October 23, 2018Updated December 5, 2019
Head Start: Overview and Current Issues
Introduction
Table 1. Funding and Enrollment, FY2012-FY2019
The Head Start program has provided comprehensive early
childhood education and development services to lowincome children since 1965. The program seeks to promote
school readiness through the provision of educational,
health, nutritional, social, and other services. Most Head
Start participants are three or four years old, but since 1995
a growing number of infants, toddlers, and pregnant women
have been served in Early Head Start (EHS) programs.
Administration
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
administers the Head Start program. HHS awards funds
directly to local grantees. Programs are run by about 1,600
public and private nonprofit and for-profit agencies. The
agenciesgrantees. The
grantees must comply with detailed federal performance
standards. Programs operate in all 50 states (plus the
District of Columbia), five territories, and Palau. Funds also
go to American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) and
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) programs.
Eligibility
In general, regulations specify that children must be ages 02 in order to be eligible for EHS (pregnant women are also
eligible).
For Head Start, regulations specify that children
must be at
least three years old, but may not be older than
minimum minimum
compulsory school age (which varies by state).
Children Children
and pregnant women are eligible if their family
income income
does not exceed the federal poverty level, if their
family is
receiving public assistance, or if a child is
homeless or in
foster care. In addition, up to 35% of
children served by
each grantee may have income between
100% and 130% of
the poverty line, provided these children
are not prioritized
over those who are homeless or living
living below the poverty line or who
meet other categorical eligibility criteria. Up to 10% of
. Up to 10% of children served by
each grantee may exceed the income
limits altogether.
Authorization and Appropriations
The Head Start Act was last reauthorized in December 2007
by P.L. 110-134. This law authorized appropriations for
each of FY2008-FY2012. Though this authorization has
lapsed, funding has been provided in each year since (see
Table 1). In addition to annual appropriations, the program
occasionally receives supplemental funding, including $95
million (post-sequester) in FY2013 for needs arising from
Hurricane Sandy, as well as $650 million in FY2018 for
needs arising
from hurricanes Maria, Irma, and Harvey, and $55 million
in FY2019 for needs arising from various disasters.
Funded Enrollment
In FY2017FY2018, there were funded enrollment slots for 899,374887,125
children and pregnant women. About 81% of the slots were
for Head Start and 19% were for EHS (see Table 1). The
term funded enrollment refers to the total number of slots
that were funded, not the total number of children served
during the year (which would be higher due to turnover).
Table 1. Funding and Enrollment, FY2012-FY2020
Fiscal
Year
Funding
($ billions)
Head Start
Enrollment
EHS
Enrollment
FY2012
7.969
842,931
113,566
FY2013
7.573 + 0.095
796,953
106,726
FY2014
8.598
810,581
116,694
FY2015
8.598
791,886
152,695
FY2016
9.162
758,127
157,476
FY2017
9.225
731,325
168,049
FY2018
9.863 + 0.650
839 + 0.650
717,947
169,178
FY2019
10.063 + 0.055
not avail.
not avail.
FY2019
10.063FY2020
not avail.
not avail.
not avail.
Sources: Congressional budgetBudget justifications and the FY2015 Head
Start Program
Fact Sheet. Funding levels reflect(nominal $) reflects rescissions, transfers,
and and
sequestration, where applicable. FY2013, FY2018, and FY2019 and FY2018 show
annual and supplemental funds. EHS enrollment includes estimates of
children in EHS-Child EHS-Child
Care Partnerships starting in FY2015. Final FY2019 enrollment is not
yet available. Full-year funding for FY2020 has not yet been enacted.
Allocation of Funds
Under law, Head Start and EHS grantees (including AIAN
and MSHS grantees) generally receive the same base grant
(total amount of funding) each year, if total appropriations
are sufficient. Typically,
grantees must contribute a 20%
non-federal match (cash or
in-kind) to receive thetheir full grant
award. The law also generally
reserves the same dollar
amount or share of funds each year
for state collaboration
grants and program set-asides (e.g., training and technical
training/technical assistance, research and /evaluation, and costs associated
associated with program monitoring and corrective actions).
If total appropriations decrease from the prior year, the law
generally calls for all grantees to receive proportionate
reductions. If total appropriations increase, the law lays out
several steps to determine how the new funds should be
allocated. Depending on the size of the increase, new funds
may go toward cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs),
program expansions, and/or quality improvement activities.
In recent years, however, annual appropriations acts have
tended to target funding increases toward specific activities,
rather than distributing new funds via the statutory formula.
Most often, these acts have prioritized COLAs for existing
grantees and new slots for EHS programs (via conversions
of existing Head Start slots into new EHS slots and by
dedicating funds to new partnerships between EHS
programs andEHS expansions and EHS partnerships
with local child care providers). These priorities
have have
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Head Start: Overview and Current Issues
affected the relative distribution of funded enrollment
slots slots
(see Table 1): slots in EHS programs have generally
been been
increasing (+4849% since FY2012), while slots in Head
Start Start
programs have been declining (-13% since FY2012).
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Head Start: Overview and Current Issues
Program Options
EHS-Child Care Partnerships
Federal regulations identify three main program options for
grantees: (1) center-based, (2) home-based, and (3) family
child care15% since FY2012).
Program Options
Federal regulations identify three main program options for
grantees. In the center-based option, education and child
development services are primarily delivered in classroom
settings. In the home-based option, services are primarily
provided in weekly home visits with the child’s family,
paired with group activities or field trips. (While some EHS
programs operate primarily through the home-based option,
federal regulations specify that this may not be the primary
method of
service delivery for Head Start programs serving
preschool-aged preschoolaged children.) In the family child care option,
services are
primarily delivered in the home of a family
child care
provider or other home-like setting. Federal rules
include include
detailed requirements for each program option. In
addition addition
to the three main program options, grantees may
request request
approval to use a locally designed program option.
This This
option may be used to meet unique community needs
or test alternative approaches for providing services.
Since FY2014, Head Start appropriations have reserved
funding for EHS-Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCPs) and
conversions of Head Start slots to EHS slots. These setasides initially totaled about $500 million in FY2014 and
FY2015, $635 million in FY2016, $640 million in FY2017,
$755 million in FY2018, and $805 million in FY2019. The
EHS-CCP initiative seeks to increase the supply of highquality, full-day, full-year child care for infants and toddlers
in low-income working families. EHS grantees partner with
child care providers who agree to meet EHS performance
standards (e.g., class sizes and teacher-to-child ratios) and
offer comprehensive services to eligible children.
alternative approaches for providing services.
Service Duration (Minimum Hours)
A final rule issued in September 2016 made significant
revisions many revisions
to Head Start performance standards. Among
other changes, the rule Of note, the final rule
increased the minimum number of
service hours required
for center-based programs. The
intent of this change is intent was to ensure that,
over time, nearly all
center-based programs are servingserve children
for at least a full
school day and over a full school year.
Under the new rule,The final rule required center-based EHS programs mustgrantees to offer
at least 1,380 annual class hours to all enrolled children.
This requirement became effective on August 1, 2018. Most
(but not all) center-based EHS programs were meeting this
standard even before the final rule was published and HHS
is responsible for oversight to ensure compliance.
The new,
effective August 2018. According to HHS, about 6% of
these grantees were not meeting this standard as of May
2019. HHS was working with them to ensure compliance.
The final rule generally requires center-based Head Start
programsgrantees to offer at least 1,020 annual class hours over at
least eight months—but this requirement is to be phased in
over time. As an interim step, the rule calls for programs to
grantees were
required to meet this standard for at least 50% of enrolled
children by
August 1, August 2019. As a final step, programs must grantees must
meet this
standard for all enrolled children by August 1, 2021.
The final rule authorized HHS to reduce these standards
beforerule authorizes HHS to lower the duration requirements
for Head Start programs in advance of the interim and final
deadlines if there is not sufficient funding for programs to
expand service deadlines if adequate funding
was not available to expand hours without substantially reducing
reducing enrollment. In January 2018, HHS used this
authority to
effectively waive the August 2019 deadline for the interim
(50%) requirement for center-based Head Start programs.
HHS stated that without new funding for extended hours,
implementing this requirement would lead to the loss of
roughly 41,000 slots (about 5% of all Head Start slots).
Head Start appropriations in FY2016 and FY2018 provided
some funding to expand the hours of program operations.
These funds, once awarded to a Head Start or EHS agency,
become part of the agency’s base grant in future years and
have been sustained in subsequent appropriations. HHS has
estimated that the funding provided thus far should be
sufficient to cover roughly 87% of the costs of meeting the
combined EHS and interim (50%) Head Start requirements.
Program Monitoring
The law requires grantees to go through a monitoring
process at least every three years. HHS uses data from
onsite and offsite monitoring reviews to assess compliance
with program standards and requirements. Grantees deemed
to have a deficiency or an area of noncompliance receive
follow-up visits. The current monitoring system also
requires center-based Head Start (not EHS) programs to
participate in an observational assessment of teacher-child
interactions using the Pre-K Classroom Assessment Scoring
interim
(50%) deadline, estimating that about 41,000 slots (or 5%
of all Head Start slots) would be lost if grantees had meet
this deadline without additional funding. According to
HHS, roughly 60% of applicable grantees were meeting the
interim (50%) standard as of May 2019.
In March 2019, HHS issued a proposed rule that would
eliminate the full school day/year standard for center-based
Head Start programs. Instead, these programs would be
required to operate at least 3.5 hours per day for at least 128
or 160 days per year (depending on how many days they
operate each week). Comments were due in May 2019.
Meanwhile, FY2016 and FY2018 appropriations provided
some funding to expand service hours. These funds, once
awarded, become part of an agency’s base grant and have
been sustained in each year. In May 2019, HHS estimated it
would cost an additional $806 million for all center-based
grantees to meet the full school day/year standard.
EHS-Child Care Partnerships
Since FY2014, Head Start appropriations have reserved
funds for EHS-Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCPs), EHS
expansions, and/or conversions of Head Start slots to EHS
slots. These set-asides initially totaled about $500 million in
FY2014-FY2015, $635 million in FY2016, $640 million in
FY2017, $755 million in FY2018, and $805 million in
FY2019. The EHS-CCP initiative seeks to grow the supply
of high-quality, full-day, full-year child care for infants and
toddlers in low-income working families. EHS grantees
partner with child care providers who agree to meet EHS
program standards (e.g., class sizes, teacher-to-child ratios)
and offer comprehensive services to eligible children.
Program Monitoring
The law requires grantees to undergo a monitoring process
at least every three years. HHS uses data from onsite and
offsite monitoring reviews to assess compliance with
program standards. Grantees deemed to have a deficiency
or an area of noncompliance receive follow-up visits. The
current monitoring system also requires center-based Head
Start (not EHS) programs to participate in an observational
assessment of teacher-child interactions using the Pre-K
Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS: Pre-K).
Designation Renewal System
The 2007 Head Start reauthorization law instituted a new
five-year designation period for Head Start grantees.
(Previously, grantees had been givenreceived grant awards for
indefinite periods.) Under the law, at indefinite
periods.) At the end of its five-year
designation period a
grantee must demonstrate that it is
delivering “high-quality
and comprehensive services,” or
else the grant is to be
opened for re-competition. The law
refers to the process of identifying granteesGrantees are selected for recompetition asvia the Designation Renewal System (DRS).
In 2011, HHS published a final rule on the DRS. The rule
established seven conditions to identify grantees for recompetition. that trigger re-competition.
The conditions address various aspects of
program quality,
licensing and operations, and fiscal and
internal controls. A
2016 report by HHS states that roughly
450 grantees (about
one-third of all grantees) were required
to re-compete under
the DRS between 2011 and 2016.
Generally, these grantees
met one of the seven conditions
that trigger a requirement to re-compete—re-competition;
most often they
had received a deficiency on their
monitoring review (64%)
or a low score on the CLASS:
Pre-K (31%). A small share
(4%) triggered re-competition
on more than one condition.
In February 2018, HHS solicited public comment on
potential changes to the DRS, expressing special interest in
changes to the CLASS: comment on possible DRS
changes. HHS expressed particular interest in the CLASS:
Pre-K condition due to concerns
raised by grantees and the results of a study on the early
implementation of the DRS. The study suggests the DRS is
a
study on early DRS implementation. The study found the
DRS is generally meeting its goal of spurring quality
improvement,
but found but noted that DRS conditions may vary in
their ability to
differentiate between higher- and lower-quality programs
(with particular concerns raised about the CLASS: Pre-K).
Karen E. Lynch, Specialist in Social Policylowerquality programs (raising concerns with the CLASS: Pre-K
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IF11008
Head Start: Overview and Current Issues
specifically). In August 2019, HHS issued a proposed rule
that would revise DRS conditions using the CLASS: Pre-K
and fiscal audits. Comments were due in September 2019.
Karen E. Lynch, Specialist in Social Policy
IF11008
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