Head Start: Overview and Current Issues

Head Start: Overview and Current Issues

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Updated December 5, 2019
Head Start: Overview and Current Issues
Introduction
that were funded, not the total number of children served
The Head Start program has provided comprehensive early
during the year (which would be higher due to turnover).
childhood education and development services to low-
income children since 1965. The program seeks to promote
Table 1. Funding and Enrollment, FY2012-FY2020
school readiness through the provision of educational,
Fiscal
Funding
Head Start
EHS
health, nutritional, social, and other services. Most Head
Year
($ billions)
Enrollment
Enrollment
Start participants are three or four years old, but since 1995
a growing number of infants, toddlers, and pregnant women
FY2012
7.969
842,931
113,566
have been served in Early Head Start (EHS) programs.
FY2013
7.573 + 0.095
796,953
106,726
Administration
FY2014
8.598
810,581
116,694
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
administers the Head Start program. HHS awards funds
FY2015
8.598
791,886
152,695
directly to local grantees. Programs are run by about 1,600
FY2016
9.162
758,127
157,476
public and private nonprofit and for-profit grantees. The
grantees must comply with detailed federal performance
FY2017
9.225
731,325
168,049
standards. Programs operate in all 50 states (plus the
District of Columbia), five territories, and Palau. Funds also
FY2018
9.839 + 0.650
717,947
169,178
go to American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) and
FY2019
10.063 + 0.055
not avail.
not avail.
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) programs.
FY2020
not avail.
not avail.
not avail.
Eligibility
Sources: Budget justifications and the FY2015 Head Start Program
In general, regulations specify that children must be ages 0-
Fact Sheet. Funding (nominal $) reflects rescissions, transfers, and
2 to be eligible for EHS (pregnant women are also eligible).
sequestration, where applicable. FY2013, FY2018, and FY2019 show
For Head Start, regulations specify that children must be at
annual and supplemental funds. EHS enrollment includes EHS-Child
least three years old, but may not be older than minimum
Care Partnerships starting in FY2015. Final FY2019 enrollment is not
compulsory school age (which varies by state). Children
yet available. Full-year funding for FY2020 has not yet been enacted.
and pregnant women are eligible if their family income
does not exceed the federal poverty level, if their family is
Allocation of Funds
receiving public assistance, or if a child is homeless or in
Under law, Head Start and EHS grantees (including AIAN
foster care. In addition, up to 35% of children served by
and MSHS grantees) generally receive the same base grant
each grantee may have income between 100% and 130% of
each year, if total appropriations are sufficient. Typically,
the poverty line, provided these children are not prioritized
grantees must contribute a 20% non-federal match (cash or
over those who are living below the poverty line or who
in-kind) to receive their full award. The law also generally
meet other categorical eligibility criteria. Up to 10% of
reserves the same dollar amount or share of funds each year
children served by each grantee may exceed the income
for state collaboration grants and program set-asides (e.g.,
limits altogether.
training/technical assistance, research/evaluation, and costs
Authorization and Appropriations
associated with program monitoring and corrective actions).
The Head Start Act was last reauthorized in December 2007
by P.L. 110-134. This law authorized appropriations for
If total appropriations decrease from the prior year, the law
each of FY2008-FY2012. Though this authorization has
generally calls for all grantees to receive proportionate
lapsed, funding has been provided in each year since (see
reductions. If total appropriations increase, the law lays out
Table 1). In addition to annual appropriations, the program
several steps to determine how the new funds should be
occasionally receives supplemental funding, including $95
allocated. Depending on the size of the increase, new funds
million (post-sequester) in FY2013 for needs arising from
may go toward cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs),
Hurricane Sandy, $650 million in FY2018 for needs arising
program expansions, and/or quality improvement activities.
from hurricanes Maria, Irma, and Harvey, and $55 million
in FY2019 for needs arising from various disasters.
In recent years, however, annual appropriations acts have
tended to target funding increases toward specific activities
Funded Enrollment
rather than distributing new funds via the statutory formula.
In FY2018, there were funded enrollment slots for 887,125
Most often, these acts have prioritized COLAs for existing
children and pregnant women. About 81% of the slots were
grantees and new slots for EHS programs (via conversions
for Head Start and 19% were for EHS (see Table 1). The
of existing Head Start slots into new EHS slots and by
term funded enrollment refers to the total number of slots
dedicating funds to EHS expansions and EHS partnerships
with local child care providers). These priorities have
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affected the relative distribution of funded enrollment slots
Meanwhile, FY2016 and FY2018 appropriations provided
(see Table 1): slots in EHS programs have generally been
some funding to expand service hours. These funds, once
increasing (+49% since FY2012), while slots in Head Start
awarded, become part of an agency’s base grant and have
programs have been declining (-15% since FY2012).
been sustained in each year. In May 2019, HHS estimated it
would cost an additional $806 million for all center-based
Program Options
grantees to meet the full school day/year standard.
Federal regulations identify three main program options for
grantees. In the center-based option, education and child
EHS-Child Care Partnerships
development services are primarily delivered in classroom
Since FY2014, Head Start appropriations have reserved
settings. In the home-based option, services are primarily
funds for EHS-Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCPs), EHS
provided in weekly home visits with the child’s family,
expansions, and/or conversions of Head Start slots to EHS
paired with group activities or field trips. (While some EHS
slots. These set-asides initially totaled about $500 million in
programs operate primarily through the home-based option,
FY2014-FY2015, $635 million in FY2016, $640 million in
regulations specify this may not be the primary method of
FY2017, $755 million in FY2018, and $805 million in
service delivery for Head Start programs serving preschool-
FY2019. The EHS-CCP initiative seeks to grow the supply
aged children.) In the family child care option, services are
of high-quality, full-day, full-year child care for infants and
primarily delivered in the home of a family child care
toddlers in low-income working families. EHS grantees
provider or other home-like setting. Federal rules include
partner with child care providers who agree to meet EHS
detailed requirements for each program option. In addition
program standards (e.g., class sizes, teacher-to-child ratios)
to the three main program options, grantees may request
and offer comprehensive services to eligible children.
approval to use a locally designed program option. This
option may be used to meet unique community needs or test
Program Monitoring
alternative approaches for providing services.
The law requires grantees to undergo a monitoring process
at least every three years. HHS uses data from onsite and
Service Duration (Minimum Hours)
offsite monitoring reviews to assess compliance with
A final rule issued in September 2016 made many revisions
program standards. Grantees deemed to have a deficiency
to Head Start performance standards. Of note, the final rule
or an area of noncompliance receive follow-up visits. The
increased the minimum number of service hours required
current monitoring system also requires center-based Head
for center-based programs. The intent was to ensure that,
Start (not EHS) programs to participate in an observational
over time, nearly all center-based programs serve children
assessment of teacher-child interactions using the Pre-K
for at least a full school day and a full school year.
Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS: Pre-K).
The final rule required center-based EHS grantees to offer
Designation Renewal System
at least 1,380 annual class hours to all enrolled children,
The 2007 Head Start reauthorization law instituted a new
effective August 2018. According to HHS, about 6% of
five-year designation period for Head Start grantees.
these grantees were not meeting this standard as of May
(Previously, grantees received grant awards for indefinite
2019. HHS was working with them to ensure compliance.
periods.) At the end of its five-year designation period a
grantee must demonstrate that it is delivering “high-quality
The final rule generally requires center-based Head Start
and comprehensive services,” or else the grant is to be
grantees to offer at least 1,020 annual class hours over at
opened for re-competition. Grantees are selected for re-
least eight months. As an interim step, grantees were
competition via the Designation Renewal System (DRS).
required to meet this standard for at least 50% of enrolled
children by August 2019. As a final step, grantees must
In 2011, HHS published a final rule on the DRS. The rule
meet this standard for all enrolled children by August 2021.
established seven conditions that trigger re-competition.
The final rule authorized HHS to reduce these standards
The conditions address various aspects of program quality,
before the interim and final deadlines if adequate funding
licensing and operations, and fiscal and internal controls. A
was not available to expand hours without substantially
2016 report by HHS states that roughly 450 grantees (about
reducing enrollment. In January 2018, HHS used this
one-third of all grantees) were required to re-compete under
authority to effectively waive the August 2019 interim
the DRS between 2011 and 2016. Generally, these grantees
(50%) deadline, estimating that about 41,000 slots (or 5%
met one of the seven conditions that trigger re-competition;
of all Head Start slots) would be lost if grantees had meet
most often they had received a deficiency on their
this deadline without additional funding. According to
monitoring review (64%) or a low score on the CLASS:
HHS, roughly 60% of applicable grantees were meeting the
Pre-K (31%). A small share (4%) triggered re-competition
interim (50%) standard as of May 2019.
on more than one condition.
In March 2019, HHS issued a proposed rule that would
In February 2018, HHS solicited comment on possible DRS
eliminate the full school day/year standard for center-based
changes. HHS expressed particular interest in the CLASS:
Head Start programs. Instead, these programs would be
Pre-K condition due to concerns raised by grantees and a
required to operate at least 3.5 hours per day for at least 128
study on early DRS implementation. The study found the
or 160 days per year (depending on how many days they
DRS is generally meeting its goal of spurring quality
operate each week). Comments were due in May 2019.
improvement, but noted that DRS conditions may vary in
their ability to differentiate between higher- and lower-
quality programs (raising concerns with the CLASS: Pre-K
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Head Start: Overview and Current Issues
specifically). In August 2019, HHS issued a proposed rule
Karen E. Lynch, Specialist in Social Policy
that would revise DRS conditions using the CLASS: Pre-K
and fiscal audits. Comments were due in September 2019.
IF11008

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