Program Administrator’s

Checklist

For the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Program Administrator’s

Checklist

For the Head Start Home-Based Program Option
Program Administrator’s Checklist

For the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

How do I know which program option is right 

for my community?

This tool was developed to help you evaluate whether the Head Start homebased program option is appropriate for your community. Each year, under

your leadership, your agency has the opportunity and responsibility to evaluate

how the Head Start services meet the needs of the families in the community.

The Community Assessment, conducted once every three years (45 CFR 1305),

provides essential information about the needs of families and resources available in the community. In each of the two years following the completion of

the Community Assessment, you must conduct a review to determine whether

any significant changes have occurred in the needs and resources available to

families. If so, your agency must update your Community Assessment and

reevaluate the decisions that were made with respect to your program’s philosophy and objectives, to the Head Start program options implemented by your

agency, and to family recruitment and selection criteria.

The Community Assessment provides information in the following areas to help

you decide which program option is right for the families in your community:

u Demographic information for children and families eligible for Head Start

and Early Head Start, including their number, geographic location, and racial

and ethnic composition.

u Child care and development programs in your community that are serving

children and families eligible for Head Start and Early Head Start as well as

the approximate number served by each.

u The approximate number of children with disabilities, the type of disabilities, and the resources that are provided to these children by community

agencies.

u The education, health, nutrition, and social service needs of eligible children and families.

u The resources in the community to address the education, health, nutrition, and social service needs of eligible children and families.

Taken together, this information paints a picture of the unique features of your

community and the resources that are available to support expectant parents and

low-income families with children from birth to age five years. Your challenge is

to use this information to make meaningful decisions about how your Head Start

or Early Head Start program can best provide support to vulnerable families.

“We want to keep the

strengths of what [the

previous] generation did

thirty years ago ... but

[we] also realize that it’s a

dynamic process, and that

as ... society in general

changes, we need to

change with it....”

—Council Chairman,

Shoshone Tribal Council,

Wind River Reservation,

Wind River, WY

“The Head Start Program

Performance Standards

are such a valuable tool

because ... you are really

putting together an

organization that is as

comprehensive and has a

depth comparable to any

business or service

agency ... because it’s all

encompassing in services

to children and families.”

—Coordinator of

Community Education,

Carmen Ainsworth

Community Schools,

Flint, MI

Program Administrator’s Checklist for the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children and Families

Administration on Children, Youth, and Families

Head Start Bureau 

Prepared for the Head Start Bureau, under contract #105-98-2055,

by the Early Head Start National Resource Center

@ ZERO TO THREE
Program Administrator’s Checklist

For the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

How do I know which program option is right 

for my community?

This tool was developed to help you evaluate whether the Head Start homebased program option is appropriate for your community. Each year, under

your leadership, your agency has the opportunity and responsibility to evaluate

how the Head Start services meet the needs of the families in the community.

The Community Assessment, conducted once every three years (45 CFR 1305),

provides essential information about the needs of families and resources available in the community. In each of the two years following the completion of

the Community Assessment, you must conduct a review to determine whether

any significant changes have occurred in the needs and resources available to

families. If so, your agency must update your Community Assessment and

reevaluate the decisions that were made with respect to your program’s philosophy and objectives, to the Head Start program options implemented by your

agency, and to family recruitment and selection criteria.

The Community Assessment provides information in the following areas to help

you decide which program option is right for the families in your community:

u Demographic information for children and families eligible for Head Start

and Early Head Start, including their number, geographic location, and racial

and ethnic composition.

u Child care and development programs in your community that are serving

children and families eligible for Head Start and Early Head Start as well as

the approximate number served by each.

u The approximate number of children with disabilities, the type of disabilities, and the resources that are provided to these children by community

agencies.

u The education, health, nutrition, and social service needs of eligible children and families.

u The resources in the community to address the education, health, nutrition, and social service needs of eligible children and families.

Taken together, this information paints a picture of the unique features of your

community and the resources that are available to support expectant parents and

low-income families with children from birth to age five years. Your challenge is

to use this information to make meaningful decisions about how your Head Start

or Early Head Start program can best provide support to vulnerable families.

“We want to keep the

strengths of what [the

previous] generation did

thirty years ago ... but

[we] also realize that it’s a

dynamic process, and that

as ... society in general

changes, we need to

change with it....”

—Council Chairman,

Shoshone Tribal Council,

Wind River Reservation,

Wind River, WY

“The Head Start Program

Performance Standards

are such a valuable tool

because ... you are really

putting together an

organization that is as

comprehensive and has a

depth comparable to any

business or service

agency ... because it’s all

encompassing in services

to children and families.”

—Coordinator of

Community Education,

Carmen Ainsworth

Community Schools,

Flint, MI

Program Administrator’s Checklist for the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children and Families

Administration on Children, Youth, and Families

Head Start Bureau 

Prepared for the Head Start Bureau, under contract #105-98-2055,

by the Early Head Start National Resource Center

@ ZERO TO THREE
Program Administrator’s Checklist

For the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

How do I know which program option is right 

for my community?

This tool was developed to help you evaluate whether the Head Start homebased program option is appropriate for your community. Each year, under

your leadership, your agency has the opportunity and responsibility to evaluate

how the Head Start services meet the needs of the families in the community.

The Community Assessment, conducted once every three years (45 CFR 1305),

provides essential information about the needs of families and resources available in the community. In each of the two years following the completion of

the Community Assessment, you must conduct a review to determine whether

any significant changes have occurred in the needs and resources available to

families. If so, your agency must update your Community Assessment and

reevaluate the decisions that were made with respect to your program’s philosophy and objectives, to the Head Start program options implemented by your

agency, and to family recruitment and selection criteria.

The Community Assessment provides information in the following areas to help

you decide which program option is right for the families in your community:

u Demographic information for children and families eligible for Head Start

and Early Head Start, including their number, geographic location, and racial

and ethnic composition.

u Child care and development programs in your community that are serving

children and families eligible for Head Start and Early Head Start as well as

the approximate number served by each.

u The approximate number of children with disabilities, the type of disabilities, and the resources that are provided to these children by community

agencies.

u The education, health, nutrition, and social service needs of eligible children and families.

u The resources in the community to address the education, health, nutrition, and social service needs of eligible children and families.

Taken together, this information paints a picture of the unique features of your

community and the resources that are available to support expectant parents and

low-income families with children from birth to age five years. Your challenge is

to use this information to make meaningful decisions about how your Head Start

or Early Head Start program can best provide support to vulnerable families.

“We want to keep the

strengths of what [the

previous] generation did

thirty years ago ... but

[we] also realize that it’s a

dynamic process, and that

as ... society in general

changes, we need to

change with it....”

—Council Chairman,

Shoshone Tribal Council,

Wind River Reservation,

Wind River, WY

“The Head Start Program

Performance Standards

are such a valuable tool

because ... you are really

putting together an

organization that is as

comprehensive and has a

depth comparable to any

business or service

agency ... because it’s all

encompassing in services

to children and families.”

—Coordinator of

Community Education,

Carmen Ainsworth

Community Schools,

Flint, MI

Program Administrator’s Checklist for the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children and Families

Administration on Children, Youth, and Families

Head Start Bureau 

Prepared for the Head Start Bureau, under contract #105-98-2055,

by the Early Head Start National Resource Center

@ ZERO TO THREE
4

5

(questions continued from opposite side)

Is your agency committed to hiring practices, professional development opportunities, and

supervision methods to ensure an adequately trained staff?

The work of the home visitor is complex. Home visitors must possess a wide range of knowledge and skills. They must know how to work with both children and adults as well as facilitate

group experiences. Your agency should have an array of training and professional development

experiences available to support home visitors in their roles both in the home and during

socialization groups. In addition, the intensive, interpersonal nature of the work demands a

particular kind of supportive supervision. Home visitors need a strong, trusting relationship

with a supervisor who provides regular opportunities to reflect on the home visitor’s work with

families. Home visitors and their supervisors should have adequate time to participate in this

important process.

Is your agency committed to the approach to curriculum that is articulated in the Head

Start Program Performance Standards?

Your program’s approach to curriculum determines how home visitors deliver child development and education services. The curriculum, defined in 45 CFR 1304.3(a)(5), is your program’s

written plan that includes the goals for children’s development and learning, the experiences

through which they will achieve these goals, what staff members and parents do to help children achieve these goals, and the materials needed to support and carry out the curriculum.

The curriculum should be based on sound principles of how children grow and learn and

should be consistent with the requirements of the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

It is not sufficient to take a packaged set of activities and use that as your program’s curriculum. Packaged materials can be useful tools for home visitors to get ideas about learning experiences, but they are not adequate for the comprehensive approach to curriculum planning as it

is described in the federal regulations.

What makes the home-based program option effective?

The intensity of the services is a critical factor in your program’s ability to achieve the anticipated outcomes. The intensity of home-based services is measured by the frequency and duration of the home visits as well as by the extent to which families can recreate and build on the

child development experiences in between home visits. Thus, your agency and the family must

be committed to the requirements of the home-based program option in 45 CFR 1306 of the

Head Start Program Performance Standards.

Another element of the effectiveness of a home-based program is what home visitors actually

do on a home visit. Your agency should be committed to hiring practices and professional

development opportunities that fully prepare and support home visitors to meet the early

childhood development and health services, family and community partnership, as well as program design and management requirements of the Head Start Program Performance Standards (45

CFR 1304). (See the Home Visitor’s Handbook and the Home-Based Supervisor’s Manual for more

detailed information.)
4

5

(questions continued from opposite side)

Is your agency committed to hiring practices, professional development opportunities, and

supervision methods to ensure an adequately trained staff?

The work of the home visitor is complex. Home visitors must possess a wide range of knowledge and skills. They must know how to work with both children and adults as well as facilitate

group experiences. Your agency should have an array of training and professional development

experiences available to support home visitors in their roles both in the home and during

socialization groups. In addition, the intensive, interpersonal nature of the work demands a

particular kind of supportive supervision. Home visitors need a strong, trusting relationship

with a supervisor who provides regular opportunities to reflect on the home visitor’s work with

families. Home visitors and their supervisors should have adequate time to participate in this

important process.

Is your agency committed to the approach to curriculum that is articulated in the Head

Start Program Performance Standards?

Your program’s approach to curriculum determines how home visitors deliver child development and education services. The curriculum, defined in 45 CFR 1304.3(a)(5), is your program’s

written plan that includes the goals for children’s development and learning, the experiences

through which they will achieve these goals, what staff members and parents do to help children achieve these goals, and the materials needed to support and carry out the curriculum.

The curriculum should be based on sound principles of how children grow and learn and

should be consistent with the requirements of the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

It is not sufficient to take a packaged set of activities and use that as your program’s curriculum. Packaged materials can be useful tools for home visitors to get ideas about learning experiences, but they are not adequate for the comprehensive approach to curriculum planning as it

is described in the federal regulations.

What makes the home-based program option effective?

The intensity of the services is a critical factor in your program’s ability to achieve the anticipated outcomes. The intensity of home-based services is measured by the frequency and duration of the home visits as well as by the extent to which families can recreate and build on the

child development experiences in between home visits. Thus, your agency and the family must

be committed to the requirements of the home-based program option in 45 CFR 1306 of the

Head Start Program Performance Standards.

Another element of the effectiveness of a home-based program is what home visitors actually

do on a home visit. Your agency should be committed to hiring practices and professional

development opportunities that fully prepare and support home visitors to meet the early

childhood development and health services, family and community partnership, as well as program design and management requirements of the Head Start Program Performance Standards (45

CFR 1304). (See the Home Visitor’s Handbook and the Home-Based Supervisor’s Manual for more

detailed information.)