Head Start Management Systems
Since 1964 the Head Start program has been working to level the playing field in early education. The program, which the Johnson administration implemented as a part of the “War on Poverty,” began as an eight-week demonstration project. In a break from the norms of the day, Head Start provided early education to children from low-income families and attempted to meet all the child’s needs with the inclusion of family engagement. As such, the program had provisions for emotional, social, health, and nutritional services. With these services, its creators hoped to break the cycle of generational poverty. This is where Head Start Management Systems comes into play.
This comprehensive approach to child education, centered on family support, was groundbreaking, leading to the replication of its methodology in many programs throughout the United States and abroad. Today, Head Start has skyrocketed from its humble beginnings and become a mainstay in communities throughout the country. It remains one of the longest-running poverty-prevention programs in the United States. The two Head Start programs, Head Start and Early Head Start, provide services to children from birth to kindergarten, along with their families.
The Head Start Management Systems Wheel
The Head Start program strives to build and maintain a true collaboration with the children, families, and communities it serves. As such, the program employs various systems designed to ensure cooperation between families and educators through relationship building, cultural competence, and continuous improvement based on data collection.
The Head Start Management Systems represent the twelve management, planning, and oversight systems its creators designed as a way to build and maintain program infrastructure and the high-quality delivery of Head Start Services. These systems are as follows:
- Program Planning and Service System Design
- Data and Evaluation (link to “Head Start Data” article, when available)
- Fiscal Management
- Community and Self-Assessment
- Facilities and Learning Environment
- Transportation
- Technology and Information Systems
- Training and Professional Development
- Communication
- Record-Keeping and Reporting
- Ongoing Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
- Human Resources
The Head Start program uses a wheel to represent the twelve systems. The space between spokes representing one system each. The systems are surrounded and supported by Leadership and Governance. The systems, in turn, support the inner ring of the wheel, which consists of five program components:
- Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance (ERSEA)
- Education
- Health
- Mental Health
- Family and Community Engagement
The wheel’s hub represents Quality Child and Family Outcomes, which are, of course, supported by all the other parts of the wheel.
An apt representation of Head Start Management Systems, each section of the wheel is a moving part in itself. Let’s take a more in-depth look at each one, starting with the hub.
Quality Child and Family Outcomes: Preparing Children for Ongoing Learning Success
The hub of the wheel is, appropriately, Quality Child and Family Outcomes. Why is it an appropriate hub? Because all the activity around it creates and supports these positive outcomes, on which the program centers its focus.
The goal of Head Start is to prepare children for continued learning. More specific outcomes as defined by the program include:
- Progression towards norms in language, literacy, and math.
- Improved social, emotional, and cognitive development.
- Achievement of school readiness.
- Improved health markers.
The Head Start Program Components: Providing Services to Children and Families
Moving to the inner ring of the wheel, let’s look at the five components. As mentioned above, Head Start’s well-rounded approach to education includes providing supportive services and a commitment to community and family engagement. Each service may offer a different type of support for children and families. Together, they form a comprehensive approach to preparing children for future success. The chart below gives more detailed information on each:
Component Why it Matters Qualities to Consider Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance (ERSEA) · We look at eligibility to determine who is most in need of services and provide them accordingly.· Recruitment reaches out to community members who are in need of services.· Selection allows the Head Start program to identify who may benefit most from services.· Consistent enrollment means no missed opportunities for a family in need and maximizes federal funding.· Children who aren’t showing up can not gain the benefits of education. · How effective are your assessment tools?· Do your eligibility requirements reflect your community needs?· Are you reaching those who are most in need?· Do you provide support for the application process?· Is your program inclusive?· Do you use internal technology to support the enrollment process?· Have you identified barriers to attendance and developed support strategies?· Are you able to identify and respond to trends, health concerns, and cultural conditions that may impact attendance?· Are you using Head Start resources for ERSEA? Education · Early education is the framework for a child’s future academic success.· Providing attentive and age-appropriate education will help children meet school readiness goals. · Are your teaching methods appropriate to the ages you are teaching?· Are you providing a nurturing environment?· Are you using best teaching practices based on current research?· Are you utilizing Head Start resources for education? Health · Health services promote better attendance.· Healthy children are ready to learn. · Are you considering oral health?· Are you promoting safety in the classroom and providing a safe environment?· Does your organization have an Emergency Preparedness Plan?· Are you using Head Start resources? Mental Health · Caring for the mental health of children and those that care for them is essential for school readiness.· Family and community support add to a child’s sense of well-being. · Does your program have a trauma-informed approach to care?· Are you using Head Start resources for mental health? Family and Community Engagement · Family engagement supports ongoing learning in the home.· Positive relationships between educators and family members allow for continuous communication. · Are you engaging with families in a culturally and linguistically responsive way?· Are you using Head Start resources to improve your understanding of family engagement?
As you can see, the Head Start program has extensively researched each component to provide guidelines on project implementation. In addition, the program offers a wealth of information on each subject, including links to studies, learning modules, and planning resources.
The Twelve Head Start Management Systems
As we continue outward on the Head Start Management Systems Wheel, we find the twelve management, planning, and oversight systems embedded between the spokes. These twelve systems, if implemented properly, support the above components through information gathering, staff education, program planning, and resource management. In the chart below, we can look more closely at how these systems impact programming and support positive outcomes for young learners:
System Why it Matters Program Planning and Service System Design · It allows for information gathering, community assessment, and goal development related to the community you serve.· It provides a backbone for how the program runs, monitors itself, and incorporates feedback.· It allows all community members to participate in the process. Community members include program staff, the governing body/tribal council, the policy council, and members of the community. Data and Evaluation · Collecting data allows for ongoing program development to respond to the needs of the community.· Data collection can be an opportunity for conversations with families.· Data collection and analysis helps identify areas where the program falls short of expectations.· Data collection can discover an unmet community need. Fiscal Management · Responsible fiscal management means programs can put resources where they are most needed.· Fiscal discussions should include the governing body/tribal council and policy council members. Community and Self-Assessment · Ongoing community assessment allows programs to adapt to the community’s evolving needs.· Community assessments can and should inform program planning. Facilities and Learning Environment · A healthy and safe environment is essential for incident prevention.· Children can engage better in a learning-focused environment that is free from potential dangers. Transportation · Lack of transportation is a barrier to participation and attendance.· Transportation allows for potential learning activities to occur away from the classroom. Technology and Information Systems · Technology supports data collection, program implementation, communication, and virtually every other system on the list.· Technology saves programs time and money and allows educators to focus on students instead of paper. Training and Professional Development · Educated teachers know how to build relationships with families and incorporate trauma-informed care into the classroom.· Keeping up-to-date on educational studies and best-teaching practices is essential for educators and moves Head Start programming from compliance to excellence. Communication · Communication policies provide guidelines for interactions between families and staff.· A focus on communication ensures that educators have the resources to work with families in a respectful and culturally appropriate manner. Record-Keeping and Reporting · Record-keeping and reporting allow for leadership councils to make program decisions.· Record keeping and reporting help build and maintain institutional memory.· Program services can use records and reports to respond appropriately to a community’s needs. Ongoing Monitoring and Continuous Improvement · Ongoing monitoring supports planning efforts.· Ongoing monitoring allows for a continuous process of quality improvement. Human Resources · Human resources management supports staff in providing high-quality education. · Human resource activities vet applicants and ensure educators have the proper teaching certifications. · Human resource activities support staff education, adding to overall program improvement.
The twelve services do not only support the five components needed for quality outcomes. These services are interrelated, and each one holds up the others in one way or another. For instance, record-keeping supports data collection, while data collection supports program planning. It is essential for programs to understand these concepts and ensure each one receives attention. Of course, Head Start programs need a good leadership team to ensure all the systems are in place and running smoothly.
Leadership and Governance: Keeping the Pieces Together
The outermost ring of the wheel, holding everything else together, is leadership and government. Leadership and governance bear the responsibility for ensuring that all twelve services happen, all five components have direction, and that the program achieves the desired outcomes. Leadership and governance in the Head Start system consists of three key entities:
- Governing Body/Tribal Council
- Policy Council/Policy Committee
- Management Staff
Governing Body/Tribal Council
This leadership structure bears the responsibility for program structure, service oversight, and making decisions about program design and implementation. They also have a legal and fiscal responsibility for the local Head Start organization. The following are rules and regulations to keep in mind when establishing a governing body:
- At least one member should have an accounting or fiscal management background.
- At least one member must have expertise and experience in early childhood education.
- At least one member must be a licensed attorney who has familiarity with the issues that might affect the program.
- Other members should reflect the community and include parents who have (or have had) a child in the Head Start program.
- Members must be selected based on expertise in education, business administration, or community affairs.
- Members should not have a conflict of interest with the Head Start Program.
- Some exceptions to the above rules exist.
Policy Council and Policy Committee
The Policy Council is responsible for program design and operation, long and short-term planning, and deciding the direction of the Head Start program. These decisions need to take community needs, assessment (including self-assessment), and annual community-wide strategic planning into account. Current parents of Head Start students elect the committee members:
- The committee consists of current and former parents of children who are or were in the Head Start program.
- Committee members must also be members of the community which the Head Start program serves.
- Committee members should not have a conflict of interest.
The policy committee is responsible for approving and submitting decisions as related to a delegate agency. Requirements for the Policy Committee members are the same as for the Policy Council.
Supporting Head Start Programs Through Technical Advancement
As you can see, Head Start programs have a lot to manage and keep track of as they provide services to the community. Fortunately, the golden age of technology and software programs means information is only a click (or swipe) away.
Head Start programs have unique needs that are unlike other programs. With that in mind, program leaders will want to choose a software program specifically tailored to the program’s requirements. As such, Learning Genie is an obvious choice for Head Start programs.
Learning Genie created a module just for Head Start programs and recently provided updates to meet the community’s changing needs during the Covid crisis. Featured updates include:
- Digital Daily Health Screening forms, which parents can fill out.
- Contactless check-in and check-out.
- Real-time data tracking with a dashboard for easy decision-making.
- Virtual learning events.
- A digital portfolio tool for distance learning.
Of course, Learning Genie has a plethora of other features that support the educators and families in Head Start programs. A few of these include:
- An app that can be used on a tablet or phone, allowing for family engagement, even on the go.
- Two-way messaging for parental engagement.
- Text-to-speech.
- Language translation with the capability to translate 104 different languages (includes text-to-speech).
- Digital flyers and reminders for classroom events.
- Virtual books that teachers can read in class and share with families for reading at home.
- Easy-to-track in-kind reports.
In addition to the above Head-Start-specific features, Learning Genie comes with:
- Enhanced privacy features.
- Data monitoring and reporting.
- Fast documentation and batch documentation for the classroom.
- Quick status reviews with flexible filters.
- In-app assessment rating.
- Offline and draft modes.
- Interactive parenting tips.
- Multimedia content to share.
- Easy sharing of pictures and videos with parents.
- Remote management.
- Quick portfolio printing.
In short, the Learning Genie app eases parental communication and engagement, saves educators time, and makes data easily accessible, all to the benefit of the little learners in your care.
Head Start Management Systems: Supporting the Communities They Serve
As a publicly sponsored initiative, Head Start programs must, by law, meet minimum performance standards that assure program quality. These standards reflect updated information on educational practices in early education and childhood development. They are essential to the future success of the children who attend the program, and will hopefully, one day, become part of a larger plan to alleviate generational poverty in the United States.
Because Head Start programs are community-managed, there is a need for specific guidelines and instructions to help program managers effectively meet these goals and provide the best opportunities to the families they serve. Therefore, a comprehensive system is the best way to guide program leaders, staff, and families. Head Start provides it in spades. Not only that, but Head Start has a system in place for every aspect of program implementation, as well as resources for continuing education for families, educators, nurses, and every other member of the organization.
The organizational structure of the Head Start program is what allows it to respond to familial and community needs. And by serving those most in need, the program has an essential place in the future of our society. By giving children from low-income families the opportunity for early childhood education, the Head Start program has the potential to change the futures of the children and families for which it exists.
