Commonly Asked Questions about Early Head Start
by Laura A. Schad
Q. How many years should children remain in Early Head Start?
A. Early Head Start (EHS) is intended
to serve pregnant women and children until the child is
approximately three years of age. Although a child can be enrolled
anytime from birth to age three, the intent of EHS is to intervene
early and provide intensive, individualized services throughout
the first three years of a child's life.
Q. If there are two or more children from the same family enrolled in an EHS home-based program, how long is the weekly home visit?
A. The home-based performance
standard requires that the weekly home visit be a minimum of 90
minutes per family. A home visitor may determine in partnership
with the parent/s that it is necessary to increase the length of
the home visit in order to meet the individual needs of the
children, and/or to support the parent in attaining the goals they
have set for themselves as part of the family partnership process.
But a longer visit is not required for multiple children.
Q. Can program staff, in addition to home visitors, organize and conduct group socializations?
A. Yes, other program staff and
community partners are often valuable resources for implementing
developmentally appropriate socializations for infants and
toddlers. However, the home-based visitor who works weekly in the
family's home should be involved in the planning and
implementation of socializations for their assigned children and
their parents. Socializations should reflect the goals and
experiences that are connected to and build upon home visits.
Q. Are EHS programs required to provide formula for children in center-based programs?
A. Yes. Depending on the length of
time the child is in the center, EHS must meet between 1/3 to 2/3
of a child's daily nutritional needs. The cost of formula is
reimbursed by USDA. Formula should be available during
socializations if needed.
Q. Is it possible to hire and train EHS staff during the start-up year?
A. Yes, the start-up period is
intended to include extensive organizational and programmatic
planning. Based on the agency's planning process, staff should be
hired and receive an orientation and training in order to fulfill
the responsibilities of their particular position in the EHS
program.
Q. In a home-based option, is it acceptable for early intervention staff from a Part C agency to conduct EHS home visits when the EHS home visitor is not present?
A. The response to this question
depends on the needs of a family and the type of partnership
agreement that the EHS program has with their Part C provider.
According to the Head Start Program Performance Standards, home
visits must be conducted on a weekly basis throughout the year. In
addition, the EHS program must be certain that all relevant
regulations – including child development, parent involvement,
health services, and social services – are implemented. A Part C
provider may conduct EHS home visits in partnership with the EHS
program or as part of a contract with the EHS program. In either
situation, the EHS program is responsible for coordinating
services that a child or their family may require as mandated by
the Performance Standards, and for ensuring that the services are
provided. The contract or agreement must outline and clearly
describe the responsibilities of the partners. EHS programs may
have similar home-visiting partnership agreements with other
qualified community partners, such as home visiting nurses.
Q. If a grantee or delegate agency has both EHS and Head Start programs, should they have one or two policy councils / committees?
A. There should be only one policy
council (for grantees) or one policy committee (for delegates) per
agency. The representation of parents serving on the policy
council or committee should be proportionate to the funded
enrollment of each program.
Q. Are EHS programs required to make 90-minute home visits to pregnant women enrolled in their program?
A. Pregnant women are not enrolled in
a program option such as home or center-based. These are program
service options for delivery of services to children. EHS grantees
and delegate agencies serving pregnant women are required to
deliver some services, such as prenatal education, while assisting
in accessing others, such as health care. Plans for services to
pregnant women are designed to meet the individual needs of each
woman and her family. Through the family partnership process, EHS
programs work with the pregnant woman to identify goals and make
plans for meeting these goals. Although home visits may be an
integral part of the plan for service delivery, they are not
specifically required.
Q. Can socialization experiences for infants and toddlers be held outside of the program's licensed setting, such as at a beach or park?
A. Yes, as long as the environment is
safe and appropriate in terms of meeting the developmental needs
of the children. It is important that socialization experiences be
planned on the basis of the goals and subsequent needs of the
individual children enrolled in the EHS program. Socializations
should be offered in environments where children can be kept
healthy and safe.
Q. Are double sessions appropriate for EHS programs serving infants and toddlers?
A. No, double sessions are not
appropriate for Early Head Start.
Q. If state regulations allow 12 children under the age of three in a group with three teachers, can that supersede the Head Start standard of a maximum group size of eight?
A. No, maximum group size for EHS
children cannot exceed eight children with two teachers. This
regulation also applies to EHS children in community-based child
care programs.
Q. If parents of an EHS child have another baby, must the program enroll that child as well?
A. Not necessarily. EHS programs are
required to develop recruitment, enrollment, and selection
procedures. These procedures will guide the enrollment of children
in the EHS program. Family income must be verified when any child
is enrolled.
Q. Can you count a high-risk pregnancy or a pregnant woman with a disability as a part of the ten percent enrollment requirement for children with disabilities?
A. No. For a child to count toward the ten percent
enrollment requirement for children with disabilities, he or she
must have an active Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP)
developed by the local Part C agency.
Q. When is the first-year program review conducted?
A. A full program review is conducted
toward the end of the first full year of operation.
Q. Can EHS children transition into preschool Head Start if they are not three years old by the time of the state's compulsory school age requirement?
A. Since Sec. 645(c) of the Head
Start Act does not preclude enrolling children in preschool Head
Start who do not meet the compulsory school age requirement for
their state, and Sec. 645(b)(7) supports continued preschool Head
Start services for Early Head Start children, the guiding
principle is that Head Start preschool grantees may serve children
"as of their third birthday" under the following circumstances:
1) when the recommendation from the EHS and Head Start program is based on solid transition planning that takes into consideration the child's needs;
2) when the placement is developmentally appropriate for the child;
3) when the child meets the program's eligibility, enrollment and selection
criteria; and
4) when the preschool Head Start grantee/delegate agency has an approved process for selection and enrollment that supports enrolling children as of their third birthday, when appropriate.
