Program Information Report: FAQs

This page contains Frequently Asked questions regarding the 2010-2011 PIR Survey.
Submit all new questions to the HSES Helpdesk at HSESHelp@ACF.hhs.gov.

General
A. Program Information
B. Program Staff and Qualifications
C. Child & Family Services

General

Q: What does the term “since last year’s PIR was reported” mean?

A: “Since last year’s PIR was reported” provides a time frame to report on any services that occurred, staff changes or credentialing accomplishments, etc. that occurred since the prior year's PIR was submitted.

Include any services delivered after the end of the program year to enrolled children and pregnant women, providing they occur prior to PIR submission. For example, a child who is transitioning into the public school may be supported by family service staff to complete or continue medical treatments through the summer months, even though classes have ended.

Also, include children who received services in preparation for their enrollment in Head Start or Early Head Start, such as EPSDT screenings. These screenings may have occurred prior to last year’s PIR submission. However, these children were not included in that report and therefore would be included in the current year’s report.

Q: If no specific time frame is provided with a question, should we use “at the time of enrollment” or “at time of the PIR report”?

A: If there are no specific instructions regarding the date of a response, (e.g. at enrollment, at end of enrollment, etc.), it is at the time the PIR is reported.

Q: If a child was counted in the total enrollment but never attended school, would you count them in PIR questions related to health services?

A: No, it is not necessary to include information on health services for children or pregnant women who may have been enrolled for a very short period of time but never attended class or received a home visit.

Q: Do we report on children whose enrollment slots are funded through other sources of funds (pre-K, foundation monies, etc.)? In the past, we reported on these children. These slots are part of our 25% required match.

A: Those children should be included in the PIR reports as the slots are part of the non-federal match and as such should be reflected on the FAA.

Q: How do we report ARRA-funded slots in this year’s PIR?

A: There are no changes to reporting ARRA-funded slots in this year's PIR.

Head Start and/or Early Head Start programs that had base grants prior to ARRA will report ARRA-funded operations as part of their annual PIR.

A Head Start grantee who received an Early Head Start grant through ARRA will have the ability to report on their Early Head Start operations in HSES, as in the 2009-2010 PIR. If some or all of these services are being provided by delegates that do not have ID’s from last year, please contact the HSES Help Desk to obtain new delegate ID's.

An Early Head Start grantee that was new to providing EHS services when they received ARRA funding will report ARRA-funded operations under their grantee account in HSES (the same account as last year).

A grantee who received new EHS funding through ARRA, who was also a Head Start or Early Head Start delegate to another grantee prior to ARRA, will report on delegate operations to their grantee as they have in the past. In this case, the EHS grantee will be required to report twice: once in their own PIR for their ARRA funds and once to their grantee for their delegate services.

Grantees are responsible for completing the PIR on operations with contracted child care partners, unless those partners are officially designated as delegates, in which case delegates may complete and submit to their grantee for approval.

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A. Program Information

A.2.a - Funded Enrollment - Funded enrollment by funding source

Q: Do we include children and pregnant women in the Funded Enrollment if we have not yet started services? For example, we plan to enroll children into a new classroom beginning September 1, after the PIR is due.

A: Yes. Include the numbers for which you were funded, even if you have not yet begun services to these children.

A.3 through A.8 - Funded Enrollment - Funded enrollment by program option – children

Q: If non-federal funds contribute to a program option, such as expanding part-day Head Start hours to full-day services, would the children in this program option be counted under part-day or full-day?

A: Report funded enrollment in this section according to the program options the grantee was funded to serve. When non-federal funds contribute to expanding the hours of a particular program option, such as expanding part-day to full-day, and those funds have been included on the grantee’s FAA as match, report the option as full-day.

Q: What is meant by center-based double session variation?

A: "Double sessions" are a type of center-based option. Specifically, double sessions are a variation in which a program employs a single teacher to work with one group of children in the morning and a different group of children in the afternoon.

Please note that the double session variation does not refer to a program that employs different teachers to operate one class in the morning and one class in the afternoon, even if the same classroom space is used.

For more information, see section 1306.32(c) of the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

A.10 - Funded Enrollment - Funded enrollment at child care partner

Q: We have formal and informal agreements with local child care centers to assure children enrolled in Head Start have access to quality care. However, we do not exchange funds nor consider these arrangements to be program options. Should we count children who attend these child care centers in question A.10?

A: Enrollment reported here should include only those providers with whom the Head Start program has a formal arrangement for the child to receive Head Start services at the child care site.

A.12 and A.13 - Cumulative Enrollment - Children by age and Pregnant women

Q: Under the Actual Enrollment section of Children by Age, do I report the ages of children as of the time of enrollment or at the PIR reporting time?

A: At the time of enrollment, use the age of the child as of the date used by the local school system in determining eligibility for public school. See “45 CFR 1305.4(a)” at the following link regarding age determination for eligibility:
45 CFR 1305.4 Age of Children and Family Income Eligibility

Example:
Program Year: September 1 to June 16
Local school system eligibility date: December 1

• Jemal’s birthday is July 31 and he is three years old on the first day of the program year which runs from September 1 to June 16. Jemal is still three years old on December 1, so he would be reported in the three year old category for the current PIR.
• Sarah’s birthday is December 12 and she is four years old on the first day of the program year. Sarah is still four years old on December 1, so she would be reported in the four year old category for the current PIR.
• Althea’s birthday is November 29 and she is four years old on the first day of the program year. Althea is five years old on December 1, so she would be reported in the five year old category for the current PIR.
• George was enrolled in Head Start last year. His birthday is October 1 and he is three years old on the first day of the program year. George is four years old on December 1, so he would be reported in the four year old category for the current PIR.

A.15 - Cumulative Enrollment - Type of eligibility

Q: Are parents receiving TANF and SSI considered below the 100% Federal Poverty Level?

A: Programs should not assume all parents receiving TANF and SSI are below the poverty line. Programs should indicate the specific eligibility criteria used to determine the child as income eligible.

A.17 - Cumulative Enrollment - Prior enrollment

Q: Last year's PIR instructions indicated that children should be counted as enrolled for their second year only if in their first year of Head Start or Early Head Start they were enrolled for at least half of the time classes or home visits were in session. Are they to be counted that way this year?

A: Yes.

A.18 - Cumulative Enrollment - Turnover

Q: Which children and pregnant women who left the program are NOT included in turnover?

A: Do not include the following:

• Enrolled pregnant women who gave birth during the program year and subsequently enrolled their infant in the EHS program
• Enrolled children who left the program before attending at least one class
• Children or pregnant women enrolled in home based options who left the program before receiving a home visit

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B. Program Staff and Qualifications

B.1 and B.3 through B.27 - Total Staff, Management Staff, Child Development Staff, Non-Supervisory Child Development Staff, and Family & Community Partnership Staff

Q: Do we report on all staff, including staff who left the program, throughout Section B?

A: Report as follows:

• For question B.1:
  Report on all staff, including staff who left the program.
• For questions B.3 - B.14 and questions B.23 - B.27:
  If more than one individual held the position during the year, report on the staff person who was in the position at the time the PIR is reported. If the position is vacant at the time the PIR is reported, provide information on the last person to hold the position during the year.
• For questions B.15 - B.22:
  Only report on classroom teachers and home-based visitors who left the program during the year. For B.18 and B.22, only report on classroom teachers and home-based visitors, respectively, who were hired due to staff turnover.

Q: When reporting on program staff, should we include all staff in the agency or only those directly involved with the program? We have a large multi-state agency with multiple funding streams and multiple Head Start programs.

A: Throughout Section B of the PIR, only report on staff who are working in that Head Start program, either assisting Head Start staff or delivering services to Head Start children and families.

Q: When reporting on program staff, which staff is included in questions B.3 and B.4 as Child Development & Education Managers and which staff is included in questions B.5 and B.8 as Child Development Supervisors?

A: Report as follows:

• For questions B.3 and B.4:
  The Child Development & Education Manager questions are intended to capture data on salaries (B.3.c) and time spent coordinating services (B.4.a) for mid-level management staff responsible for the overall content and delivery of the program's child development and education services.
  
  Please report only on the staff that coordinates the child development and education component of the program in B.3.c and B.4.a.
• For questions B.5 and B.8:
  The Child Development Supervisors questions, both for preschool staff (B.5 Column 5) and infant/toddler staff (B.8 Column 5), are intended to capture the child development credentials of the staff responsible for supervising center-based, combination, and locally designed program option staff members.
  
  Please note that Home-Based Supervisors and Family Child Care Specialists are reported separately in (B.5 and B.8 Column 6) and (B.5 and B.8 Column 7) respectively.

B.5 and B.8 – Child Development Staff - Preschool child development staff - qualifications (HS and Migrant programs) and Infant and toddler child development staff - qualifications (EHS and Migrant programs)

Q: Where would we report teachers with bachelor's degrees in unrelated fields that have credits in early childhood education, but have not yet reached the level of coursework that would be equivalent to a major in early childhood education?

A: B.5 - Preschool Child Development Staff: Do NOT report these teachers as having a baccalaureate degree in ECE or a related field in B.5.b. These teachers should be reported in B.5.e, “staff who do not have the qualifications listed,” unless:

• The teacher holds a CDA credential or equivalent (report these teachers in B.5.d);
• The teacher has achieved an associate degree in early childhood education (report these teachers in B.5.c.1); or
• The teacher has achieved an associate degree in a field related to early childhood education and coursework equivalent to a major in ECE with experience teaching preschool children (report these teachers in B.5.c.2).

B.8 – Infant and Toddler Child Development Staff: Do NOT report these teachers as having a baccalaureate degree in ECE or a related field in B.8.b. These teachers should be reported in B.8.e, “staff who do not have the qualifications listed,” unless:

• The teacher holds a CDA credential or equivalent (report these teachers in B.8.d);
• The teacher has achieved an associate degree in early childhood education with a focus on infant and toddler development (report these teachers in B.5.c.1); or
• The teacher has achieved an associate degree in a field related to early childhood education and coursework equivalent to a major in ECE with experience teaching infants and toddlers (report these teachers in B.5.c.2).

Q: How do you count staff that are working towards a CDA and an associate or baccalaureate at the same time?

A: Staff enrolled in more than one early childhood continuing education program, such as CDA training and an associate degree program, would be listed under the highest early childhood education level they hold and for the highest level they are currently enrolled in.

Q: Where do we report Teacher Assistants on the PIR for EHS, when the Teacher Assistants meet the qualifications for teacher so we are able to maintain the 1:4 ratio and maximum 8 group size requirements?

A: Report as Teachers in B.8.1. The term Assistant Teacher may be used by those programs who employ a third person to assist the two Teachers; this third person would be reported in B.8.2. The requirement that two Teachers be available for every classroom of no greater than 8 infants/toddlers was implemented in regulation to convey the message that each staff person directly responsible as the primary caregiver for 4 infants/toddlers in group care have the credentials, responsibilities and status of Teachers.

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C. Child & Family Services

C.8.a and C.9 - Health Services - Medical services - children

Q: Who can diagnose a child as being overweight?

A: Programs should only include children who have received medical diagnoses from a health care professional of being overweight. Your state practice act or state licensing regulations will indicate who in your state can legally diagnose medical conditions. Physicians and physicians’ assistants are usually licensed to diagnose medical conditions; in some states, nurses may be licensed to diagnose medical conditions as well. Dieticians and nutritionists are not licensed to diagnose a nutrition-related medical condition, but may make referrals to a health care professional, provide dietary counseling or can assist programs in developing nutrition plans.

Q: Can medical treatment be provided by someone other than a health care professional?

A: Yes. “Medical treatment” must be a plan of care, based upon a diagnosis, conducted under the direction of a health care professional. Therefore, the individual providing the actual service (ex. administering a medication, managing a child’s diet within the center, etc.) need not be a health care professional, but a health care professional must have initiated and be involved in an ongoing way in the plan.

C.18 - Health Services - Infant and toddler preventive dental services (EHS and Migrant programs)

Q: If a particular state's EPSDT schedule doesn't require a dental referral before age 3, is there a requirement for a dental exam for EHS programs by a dentist?

A: The Head Start Program Performance Standards reference the state Medicaid/EPSDT periodicity schedule for dental services. There is no other Head Start regulation that requires a dental exam for EHS beyond the state Medicaid requirements.

C.19 - Health Services - Pregnant women dental services

Q: Do pregnant women need the dental exam or treatment within the 90 day enrollment period even though the PIR question for this is clearly stated to say "since the last PIR reporting period"?

A: There is no Head Start Program Performance Standard that requires pregnant women to receive a dental exam or treatment within 90 days. 1304.40(c)(1)(ii) requires programs to assist pregnant women in accessing comprehensive prenatal and post partum care through referrals immediately after enrollment into the program. This care must include "...dental examinations on a schedule deemed appropriate by the attending health care providers as early in the pregnancy as possible".

C.48 - Family and Community Partnerships - Local education agency (LEA)

Q: If we have agreements for individual schools within an LEA, do you want us to count each agreement or the number of LEA agreements?

A: Count each formal agreement as one, even if there are multiple agreements within one LEA. For example, if there is a formal agreement with an LEA and also formal agreements with 3 schools, the total number of formal agreements would be 4.

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