A Head Start agency must complete a community self-assessment to gather information about the strengths, concerns and conditions in their community (45 CFR 1304.51(i)(1). A strong assessment will recognize cultural, linguistic, ethnic, and economic diversity and obtain an overall viewpoint of the community from participants. With a community self-assessment, valuable insight can be gained about the effectiveness and progress in meeting program goals and local needs by the Head Start agency. Part of this community self-assessment should include how a program's transportation services are helping with the provision of Head Start services to the community.
The techniques for a community self-assessment will vary from program to program. However, a thorough assessment involves a combination of the following:
- separate focus groups for parents,
service providers, etc.
- community forums
- interviews
- surveys
- action research
It is important to develop questions on a variety of topics to ask participants from the community. The discussion topics involving transportation services may include the following:
- Ask about transportation providers
- Are there available public
transportation services?
- Are there available private, non-profit
transportation services?
- Are there available school district transportation services?
- Ask about collaboration between providers
- Are there contracts or Memorandums of
Understanding (MOUs) among preschool transportation providers?
- Are there contracts or MOUs with school
districts?
- Are there contracts or MOUs with other human services agencies?
- Ask about the location of families in the community
- Where do families live?
- Where do families work?
- Where do families attend school?
- Ask about the location of other child care services in the community
- Where are other child care centers
located?
- What child care providers serve Head
Start eligible families?
- Are there family child care homes?
- Is the location of the Head Start center accessible to working parents?
- Ask about the condition of roads and streets in the community
- Are roads graded or maintained with
asphalt or gravel?
- What is the condition of the access
roads to children's homes?
- How close are streets or highways to
children's homes?
- Are there pending projects for highway
construction?
- Are there any dangerous intersections or roads that should be avoided when planning a bus route?
- Ask about the underserved population of children in the community
- How many families have Head Start
eligible children?
- What is the overall population of
children under five years and under three years old?
- Would a new/additional bus route
encourage more eligible children to attend Head Start?
- How many children with special needs are there in the community?
- Ask about the languages and cultures represented in the community
- How many different languages are spoken
in the community?
- What cultural/ethnic diversity exists
among the community?
- Do medical/transportation personnel within the community speak the languages of Head Start eligible families?
- Ask about bus driver training available through other providers in the community
- Does the state provide any bus driver
training in the area?
- Does a local school district provide bus driver training?
- Ask about drug testing services in the community
- Who provides drug testing services?
- How often are drug testing services
available?
- How much do drug testing services cost?
- Ask about safety training for staff, parents, and children
- Are there local or state resources that
can assist with Child Safety Restraint System (CSRS)
installation and training?
- Are state police active in safety
training?
- Is there a local fire department that
would participate in bus evacuation training?
- Are there community partners that would participate in any other safety training activities?
Note: This tip sheet is intended as a starting point to assist Head Start programs in developing a community self-assessment for transportation. Local needs and conditions should be considered when a program establishes its own transportation services.
