ACYF Administration on Children, Youth and Families	U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration for Children and Families
	1. Log No. ACYF-IM-HS-98-03	2. Issuance Date: 02/24/98
	3. Originating Office: Head Start Bureau
	4. Key Word: Training and Technical Assistance

INFORMATION MEMORANDUM

TO: Head Start Grantees and Delegate Agencies

SUBJECT: Training and Technical Assistance Quality Improvement Centers (QICs)

The Administration for Children and Families, Head Start Bureau competitively awarded 28 Cooperative Agreement grants for Quality Improvement Centers (QICs) to qualified institutions and organizations to provide training and technical assistance (T/TA) to local Head Start programs. This revised T/TA system reflects a national commitment to quality improvement, local capacity-building and ongoing evaluation. In addition, it is consistent with the recommendations discussed in the final report of the Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality and Expansion (1993), the legislative mandates in the Head Start Act of 1994, and also the results of a year long focus group process.

The 28 QICs form a regionally-based system, whose common purpose is to support local Head Start programs in providing high quality and effective services to children and families, and to support national emerging priorities such as child care partnerships, Early Head Start, expansion, and welfare reform.

Sixteen of these Cooperative Agreements focus on program service areas of Early Childhood Development and Health, Family and Community Partnerships, Program Design and Management including program governance, facilities, transportation and technology. The other 12 QICs offer Disabilities Services training and technical assistance across all program service areas.

Three new features that are incorporated into the revised network are:

Partnership and Flexibility-- The Head Start Bureau, ACF Regional Offices, QICs and local programs are viewed as partners in the effort to provide T/TA that increases program quality. As such, the QICs are funded as Cooperative Agreements which provide the QICs with additional needed flexibility to accommodate the new partnership model of leadership. The QICs will be able to respond quickly to new or emerging issues whether such issues be identified at the Federal, regional or local level.

The T/TA Activity Cycle -- Central to this new system is an approach to T/TA based on an ongoing four phase cycle of activity that includes needs assessment, strategic planning, implementation and evaluation.

Needs Assessment - An annual on-site or telephonic interview with every Head Start Program coupled with regional and national data analysis will generate a comprehensive and focused set of state, regional and national priority training needs.

Strategic Planning - From the local level to the National level, Coordinating Councils will set priorities, provide input and focus T/TA activity that best meets the unique needs of the programs.

Implementation - QIC state/cluster offices will collaborate with state partners to provide T/TA services closer to the Head Start or Early Head Start programs.

Evaluation - Regular, on-going assessment of the quality and quantity of T/TA services.

Evaluation of the T/TA System -- The Head Start Bureau has contracted for services to develop and model instruments and procedures for assessing the T/TA services provided to Head Start grantee and T/TA conducted by Head Start programs with PA20 dollars. Under this contract, input from Regional staff, QICs and local programs will be used to develop procedures and tools for assessment.

In addition to the above, summary reference material has been included to provide a more
complete understanding of the roles and services available to local programs through the T/TA QIC network. I urge you to review and become familiar with the services offered by the QICs and to begin to consider how to best access these services. For further information please contact the Head Start Bureau T/TA Branch, your ACF Regional Office or the QIC in your region.

/S/
Helen Taylor
Associate Commissioner
Head Start Bureau

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Vision Statement
The Head Start T/TA system promotes excellence by:

• Supporting a continuous learning environment for Head Start staff;
• Fostering partnerships among Head Start programs, communities, and governments to allow children, parents, and staff to develop their full potential;
• Cultivating a shared understanding of and commitment to the Head Start philosophy; and
• Celebrates the diversity of the Head Start community.

Guiding Principles of the Head Start T/TA System

• Creating an environment that fosters and supports learning and self-improvement: A coordinated system that prepares staff at national, regional, state, and grantee levels to meet the ever changing demands of Head Start programs through assessment, strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation. A flexible system, it responds to needs wherever they emerge and to regular and on-going feedback from users.
• Crafting a system that provides for quality improvement for all grantees:
  A continuous program improvement process to provide education and support for all Head Start staff, parents, and families to allow them to achieve their personal and professional goals, and enhance their management and leadership skills. It builds on existing expertise in the Head Start community and links grantees to the best available expertise. A continuum of service is offered (pre-service, in-service, association meetings, workshops, on-site technical assistance, institutes, mentoring).
• Building local program capacity to ensure continuous improvement:
  State/cluster QIC sites facilitate hands-on support and mentoring. A coordinating council of representatives from community agencies, services providers, and academic institutions enhances local capacity through collaboration activities. Development of a T/TA liaison contact person in every Head Start program to facilitate communication between and among providers. A strength of the system is that it offers grantees options and local choices regarding content methods, channels and providers.
• Supporting a variety of approaches to providing T/TA:
  T/TA services tailored to meet the specific needs of grantees, and regional and national offices, through hands-on activities, college courses, workshops, institutes, training guides, bimonthly Head Start Bulletin, and state of the art technology. Electronic sources such as the Head Start Bulletin Board System and Web page, and distance learning. Provision is made for customized hands-on technical assistance for deficient grantees. Highly trained, informed, and competent staff and consultants provide T/TA. Adjusting quickly to changing needs and new challenges, the system is flexible and responsive.
• Collaboration and Communication among Head Start and the broader community:
  Community agencies, academic institutions, and other T/TA providers collaborate and communicate through partnership agreements and dissemination of information, and through the Coordinating Council composed of representatives from the community including child can: agencies, state and local education agencies, social services, and transportation systems.
• Services guided by research and grounded in best practices:
  The system builds on past strengths, current best practices and findings of research. The Measures Project, findings of Health Component, lessons learned from the Mental Health study and the Teaching Centers all inform the training and technical assistance approach to quality services in Head Start.