INFORMATION MEMORANDUM [See Attachment at the bottom]

TO: Head Start Grantees and Delegate Agencies

SUBJECT: Head Start Family Worker Training and Credentialing

INFORMATION:

The purpose of this memorandum is to inform Head Start and Early Head Programs about new efforts to enhance the preparation, ongoing training and effectiveness of Head Start Family Workers.

Specifically this Memorandum:

• Describes the Head Start Family Worker Training and Credentialing Initiative.
• Disseminates a newly developed framework of Head Start Family Worker Competency Goals and Indicators.
• Encourages local grantees and delegate agencies to use the Competency Goals and Indicators to improve the preparation and ongoing professional development of Family Workers.

This new effort complements a variety of other initiatives to strengthen Head Start programs. These include major efforts to improve the training and education of classroom teachers and other staff and managers, ongoing investment to enhance staff compensation and new work to improve the ongoing assessment of child outcomes. In addition, the Head Start Bureau, ACF Regional Offices and training & technical assistance providers are continuing to provide leadership to strengthen program effectiveness in early childhood development, health, family and community partnerships and management systems.

Head Start's Family Worker Training and Credentialing Initiative

The goal of the Family Worker Training and Credentialing Initiative is to improve the effectiveness, quality and outcomes of more than 25,000 Family Workers employed by local Head Start programs. Family Workers play a critical role in developing and supporting the implementation of Head Start's family partnership process. Through this process the family of each enrolled child has opportunities to develop and implement an individualized plan of services based on their interests and needs. In many instances, the quality of support received by families correlates with the training and qualifications of the program's Family Workers.

Local agencies have established a range of qualifications for Family Workers (varying from a Masters of Social Work or other graduate degrees to a High School diploma). Local programs also make important decisions in establishing salary levels, staffing patterns, ratios of Family Workers to families, forms of supervision and ongoing professional development opportunities. Accordingly, Head Start Family Workers vary in their preparation, forms of licensing or credentials, and working conditions as they seek to implement the Head Start Program Performance Standards and contribute, along with other staff members, managers, volunteers, and community partners to positive program outcomes for all children and families. This initiative is designed to implement a mandate from Congress in Section 648A (c) of the Head Start Act. This Section of the Act requires that,

"In order to improve the quality and effectiveness of the staff providing in-home and other services (including needs assessment, development of services plans, family advocacy, and coordination of service delivery) to families of children participating in Head Start programs, the Secretary, in coordination with concerned public and private agencies and organizations examining the issues of standards and training for family service workers, shall-- 1) review and, as necessary, revise or develop new qualification standards for Head Start staff providing such services; (2) promote the development of model curricula (on subjects including parenting training and family literacy) designed to ensure the attainment of appropriate competencies by individuals working or planning to work in the field of early childhood and family services; and (3) promote the establishment of a credential that indicates the attainment of the competencies that is accepted nationwide."

To assist in planning to carry out this legislative mandate, the Head Start Bureau in 1999 and 2000 convened five focus groups of leaders from national organizations, local Head Start Programs including parents of past and currently enrolled children; Head Start Quality Improvement Centers; accreditation organizations and higher education institutions to discuss the needs, issues, and existing models of Family Worker staff training. Based on the focus group input and additional planning, the Head Start Bureau has completed the development of a set of Competency Goals and Indicators for Head Start Staff Working with Families, attached in Appendix A. These Competency Goals and Indicators may be utilized by local Head Start agencies as they review and update job descriptions, qualification standards, and can guide the selection, training, and supervision of Family Workers.

We also announced in the Federal Register, on May 3, 2001, the availability of $1 million for up to ten grants to universities or other organizations to support the development or adaptation of model competency-based curricula for family workers. The central requirements for these projects are as follows:

• Develop competency-based training programs and curricula relevant to the work of a Head Start Family Worker based on the Head Start Program Performance Standards; the Competency Goals and Indicators for Head Start Staff Working with Families, attached in Appendix A, and include a credible approach to assessing the attainment of these competencies by individual trainees;
• Create or adapt competency-based training that is linked to academic credit and degree programs and to other forms of credentialing for Family Workers. Applicants are urged to present plans for training which provide for articulation to AA, BA, MS degree programs, if the trainee decides to continue his/her education, and portability, should trainees desire to be Family Workers in other related programs;
• Develop training and curricula that is accessible and affordable for adult learners and that accommodates the training needs of current Head Start Family Workers, including former Head Start Parents who are likely to continue to work full-time as they continue to participate in training towards a Family Worker credential; and
• Create state-of-the-art training and assessment strategies that will ultimately enhance the quality of program services and outcomes for the increasingly diverse low-income families served by Head Start and early childhood programs and agencies.

The Head Start Bureau will provide further information after the projects funded under this grants announcement are selected.

Recommended Action Steps to Enhance the Effectiveness of Head Start Family Workers

We encourage each local grantee and delegate agency to assess their current policies, practices, management systems and use of resources to support high quality family and community partnership services. Within this review, we recommend the following specific steps to improve the support for Family Workers:

1. Utilize the Competency Goals and Indicators for Head Start Staff Working with Families to review your agency's job descriptions, qualification standards, and criteria for recruitment, selection, supervision, and evaluation of Family Workers.
   
   
2. Review the present opportunities and supports for initial preparation and ongoing professional development of Family Workers, including the availability, quality, and financial support for competency-based, credit-bearing training, and longer-term opportunities for career development and pursuit of academic degree programs. Encourage and support Family Workers who do not have college degrees to pursue a competency-based credential through matriculation in higher education or other training entities in their local areas, or through the utilization of distance learning and similar modalities.
   
   
3. Examine and identify opportunities for improvement in the compensation, staff:family worker ratios, staffing patterns, working conditions, and career development opportunities provided for Family Workers in your local program.

We look forward to working with you in this effort to enhance the quality of services for Head Start children and families.

Douglas Klafehn
Acting Associate Commissioner
Head Start Bureau