early Head

Start program or in partnership with a

local child care agency.

Early Head Start services can and

should be tailored to meet the everchanging needs of pregnant women,

infants, toddlers, and their families.

Often one program option does not

meet the developmental needs of a

child over a three-year period. In addition, one program option may not support families’ goals, which are often

changing.To meet the needs of families

enrolled in Early Head Start for three

or more years, programs must consider

the benefits and limitations of each program option at the particular period in

the child and family’s life. Flexibility is

essential to the design and delivery of

high-quality services to infants, toddlers, and families in Early Head Start.

Judith Jerald is the National Early Head Start

Coordinator at the Head Start Bureau,

T: 202-205-8074, E: jjerald@acf.dhhs.gov.

Sarah Semlak is a consultant for Zero to

Three,T: 202-638-1144.
Early Head Start

"It is particularly important

that parental health is linked

to children’s health and

development.”

–Statement of the Advisory Committee

on Services for Families with Infants

and Toddlers, Department of Health

and Human Services, September 1994 

The link between a pregnant

woman’s health and the

health of her child is a wellestablished fact. Early and

regular prenatal care, a

healthy diet, exercise, and

avoidance of stress, alcohol, and other harmful substances are a few things all

mothers can do to ensure

that their child will be 

born healthy.

Early Head Start programs are in a unique position to support pregnant

women and can offer this

support through a combination of systems and services (as required by the

Head Start Program Performance

Standards).

Services to pregnant women

begin with planning. Early Head Start

programs use their community assessment tools to gain an understanding of

the needs of the population they are

serving, as well as to identify available

community resources.

Factors to consider include:

• What existing community services

serve pregnant women, and what

types of services do they provide

(health, social services, employment

and/or training, education, substance

abuse treatment, and nutrition)?

• Are these services readily accessible

in terms of public transportation,

hours of service, and geographic distance from families being served by

the Early Head Start program? 

• Are there particular populations that

are not being served, such as pregnant teens or young pregnant teens?

Community Partnerships

Community partnerships play a key

role in serving pregnant women. Strong

partnerships that begin with a shared

vision and clearly defined roles and

responsibilities of each partner support

the efforts of Early Head Start 

programs by maximizing program

resources, reducing the likelihood of

duplicating services, and making 

community services more family friendly.

Communication

To support these and other partnerships, there is a need for communication systems. Formal and informal 

systems of communication with 

community partners, staff, and parents

are essential. When planning a 

program’s approach to services to

pregnant women, the issue of confidentiality needs to be addressed early on.

Most community partners, with a family’s consent, will be able to share information. Making this happen smoothly

requires hard work and assurances that

the Early Head Start program has 

systems and procedures in place that

protect the privacy of the families 

they serve.

Communication with families is

another factor to consider. After

enrollment, what systems of

communication are in place

to ensure that the needs of

pregnant women are being

met? Is this communication

formal (regular meeting time

or telephone contact) 

or informal (unannounced

home visits or notes in the

mail.)? Does the pregnant

woman feel comfortable talking with the Early Head Start

staff person with whom she

has a primary relationship? If

not, are there other staff

members with whom she can

talk informally? 

Informal and formal systems of communication between staff

are often the link between systems and

services in an Early Head Start program.

Regular staff meetings provide opportunities to discuss family needs, gaps in

service, community resources, and

whether additional supplies and staff

could better support programs. Data

about family needs, self-assessments, and

ongoing monitoring can also be shared

during staff meetings. Integrated service

delivery, a key feature of services to 

pregnant women, faces many challenges

and requires good communication to

remain effective.

A Systems Approach to Serving Pregnant 

Women in Early Head Start

By Mireille Kanda, M.D.

26 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 27

Family Partnership

Agreements

The Family Partnership Agreement

Process is where the Early Head Start

program and pregnant woman work

together to identify goals, strengths, and

needed services. It is also where feelings of trust between the program and

the family begin. During this process,

the type and frequency of support

needed is established. For example,

some pregnant women may need home

visits on a regular basis, some may not

need them at all, and some may need

them intermittently. During this

process, it may be decided that the

pregnant woman wants to participate

in Early Head Start center-based or

socialization events to learn more

about parenting and child development.

There may also be discussion on what

information the woman may need

about labor and delivery, breast feeding,

smoking cessation, and substance abuse

services. It is also the place where discussions may begin about what types of

services the child may receive (homeor center-based) after birth. It is important to take the necessary steps to

transition newborns into the program.

Whatever the need, the family partnership agreement process is the vehicle

by which many services in Early Head

Start take place.

Ongoing monitoring and

self-assessment

Ongoing monitoring and self-assessment are two separate systems that

support services to pregnant women in

Early Head Start.They provide valuable

information about how the program is

operating as well as what, if any, changes

are needed to ensure the delivery of

high-quality services. Since the Head

Start Program Performance Standards

require Early Head Start programs to

assist pregnant women in accessing

comprehensive prenatal and postpartum services, the ongoing monitoring

system is one way to make sure that

pregnant women receive quality, comprehensive, and timely prenatal and

postpartum services.

Another way to do this is through

tracking. The Head Start Program

Performance Standards require programs to follow up with each family to

determine whether the kind, quality, and

timeliness of services received through

referrals meet family expectations and

circumstances 1304.20 (b)(2). This follow-up is critical for pregnant women.

Tracking services to make sure appointments are kept, needed services are provided, and that problems (with either the

family or a community service provider)

are identified and addressed early on 

are yet another way to ensure 

high-quality services.

As you can see, services to pregnant women are comprehensive, complicated, and challenging. But what better time to work with women to

ensure they and their child-to-be are

healthy, happy, and have the support

they need?

Mireille (Mimi) Kanda is the Chief of the

Head Start Bureau’s Health and 

Disabilities Branch,T: 301-594-4001.
Early Head Start

The week before Easter, I took my

son Nicholas to get a new pair of

shoes. I realized as I planned for

the shopping trip that this was his first

new pair of shoes – he had always just

worn hand-me-downs from his sister.

For the first couple of years of

his life, Nicholas wasn't walking. It never

seemed urgent or necessary to get him

new shoes. I had hoped that Nicholas

would learn to walk at a “normal” age.

I did not want others to see his disability, but rather all his possibilities. I was

afraid he would become labeled with

the term “disabled” and worried people

might typecast him in the role.

So, I had a time in mind when

I wanted Nicholas to begin walking.This

time passed. Nicholas was eager to

learn at his pace and in his order. I came

to appreciate that about Nicholas. He

was determined, but not impatient. I

was impatient, but not determined to

see this little boy walk. I had come to

understand that these were Nicholas'

steps, not mine.Anyway, he was doing a

very good job of learning what he

needed to know and moving forward.

After his second birthday, the

time came when he began to walk. It

was time to celebrate his accomplishment! We celebrated by going shopping

on the Tuesday before Easter. Brandie,

Nicholas' six-year-old sister, was part of

the celebration too. Brandie knew just

what to do in a shoe store. While she

tried on every pair of shoes anywhere

near her size, I tried shoes on Nicholas

as he slept in the stroller. Before long,

he woke up. He showed he was ready

to actively participate in the celebration, as he walked right out of the store

into the mall with each new pair 

we tried!

Finally, we had a fit. A pair of

shoes that matched the criteria of a

beginning walker's shoe and was a cute

shoe for a toddler to wear. Brandie had

also chosen a pair of shoes she liked.

Both wore their new shoes as we left

the store.

Nicholas seemed to walk differently, more deliberately in these new

shoes. In the days that followed,

Nicholas would walk in his new shoes

everywhere.He found mud puddles and

stomped with delight, as he watched

the splashes he made. He took his new

shoes to the sandbox at his daycare and

let his shoes fill with sand.

There is no doubt Nicholas

knows how to put these new shoes to

good use, and I am delighted. This was

such a simple, yet satisfying celebration.

Nicholas is a teacher, and I learn from

him all the time.There will be struggles

and painful times in this life, but this was

not one of those times.This was a time

to celebrate. A time to celebrate the

accomplishment Nicholas had made.

His first steps are just the beginning of

many steps to celebrate.

This story was shared at the Special

Quest in California by Terry Barrett, a

Head Start parent.

New Shoes to Celebrate

By Terry Barrett

28 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 29

Early Head Start Programs and QUILT: 

Quality in Linking Together

By QUILT Staff

E

arly Head Start programs across

the country are accessing the

services of QUILT, a training and

technical assistance project funded by

the Head Start and Child Care Bureaus.

Its purpose is to support partnerships

among child care, Early Head Start and

Head Start, pre-kindergarten, and other

early education programs to provide

quality, comprehensive, appropriate care

to children and families nationwide.

QUILT's goals in supporting early education partnerships include:

• Providing full-day, full-year child care

for families who need it so that parents can work or pursue education

and training opportunities;

• Making comprehensive services

more widely available for children

and families; and

• Improving continuity of services and

program quality.

QUILT's approach to technical assistance is to complement, and not duplicate, the work of other training and

technical assistance (T/TA) providers,

including those in the child care, Early

Head Start, and Head Start T/TA networks.As part of our approach, we:

• Work closely with all stakeholders

from local early education programs,

to regional, tribal, and state administrators and T/TA providers, to

national decision-makers to support

partnerships;

• Provide individuals and groups with

information about the benefits of

partnerships and links to resources;

• Address a wide range of partnership

issues from designing programs to

managing multiple funding sources;

• Respond to the individual needs of

diverse early education communities;

and

• Offer technical assistance in a number of ways through the QUILT tollfree hotline, as well as through onsite technical assistance.

Here are some frequently asked questions and answers about the QUILT

services available to Early Head Start.

Q: What can the hotline offer my EHS

program?

A: Whether you’re in the beginning

stages of forming a partnership with

child care, or you are taking steps to

improve an existing partnership, the

hotline can assist you with planning

as well as solution finding.In addition

to linking callers to local resources

and other child care and Early Head

Start/Head Start networks, the

QUILT hotline can provide you with

information about upcoming partnership events, additional materials,

and assistance in arranging onsite

technical assistance.You can also find

information about early education

partnerships on the QUILT Web site

(www.quilt.org).

Q: When can I call the hotline? 

A: QUILT hotline specialists are available to answer your questions 11

hours a day, Monday through Friday.

Just call our toll-free number 1-877-

867-8458(1-877-TO-QUILT) between

8:30A.M .and 7:30 P.M. Eastern Time.

Q: How is on-site technical assistance

different from hotline technical

assistance?

A: While hotline specialists respond to

an individual caller’s day-to-day

questions about early education

partnerships, on-site technical assistance delivered by the QUILT brings

all the stakeholders to the table,

generally within their own community or state.As a result, QUILT onsite technical assistance specialists

are able to tap the strengths of all

the players, ensure that everyone’s

voice is heard, and help them reach

consensus about concrete steps

they can take to promote early education partnerships.

Q: What types of issues do QUILT

staff and consultants address?

A: QUILT staff and consultants address

all issues that help programs plan,

implement, and sustain partnerships.

For example, QUILT staff members

help stakeholders at the state and

community level examine policies,

planning and fiscal strategies, and

program management issues. Some

programs request assistance in

designing the structure and goals of

the partnership. Others need 

targeted consultation in developing

a financial plan and cost allocation

system. Still others want help examining possible staffing patterns 

and responsibilities and identifying

benchmarks of performance.

Because QUILT staff and consultants

share information about a broad

range of partnership structures as

well as current research, they are

able to provide technical assistance

customized to the community's

needs, resources, and priorities.

Three entities lead the QUILT . . .

Community Development Institute

Grace Hardy, Project Director

9745 East Hampden Ave. Suite 310

Denver, CO 80231

T: 303-369-8706

Fax: 617-337-5339

Education Development Center, Inc.

Karen Juall, Co-Project Director

55 Chapel Street

Newton, MA 02458-1060

T: 617-969-7100

Fax: 617-244-3609

National Child Care Information

Center

Ray Collins, QUILT Manager

243 Church Street NW 

2nd Floor

Vienna,VA 22180-4430

T: 800-616-2242

Fax: 800-716-2242

NCCIC Web site: nccic.org

To keep up-to-date with partnership events, resources, and news,

visit the QUILT Web site

http://www.quilt.org/
Early Head Start

30 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

The Hilton/Early Head Start

Training Program, a public-private partnership funded by the

Conrad Hilton Foundation and the

Head Start Bureau, is in the third year

of a five-year grant. Its mission is to

provide training and ongoing follow-up

to Waves 1-4 Early Head Start (EHS)

and Migrant Head Start (MHS) programs to support their development of

high-quality, collaborative, inclusive

services for infants and toddlers with

significant disabilities. An augmentation

to the Head Start Training and Technical

Assistance system, the Hilton/EHS

Training Program works closely with

the Quality Improvement Centers for

Disabilities Services (DSQICs).

The core of the Hilton/EHS

Training Program is an intensive five-day

workshop called the SpecialQuest. In

1999, more than 1200 EHS/MHS staff,

family members, and Part C partners

joined 21 federal staff and 38 representatives of the Quality Improvement

Centers in these sessions. Every Wave

1-4 EHS and MHS program had the

opportunity to participate in the

SpecialQuests; 258 programs have 

chosen to commit themselves to the

intensive, four-year training and followup process.

For the SpecialQuest, participating programs each send a 5-member team

consisting of:

• A parent of an infant or toddler with

a disability enrolled in the EHS/MHS

program;

• An EHS/MHS administrator;

• The staff person responsible for disabilities services;

• Another staff person who can help

“share the training"; and 

• A representative of a local Early

Intervention (Part C) program with

which the Head Start program collaborates to serve infants and 

toddlers with Individualized Family

Service Plans (IFSPs) and their families.

Ten SpecialQuests are held annually,

two in each of the five hubs. American

Indian and Migrant Head Start programs (Regions XI and XII) participate

in their geographic areas.

Ongoing collaboration with the

DSQICs strives to ensure that participants receive “seamless” technical

assistance on issues of including infants

and toddlers with significant disabilities 

and their families in EHS/MHS programs. Many DSQIC staff attend

SpecialQuests to provide support and

continuity and to lend their expertise

about local issues.

SpecialQuest trainers have

expertise and experience as parents of

children with disabilities and/or as staff

in Early Intervention (EI) and Head

Start programs. The thirty nationally

recognized trainers present state-ofthe-art information and help teams to

convert current research on inclusion

of infants and toddlers with disabilities

into day-to-day practice in their programs. Each team has a Learning Coach

who works with them during the training and provides on-site follow-up and

technical assistance for up to three days

between each SpecialQuest session.

Teams develop goals for themselves and

their programs based on their preferences, needs, and the best practices

presented at SpecialQuest.These goals

are the focus of the follow-up support

provided by 140 Learning Coaches

throughout the nation.

During 1999, team members developed

1081 goals in the areas of:

• Including infants and toddlers with

disabilities, such as establishing a pilot

project to link EHS/HS to ICC (Part

C Interagency Coordinating Council)

and the community as a whole for the

specific purpose of identifying children with significant disabilities and,

where appropriate, placing them in

EHS/HS programs (home-based and

center-based natural environments).

• Enhancing family leadership, such as

increasing the involvement of fathers

in EHS and EI by completing the selfassessment of service delivery, completing a needs assessment of fathers

in the programs, and organizing a

“Bring Your Dad to School” Day.

• Building and maintaining collaboration between EHS/MHS and Part C,

such as collaborating effectively to

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

Participant comments on their experiences:

• We got practical strategies that we can implement in our programs, and the focus

on collaboration was very useful for us in this stage of our program.

• Parent perspective brings it home — to the heart.

• The team approach is an excellent idea that helps to reinforce to staff the need

to include everyone (ECI, EHS, parents, etc.) in carrying out services.

• I have truly enjoyed meeting and talking with parents who have children with disabilities and working together as a team. It has made a tremendous difference in

how I view working with children with disabilities.

• The SpecialQuest helped me find my voice and direction as a parent of a child with

a disability.
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 31

ensure a coordinated plan for 

families that is shared by EHS, Part C,

Family Support Services, and which

will reflect the requirements of each

individual program by February 2000.

• Working together as a team, such as

establishing a conflict resolution plan

for the center, for interagency relationships, for the Policy Committee,

and for the SpecialQuest team.

• Sustaining an organizational culture

of continuous improvement, such as

training staff to gain a greater awareness of resources in the community

for children age birth–3 with disabilities, thus creating consistency in education throughout the system.

Every participant and guest who

attends SpecialQuest receives training

materials for use during the training

and upon return to their programs.The

Hilton/EHS Training Program developed

five videos for use in 1999, in addition

to the one developed in 1998. “Share

the Training” materials, which include

videos and other training materials in

English and Spanish, will be distributed

to participating EHS/MHS programs.As

of October 1999, SpecialQuest participants, Learning Coaches, and trainers

shared SpecialQuest content and materials with over 9,000 people.

The philosophy of continuous

improvement is woven throughout all

Hilton/Early Head Start Training

Program activities. An internal evaluation collects input that serves as the

basis for future program decisions and

will ultimately measure impact. In addition, participating teams are encouraged to become part of a learning

organization by practicing skills in planning, acting, reflecting, and evaluating

while they are at SpecialQuest and

when they return to their programs.

For more information on the Hilton/Early

Head Start Training Program, contact Joanne

Knapp-Philo, the Hub 5 Regional Hilton/

EHS Coordinator, at T: 805-383-9302 or 

visit the Web site at ww.sonoma.edu/cihs/

Hilton_EHS/.

Director of the Hilton/EHS

Training Program:

Dr. Linda Brekken, California

Institute on Human Services,

Sonoma State University

Regional Coordinators:

Hub 1: Theresa Bologna

Hub 2: Pat Franco

Hub 3: Jerry Hindman

Hub 4: Cathy Liles

Hub 5: Joanne Knapp-Philo

Migrant Head Start programs:

Katrina Montano-White

American Indian Programs:

Ory Cuellar
Early Head Start

32 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

E

ven under the best of circumstances, collaboration among education and service agencies is

fraught with difficulties. Scarce

resources and time as well as overworked personnel can short-circuit the

best intentions. In too many cases, collaborative action on behalf of children

remains an ideal, not a reality.

Rural Oxford County, Maine,

faces numerous obstacles to smooth

collaboration between the multiple

agencies that serve children. The story

of how agencies there are overcoming

the barriers of rural isolation, poverty,

and low adult verbal skills offers lessons

to all service professionals.

Oxford County, Maine, covers

2,078 square miles in western Maine,

one of the country’s most rural states.

The county has no major highways, no

public transportation, and no taxi service. Two nonprofit transportation companies provide limited bus service to

the elderly and low-income persons

requiring medical services.

Oxford County agencies share

the ideals held by most professionals

who serve children. They have the

vision to provide the needed education

and social services to children and their

families and they want their clients to

achieve their full potential. While their

goal is straightforward, many factors

make it difficult to achieve in Maine and

around the country. Although prevention is the least expensive and most

efficient response, some agencies lack

the resources for prevention.

The end result is that children

and families may not receive wholistic

services. One approach is for agencies

to come together to plan a program

that builds on each of their strengths.

Such collaboration is the best avenue

for achieving continuity of services. A

team in Oxford County, Maine, has

been working to facilitate continuity in 

their community.

Community Concepts, a multipurpose Community Action Program,

includes many of the programs that

serve Oxford County’s poor children.

Of the county’s 53,797 population, 21

percent live in poverty. Thirty percent

of children under five are poor, according to Maine Kids Count.

Community Concepts houses

Head Start and began providing Early

Head Start services in 1996.The Head

Start/Early Head Start program is the

only comprehensive child development

program for low-income children in

Oxford County. It serves 187

preschoolers in Head Start, and 95

infants/toddlers and pregnant women

and their families in Early Head Start.

Many of the children served by

Community Concepts are further hampered by disabilities. Nearly 160 children receive early intervention and

FAPE (Free Appropriate Public

Education) services in Oxford County.

Most are three to five-year olds (70 percent); 30 percent are under age three.

The children have mild to severe delays

in one or more areas of development.

As of March 1999, Community

Concepts’ Early Head Start program

had 11 children with disabilities aged

birth to three and 28 children with disabilities aged three to five. Their diagnoses range from speech and language

concerns to orthopedic disabilities.

Head Start staff and child development

professionals consider rural isolation

and low adult verbal interaction as the

principal reasons for the high rate of

Teaming in Rural Maine: 

Effective Services for Young Children

and Their Families

By Mary Ann Demaree
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 33

language deficiencies. According to the

U.S. Department of Education, national

statistics also report that the great

majority of children birth to age five

with disabilities are diagnosed with a

speech or language delay.

In 1998, Community Concepts

Early Head Start program accepted an

opportunity to participate in a fouryear training project sponsored by the

Conrad Hilton Foundation and the

Head Start Bureau. This project brings

together teams of professionals and

parents from Early Head Start programs to support collaborations

between Head Start staff and Part C

providers. (See related article on p. 30).

All serve children with significant disabilities, work with families of children

with disabilities, recruit children with

disabilities, and employ commonly used

intervention strategies.

In the first year of the project,

Community Concepts staff facilitated the

development of a team that included the

Early Head Start Disabilities Manager, an

Early Head Start Home Visitor, a former

Head Start parent, the Part C (Child

Development Services) provider, and a

local pediatric nurse practitioner.

The group’s first goal was to

develop strong working relationships.

The Hilton/Head Start project designed

a yearly SpecialQuest conference to

bring together teams to work on their

goals and plan ways to achieve these

goals. At each conference they plan 

to revisit these goals, revise them as

needed and plan additional goals.

The team’s next goal was to complete a community “map” of services

available to children under three and

their families. In Oxford County, the

mapping significantly impacted services

provided in the community. It has led to

more cooperative attitudes between

service agencies. They are eager to

refer clients to appropriate services

because they know what is available.

To help families as they search for

services and opportunities for their 

children with disabilities, the team 

has developed a brochure of available

services in the South Paris region of

Oxford County.Drawing on the community mapping activity, the brochure highlights medical and health services, and 

recreational opportunities. The team

plans to meet regularly to update the

brochure, develop a brochure for the

rest of the county,and determine if there

are other initiatives that would create

opportunities for more collaboration.

This team is unique in its approach

to working in a rural setting. The composition of the team represents a broad

constituency of service providers who

are committed to maintaining the collaboration process. When community

agencies and services work together and

make better use of their limited

resources, children and families can gain

access to more streamlined and readily

accessible services. The experience of

professionals in Oxford County, Maine,

allows community partners around the

country to raise their expectations for

improved collaboration.

Mary Ann Demaree is a Training and

Technical Assistance Specialist at the Region

I Quality Improvement Center for Disabilities

Services, T: 617-969-7100, E: mdemaree@edc.org.

Ten Tips for Community

Collaboration:

• Build awareness of the benefits of collaboration; it sets communities into

motion.

• Designate one person to represent an

agency and make sure that he or she

can make a long-term commitment.

• Make sure there is close communication between the designee and the

agency decision makers.

• Continue meeting to develop goals;

it keeps the collaboration process

young.

• Ensure that each team member has a

commitment to the team’s goals.

• Enlist each team member to take

these goals back to the agency for

action.

• Include the following on the team: a

health representative, an Early Head

Start teacher/home visitor and administrator, a parent, and a representative

from the local Part C provider.

• Agree on a vision before the goals are

written.

• Clearly state goals and expected

accomplishments.

• Recognize the team’s accomplishments to encourage future efforts.

• Meet regularly to evaluate and 

celebrate the accomplishments,

enhance ongoing activities, and 

establish new tasks.
Early Head Start

34 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

E

arly Head Start programs began

serving families with infants and

toddlers in 1995. Migrant Head

Start, however, has been providing services to families with infants, toddlers,

and preschoolers since its inception in

1968. Long before our introduction to

the research on brain development and

the emphasis on the importance of the

first three years of life, Migrant Head

Start programs across the country have

been providing safe, nurturing, and culturally rich environments for some 

of the nation’s most vulnerable infants

and toddlers.

Migrant farm workers are hardworking people who travel frequently.

They often live in poor housing situations and are one of the lowest paid

populations in our country. The 

challenges that these families face

include incomes that fall well below the 

national poverty level; low education

levels and limited knowledge of English;

high mobility; and severe problems in

obtaining adequate housing for 

themselves and their children. These

challenges serve to reinforce the vulnerability of migrant families and their

children. It is precisely because of this

vulnerability that the services provided

by Migrant Head Start are so vital.

Without quality child care, many

parents have no choice but to bring

their children to work with them, unintentionally exposing their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers to a variety of

environmental dangers. Migrant Head

Start programs give these parents, who

spend long, hard hours laboring in the

fields, peace of mind that while they

work to support their families, their

young children are safe, nourished, and

well cared for.

Since its inception 32 years ago,

Migrant Head Start has been successful

in meeting the needs of migrant families

and children. Migrant Head Start programs attempt to respond to the

migration patterns of the families by

operating during the peak season of the

local crop harvest. This system of service simultaneously creates multiple

challenges, such as staffing, extended

program hours, facility location and

program management. Additionally,

Migrant Head Start programs may be in

operation anywhere from three to ten

months at a time.

Despite these challenges, Migrant

Head Start programs manage to provide

comprehensive, culturally appropriate

services for children and families. Many

programs have successfully created 

culturally and linguistically appropriate

environments staffed by Spanish-speaking, bilingual, and bicultural persons. This

is important, because in programs where

infants and toddlers are enrolled,

employing caregivers who are able to

speak to the child in the family’s native

language is critical to the social,

emotional, cognitive, and linguistic 

development of the child.

Migrant Head Start programs

have also proven effective in helping

families to obtain the proper immunizations for their children. The vast majority of children enrolled in Migrant Head

Start programs have received all of the

necessary immunizations needed by the

age of five. In addition, Migrant Head

Start provides opportunities for

migrant parents to be included in programs where they are respected and

welcomed. The inclusion of parents in

program development and implementation is vital to the success of all Migrant

Head Start programs.

Migrant Head Start families have

key strengths to build upon and reinforce. For instance, the majority of

migrant farm worker families are twoparent families. They also move in relatively stable travel patterns (e.g.,migrating each spring from Texas to

Washington State, and returning to

Texas when their work is completed).

Family stability is especially important

for the healthy development of migrant

infants and toddlers who are often

enrolled in a “short-term” Migrant

Head Start program as their parents

travel to follow the crops.

Migrant families in Head Start

have achieved notable successes over

the past 32 years. With the revised

Head Start Program Performance

Standards and the increased emphasis

and available information on quality

services for infants and toddlers,

Migrant Head Start can look forward to

improving upon the already rich and

comprehensive services they have been

providing, to the benefit of migrant families and their children.

Jennifer Boss is a Senior Early Childhood

Associate for the Early Head Start National

Resource Center, T: 202-205-8905,

E: jboss@acf.dhhs.gov.

Migrant Head Start Services for 

Infants and Toddlers

By Jennifer Boss
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 35

Rural American Initiatives

Early Head Start Program

Simply put...Early Head Start is a Child

development program (words said by

Helen Taylor at a Wave IV EHS orientation). The federal Web page provides a

glimpse of how EHS came about and the

focus of the program. During the 1994

Reauthorization of Head Start,

“Congress acted upon evidence from

research and practice which illustrates

that early intervention through high quality programs enhances children's physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development; enables parents to be better

caregivers and teachers to their children;

and helps parents meet their own goals,

including economic independence."

This small “glimpse” is a huge

responsibility: It not only focuses on

children's development, but on opportunities for parents to enhance 

their own skills and work towards selfsufficiency. It simply comes down 

to relationships...

1. Parents are the first and foremost

partners. If the relationship between

the staff and parents is strong and

built upon trust, working with a small

infant becomes much less challenging.

Child development services cannot

be delivered without the parents'

involvement.

2. The relationship necessary between

baby and staff is critical for a quality

program.Young children need a consistent, warm, nurturing environment

to thrive in. It takes a unique person

to deliver the opportunities and

experiences for young children to

grow and develop. Select those individuals carefully and thoughtfully.

3. Community relationships are imperative for a successful EHS.The Head

Start Performance Standards are

very comprehensive and the task of

implementing them cannot be

accomplished single-handedly. To

establish the wide range of services

and support needed for EHS, partnerships (relationships) must be

established to assist with the delivery

of services.

4. The relationship between staff must

be responsive and supportive for the

benefit of the children and families.

Each interaction with a child connects them to their next level of

learning.This cannot be accomplished

if staff do not work together as a

team and recognize their own

strengths and limitations.

Did you recognize four relationships

listed above? If you look, you will see

the four cornerstones for Early Head

Start: Child Development, Family

Development, Community Partnerships

and Staff Development. If one of these

relationships is missing or out of sync,

take care of it right away. Early Head

Start is about doing it right and doing it

thoughtfully — our future is in 

our hands!

This article is reprinted with permission from

the May 2000 issue of Native Horizons.

Laura Schad is the Director of the Rural

America Initiative in Rapid City, SD. Contact

her at T: 605-343-4741 x 201.

Early Head Start Relationships

By Laura A. Schad

Effective Relationships:A Key Strategy to

Support Quality Service Provision

The following broadcasts aired on the Heads Up!

Network. Videotaped copies of the broadcasts will be 

available in Fall 2000 from the EHS NRC. Topics include:

• Cultivating Reflective Practice in Center-Based and

Home-Based Settings – featuring Linda Gilkerson,

Erikson Institute, Chicago, IL and Portia Kennel, Ounce

of Prevention Fund, Chicago, IL.

• Practices that Support Culturally Responsive and

Respectful Services, Part I – featuring Tammy Mann, EHS

NRC, Washington, DC and Sylvia Sanchez, George

Mason University, Fairfax,VA.

• Practices that Support Culturally Responsive and

Respectful Services, Part II – featuring Janet GonzalezMena, writer and consultant, Suisun, CA and Intisar

Shareef, Contra Costa College, San Pablo, CA.

• Supervision as a Tool to Support Reflective Practice –

featuring Lauren Bell, Talley Dunn, and Sandy Graham,

Southern Oregon Child and Family Council, Central

Point, OR.

• Training Staff to Work Effectively with Fathers – featuring

Ty Minter, Babyland Family Services, Inc., Newark, NJ.

• Effective Strategies for Supporting Adolescent Parents –

featuring Anita Keislich and Bessie Sanders-Gordon,

Sumter School District 17, Early Head Start, Sumter, SC.

Contact Amanda Perez at a.perez@zerotothree.org or call T:

(202) 638-1144 about this Infant and Toddler 2000 Distance

Education Series available at cost, plus shipping and handling.
Early Head Start

36 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Q. How many years should children remain in Early 

Head Start?

A. Early Head Start (EHS) is intended to serve pregnant

women and children until the child is

approximately three years of age.

Although a child can be enrolled 

anytime from birth to age three, the

intent of EHS is to intervene early 

and provide intensive, individualized

services throughout the first three

years of a child’s life.

Q. If there are two or more children from the same family

enrolled in an EHS home-based 

program, how long is the weekly 

home visit?

A. The home-based performance standard requires that the

weekly home visit be a minimum of 90

minutes per family. A home visitor

may determine in partnership with the

parent/s that it is necessary to

increase the length of the home visit

in order to meet the individual needs

of the children, and/or to support the

parent in attaining the goals they have

set for themselves as part of the family

partnership process. But a longer visit

is not required for multiple children.

Q. Can program staff, in addition to home visitors, organize and

conduct group socializations?

A. Yes, other program staff and community partners are often

valuable resources for implementing

developmentally appropriate socializations for infants and toddlers.

However, the home-based visitor who

works weekly in the family’s home

should be involved in the planning and

implementation of socializations for

their assigned children and their parents. Socializations should reflect the

goals and experiences that are connected to and build upon home visits.

Q. Are EHS programs required to provide formula for children

in center-based programs? 

A. Yes. Depending on the length of time the child is in the center, EHS must meet between 1/3 to

2/3 of a child’s daily nutritional needs.

The cost of formula is reimbursed by

USDA. Formula should be available

during socializations if needed.

Q. Is it possible to hire and trainEHS staff during the start-up 

year?

A. Yes, the start-up period is intended to include extensive

organizational and programmatic planning. Based on the agency’s planning

process, staff should be hired and

receive an orientation and training in

order to fulfill the responsibilities 

of their particular position in the 

EHS program.

Q. In a home-based option, is it acceptable for early intervention staff from a Part C agency to conduct EHS home visits when the EHS

home visitor is not present?

A. The response to this question depends on the needs of a 

family and the type of partnership

agreement that the EHS program 

has with their Part C provider.

According to the Head Start Program

Performance Standards, home visits

must be conducted on a weekly basis

throughout the year. In addition, the

EHS program must be certain that all

relevant regulations — including child

development, parent involvement,

health services, and social services —

are implemented. A Part C provider

may conduct EHS home visits in partnership with the EHS program or as

part of a contract with the EHS 

program. In either situation, the EHS

program is responsible for coordinating services that a child or their family

may require as mandated by the

Performance Standards, and for 

ensuring that the services are 

provided. The contract or agreement

must outline and clearly describe the

responsibilities of the partners. EHS

programs may have similar home-visiting partnership agreements with other

qualified community partners, such as

home visiting nurses.

Q. If a grantee or delegate agency 

has both EHS and Head Start

programs, should they have one or

two policy councils/committees?

A. There should be only one policy council (for grantees) or

one policy committee (for delegates)

per agency. The representation of parents serving on the policy council or

committee should be proportionate to

the funded enrollment of each program.

Q. Are EHS programs required to make 90-minute home visits to

pregnant women enrolled in their 

program?

A. Pregnant women are not enrolled in a program option

such as home or center-based. These

are program service options for delivery of services to children. EHS

grantees and delegate agencies serving

pregnant women are required to deliver some services, such as prenatal

education, while assisting in accessing

others, such as health care. Plans for

services to pregnant women are

designed to meet the individual needs

of each woman and her family.

Through the family partnership

process, EHS programs work with the

pregnant woman to identify goals and

make plans for meeting these goals.

Although home visits may be an integral part of the plan for service delivery, they are not specifically required.

Q. Can socialization experiences for infants and toddlers be held

outside of the program’s licensed setting, such as at a beach or park?

Commonly Asked Questions about 

Early Head Start
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 37

A. Yes, as long as the environmentis safe and appropriate in terms

of meeting the developmental needs of

the children. It is important that socialization experiences be planned on the

basis of the goals and subsequent

needs of the individual children

enrolled in the EHS program.

Socializations should be offered in

environments where children can be

kept healthy and safe.

Q. Are double sessions appropriate for EHS programs serving

infants and toddlers?

A. No, double sessions are not appropriate for Early Head

Start.

Q. If state regulations allow 12 children under the age of

three in a group with three teachers,

can that supersede the Head Start

standard of a maximum group size of

eight?

A. No, maximum group size for EHS children cannot exceed

eight children with two teachers.

This regulation also applies to EHS

children in community-based child

care programs.

Q. If parents of an EHS child haveanother baby, must the program

enroll that child as well?

A. Not necessarily. EHS programsare required to develop recruitment, enrollment, and selection procedures. These procedures will guide

the enrollment of children in the EHS

program. Family income must be verified when any child is enrolled.

Q. Can you count a high-riskpregnancy or a pregnant woman

with a disability as a part of the ten

percent enrollment requirement for

children with disabilities?

A. No. For a child to counttoward the ten percent enrollment requirement for children with

disabilities, he or she must have an

active Individual Family Service Plan

(IFSP) developed by the local Part 

C agency.

Q. When is the first-year programreview conducted?

A. A full program review is conducted toward the end of the

first full year of operation.

Q. Can EHS children transition into preschool Head Start if

they are not three years old by the

time of the state’s compulsory school

age requirement?

A. Since Sec. 645(c) of the Head Start Act does not preclude

enrolling children in preschool Head

Start who do not meet the 

compulsory school age requirement

for their state, and Sec. 645(b)(7) supports continued preschool Head Start

services for Early Head Start children,

the guiding principle is that Head Start

preschool grantees may serve children

“as of their third birthday” under the

following circumstances:

1) when the recommendation from

the EHS and Head Start program is

based on solid transition planning that

takes into consideration the child’s

needs;

2) when the placement is developmentally appropriate for the child;

3) when the child meets the program’s

eligibility, enrollment and selection 

criteria; and

4) when the preschool Head Start

grantee/delegate agency has an

approved process for selection and

enrollment that supports enrolling

children as of their third birthday,

when appropriate.
Early Head Start

38 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Region I

• QIC 

Education Development

Center, Inc.

(617) 969-7100

• DSQIC

Same as QIC

• RO EHS Liaison

(617) 565-1128

Region IIa

• QIC

New York University

(212) 998-5550

Region IIb

• QIC

Development Associates, Inc.

(787) 281-0100

Region IIa and b

• DSQIC

New York University

(212) 998-5528 

• RO EHS Liaison

(212) 264-4116

Region III

• QIC

University of Maryland 

University College

(301) 446-1040

• DSQIC

Child Development Resources

(757) 566-3300

• RO EHS Liaison

(215) 861-4000

Region IVa and b

• QIC

Western Kentucky University

(502) 745-4041

X

IX

VIII

VI b

V a

VII

VI a

V a

V b

IV a,b

III

II a

I

X

IX

II b

EHS Contacts in the QICs, DSQICs, and 

Regional Offices
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 39

• DSQIC

Chapel Hill Training and 

Outreach Program 

(919) 490-5577

• RO EHS Liaison

(404) 562-2800

Region Va

• QIC

Cooperative Educational 

Service Agency 5

(608) 742-8814

Region Vb

• QIC

The Ohio State University

(614) 447-0844

Region Va and b

• DSQIC

University of Illinois

(217) 333-3876

• RO EHS Liaison

(312) 353-8322

Region VIa

• QIC

Basic Health Management 

International, Inc.

(501) 370-9155

Region VIb

• QIC

Texas Tech University - 

Institute for Child and 

Family Studies

(806) 742-3296

Region VIa and b

• DSQIC

University of Arkansas UAP

(800) 831-4827

• RO EHS Liaison

(214) 767-9648

Region VII

• QIC

Community Development 

Institute

(816) 356-5373

• DSQIC

University of Kansas 

Medical Center

(913) 588-5960

• RO EHS Liaison

(816) 426-3981

Region VIII

• QIC

Community Development 

Institute

(303) 369-5959

• DSQIC

Utah State University

(435) 797-0985

• RO EHS Liaison

(303) 844-3100

Region IX

• QIC

Development Associates, Inc.

(925) 935-9711

• DSQICs

California Institute on Human 

Services (CIHS)

(707) 664-4230

Ventura County 

Superintendent of Schools 

Office

(800) 625-7649

• RO EHS Liaison

(415) 437-8400

Region X

• QIC

Early Childhood Training 

Center

(503) 725-4815

• DSQIC

Same as QIC

• RO EHS Liaison

(206) 615-2557

Region XI — American

Indian Programs

• QIC

American Indian Institute - 

College of Continuing 

Education

(405) 325-4129

• DSQIC

Three Feathers Associates

(405) 360-2919

• RO EHS Liaison

(202) 205-3198

Region XII — Migrant

Programs

• QIC

Academy for Educational 

Development

(202) 884-8728

• DSQIC 

Academy for Educational 

Development

(202) 884-8700

• RO EHS Liaison

(202) 205-8455

Public Private Partnership

• Hilton/Early Head Start 

Training Program

(707) 664-2053

National Contract

• Early Head Start National 

Resource Center (EHS NRC)

(202) 638-1144
Early Head Start

40 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

Statement of the Advisory

Committee on Services for

Families with Infants and

Toddlers

This document reflects the suggestions

and comments made by the Advisory

Committee for

the design of the

Early Head Start

Program. It is

intended to

guide communities’ decisions

about services to

America’s

youngest children and their

families.

To order, fax an

HSPMC order form to F: 703-683-5769 or

send an email to puborder@hskidstmsc.org.

Head Start Facilities

Manual

The manual is a tool for grantees and

delegate agencies to assess their existing facilities, make improvements, and

secure space for expansion. It provides

information, checklists, and worksheets

for facilities assessment and planning.

It also includes chapters on assessment,

compliance issues, facilities design, and

funding, complete with checklists

and/or other resource materials.

To order, fax an HSPMC order form to F:

703-683-5769 or send an email to puborder@hskids-tmsc.org.

Assessing and Treating

Infants and Young Children

with Severe Difficulties in

Relating and

Communicating 

This breakthrough publication will help

practitioners and parents treat and

understand young children diagnosed

with Multisystem Developmental

Disorder (MSDD), Pervasive

Developmental Disorder (PDD), and

Autistic Disorder. The contributors,

national leaders in this extraordinarily

challenging infant/family practice area,

stress the importance of both individualizing and integrating evaluation and

treatment.They offer practical strategies

from a range of disciplines on how to:

• Build an effective working alliance

with families;

• Engage young children, and help them

connect to others;

• Address specific sensory processing

deficits; and 

• Design a therapeutic “village” to help

raise young children with severe 

difficulties.

To order,contact ZERO TO THREE at T:202-

638-1144 or visit their Web site at

www.zerotothree.org.The cost of this publication is $10.00.

Can They Hope to Feel Safe

Again? The Impact of

Community Violence on

Infants,Toddlers,Their

Parents and Practitioners

This is an emotionally charged booklet

with a powerful message for all those

working with young victims of violence.

The publication, taken from the edited

transcript of the final plenary session of

ZERO TO THREE's 1991 Seventh

Biennial National Training Institute, summarizes the presentations of three compelling speakers: Clementine Barfield of

Save our Sons and Daughters (SOSAD);

Elizabeth Simpson of the PALS Program;

and Betsy McAlister Groves of the

Child Witness to Violence Project.

To order,contact ZERO TO THREE at T:202-

638-1144 or visit their Web site at

www.zerotothree.org.The cost of this publication is $5.00.

Caring for Infants and

Toddlers in Groups:

Developmentally

Appropriate Practice 

This popular guide is designed to help

caregivers, program directors, coordinators, administrators, trainers,

licensers, families and leaders in the

field of early care and education recognize the special knowledge and skills

needed to offer a nurturing group care

environment to very young children.

Caring for Infants and Toddlers in Groups

provides assistance in meeting the

needs of each individual child; recognizing early developmental stages; achieving necessary health and safety standards; creating good relationships;

developing training and mentoring programs; linking with other communitybased service systems; providing contiRESOURCES
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 41

nuity of care; and

being sensitive to

cultural and linguistic needs.

To order, contact

ZERO TO THREE at

T: 202-638-1144

or visit their Web

site at www.zerotothree.org. The

cost of this publication is $17.00.

Learning Language and

Loving It:A Guide for

Promoting Children's Social

and Language Development

in Early Childhood Settings 

Designed for early childhood educators, special educators, and speech/language pathologists, this guidebook from

The Hanen Centre (Toronto, Canada)

addresses the full range of topics which

affect children's language learning in an

early childhood setting. This book

shows how children, especially those

delayed or at risk of delay in social

and/or language skills, can be helped to

participate in those everyday interactions with adults and peers that are so

critical to the development of language.

It also describes how adults can

enhance children's language skills

(appropriate to children's language levels), gives “dos and don'ts” for professionals, and provides two observation

guides for evaluation of children's

social, play, and language skills.

To order,contact ZERO TO THREE at T:202-

638-1144 or visit their Web site at

www.zerotothree.org.The cost of this publication is $35.00.

The Child with Special

Needs: Encouraging

Intellectual and Emotional

Growth 

Written for parents of children with

developmental challenges and professionals who work with these children

and their families, this volume presents

Greenspan and Wieder's “individual-difference” approach to understanding

children with special needs and their

developmental approach to intervention. The authors argue that because

each child has a unique nervous system

and a uniquely developing mind, parents

and professionals must move beyond

syndromes or “labels” to understand an

individual child's: 1) biology; 2) interactive patterns with parents, family members and others; and 3) family patterns,

culture, and the larger environment.

Together, these factors will influence

how a child masters fundamental emotional skills, which underlie all advanced

thinking, problem solving, and coping.

Covering all kinds of disabilities,

the book describes how to create an

individual profile of a child's developmental level and functional abilities,

including responses to touch and

sound, auditory processing, motor planning, and perceptual motor abilities in

order to develop an appropriate learning program.The authors offer detailed

guidelines for observation, illustrated

with vignettes and “crib sheets.” 

To order,contact ZERO TO THREE at T:202-

638-1144 or visit their Web site at

www.zerotothree.org.The cost of this publication is $27.00 (hardcover).

The Emotional Life of the

Toddler 

Any parent with a toddler knows that a

child of this age is a whirlwind of explosive, contradictory, and ever-changing

emotions. Dr. Lieberman offers an indepth examination of the varied and

intense emotional life of children from

ages one to three. Drawing on her

decades of research and clinical practice, she addresses a multitude of commonly asked questions and issues, such

as, “Why is ‘no’ often the favorite

response of the toddler?"

To order,contact ZERO TO THREE at T:202-

638-1144 or visit their Web site at

www.zerotothree.org.The cost of this publication is $12.00.

Me, Myself and I: How

Children Build Their Sense

of Self (18-36 months) 

Written by ZERO TO THREE's

President, Kyle Pruett, Me, Myself and I

is an engaging guide to the growth of

competence, personality, and self-image

in early childhood and the critical role

of emotional development in shaping

the outcome. Richly illustrated with

warm, humorous, “real life” vignettes,

Me, Myself and I is filled with proven

strategies to help parents set their child

on a lifelong path to confidence, joy and

accomplishment.

To order,contact ZERO TO THREE at T:202-

638-1144 or visit their Web site at

www.zerotothree.org.The cost of this publication is $19.95.

RESOURCES
Early Head Start

42 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

RESOURCES

The Nurturing Father 

Kyle Pruett describes the important

impact on children and parents when

the father increases his caregiver role in

the family.This book provides an intensive, long-term look at 17 “father-nurturing” families with compelling, intimate accounts of three of them.

To order, contact ZERO TO THREE at

T: 202-638-

1144 or visit

their Web site

at www.zerotothree.org.

The cost of

this publication is $24.00.

Learning and Growing

Together: Understanding

and Supporting Your Child’s

Development 

by Claire Lerner and Amy Laura Dombro

This parenting book on child development will empower parents and caregivers to become their own best

resource by helping them think in new

ways. It contains personal vignettes,

reflective questions, and discussion

points. The book

offers the child’s

point of view, as

well as the parent’s

and caregiver’s. It is

easy to read, an

excellent supplement to clinical

practice, and a

good resource for

group discussion.

Note: One copy of

this publication

was sent to all EHS programs at no cost

through grants from the Gerber

Foundation and the Hummingbird

Foundation. An additional 15 copies

plus a users’ guide will be provided at

no cost to each EHS site using funds

provided by a private family foundation,

the Louis Berkowitz Family Foundation,

Inc., in Long Island, New York.

To order,contact ZERO TO THREE at T:202-

638-1144 or visit their Web site at

www.zerotothree.org.The cost of this publication is $10.00 for single copies and $8.00

for bulk orders of nine or more.

Developmentally

Appropriate Practice in

Early Childhood Programs

(revised edition)

Expanding from the core ideas of the

influential 1987 edition, this volume

spells out more fully the principles

underlying developmentally appropriate

practice and guidelines for classroom

decision making. The new edition is

explicit about the importance of the

social and

cultural

context in

considering appropriateness

of practices. For

all engaged

in the care

and education of

infants and

toddlers,

and

preschoolers, this book offers an

overview of each period of development and extensive examples of 

practices that are appropriate and 

inappropriate with children in that 

age group.

To order, contact NAEYC at T: 202-232-

8777 (ext. 604), or contact their Web site at

www.naeyc.org.The cost of this publication is

$9.00.

Helping Young Children

Develop Through Play:A

Practical Guide for Parents,

Caregivers, and Teachers 

This publication is an easy-to-read

overview of why

play is so important to children's

learning. It contains detailed,

practical suggestions on how

adults can foster

play with infants,

toddlers,

preschoolers,

and schoolagers. Chapters

include: the

importance of play; what adults can do

to support play; helping babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and primary age

children play; and making nonplay more

playful.

To order, contact NAEYC at T: 202-232-

8777 (ext. 604), or contact their Web site at

www.naeyc.org.The cost of this publication is

$5.00.
Early Head Start

National Head Start Bulletin ▼ Early Head Start 43

Papers

The following resources are the first

in a series of papers designed to collect and disseminate information on

issues of critical importance to the

Early Head Start community and to

meet the challenges of planning and

implementing high quality services to

expectant parents and families with

infants and toddlers.

1) EHS Program Implementation:

Start-Up Planning;

2) EHS Home-Based Program

Option: Recruiting, Training and

Retaining Qualified Personnel;

3) Giving Children the Earliest 

Head Start: Developing an

Individualized Approach to High

Quality Services for Pregnant

Women (Due out in September

2000);

4) Developmental Screening,

Assessment and Evaluation in

Early Head Start Programs:

Critical Links for Curriculum

Development (Due out in

September 2000);

5) Developmentally Appropriate and

Creative Socialization in Homebased Programs. This paper features program strategies and is

due out in September 2000, and

6) EHS Program Strategies: Staff

Development.This paper contains

profiles of five Early Head Start

programs illustrating the creative

and thoughtful ways that EHS

programs have demonstrated

their commitment to staff 

development.

Consumers’ Guide to

Professional Development

Resources 1999 edition

This guide is organized under the

framework of the Head Start

Program Performance Standards and

includes a complete information

review of the resource material,

including recommendations from the

field. The Consumers’ Guide will be

updated each year. The 2000 edition

is to be released in fall 2000.

The materials are available through the

EHS NRC Web site at www.ehsnrc.org

under the Resource Section or Current

Events or by calling T: 202-638-1144.

SAVE THIS DATE!!!!

January 23-27, 2001

Hilton Washington and Towers

Washington, DC

The Annual Birth to Three Institute

For Programs Serving Pregnant

Women And Families with Infants 

and Toddlers

2001 Institute Features Include:

• Cutting-edge tracked sessions in

areas such as:

• Management

• Child Development

• Professional Development

• Prenatal Care, Health and 

Nutrition

• Community and Family 

Partnerships

• Enlightening Field Based

Presentations & Poster Symposia 

• Exciting Pre-Institute Sessions

• Individual & Group Training and

Technical Assistance Consultations

with Experts

• Great Opportunities to Network

with Colleagues

For more information, please call Everett

Shupe or Adrienne Sparger at Early 

Head Start National Resource Center,

T: 202-638-1144.

Early Head Start Resources
Early Head Start

44 Early Head Start ▼ National Head Start Bulletin

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We’d love to keep in touch with what’s happening in your programs and communities.

Head Start Bulletin • 330 C Street, S.W. • Washington, DC 20447

U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services

ACF/ACYF/HSB

Washington, DC 20201

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Penalty for private use $300

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

• Signed forms from each person in the

photo giving us permission to print it

• Where the photo was taken

(or at what event)

• The name of your Head Start program

Please do not write in ink on the back of photos—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

only those photos and materials that you do not need

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