How can I ensure renewed commitment to understand, value and implement strong governing policies and procedures...?

• review key information written by the Father of Head Start, Dr. Edward Zigler in the book Project Head Start: A Legacy of the War on Poverty
• assure that the three partners are effectively performing their unique and complementary roles in the shared governance structure.
• reflect on the knowledge that parents have a critical role in the lives of their children and the power of shared decision-making.
• understand the ongoing and evolving dynamic among all participants.
• an effective governance structure considers the whole not individual items and issues.
• remember that Head Start is "too big, too complex and too important to be managed by only one or two key staff at each grantee."
• learn from experiences of programs that have relinquished their grant or that has been terminated
• be aware of common concerns that have been expressed by parents across the country

Want more? Here is additional information

• Dialogue from "Linking Our Voices": What is a Policy Council?
• Questions and Answers
• Dialogue from "Linking Our Voices": A Policy Council in Action
• Roundtable Discussion with Policy Council Chairpersons, Governing Board Member and Head Start Director
• Dialogue from "Linking Our Voices": Policy Council from the Fathers’ Perspective
• Expectations for a Governance Training
  

 

HEAD START PROGRAM GOVERNANCE
National Satellite Broadcast and Web Cast
September 17, 2004, 1:30 - 3:30 PM EDT

 

Program Content Included:

• Expectations for use of Program Governance funding
• Opportunity to hear from local program leaders
• Resources and ideas to support effective shared governance

Transcript

The text from the September 17, 2004 Head Start Program Governance National Satellite Broadcast and Web Cast.

Panelists:

Windy M. Hill, Associate Commissioner, Head Start Bureau

Ann Linehan, Director, Program Support Division, Head Start Bureau

Craig Turner, Director, Program Management Division, Head Start Bureau

Frankie Gibson, Senior Parent Involvement Specialist, Head Start Bureau

Nila Rinehart, Project Director, National Interim Grantee Project

Kathy Channell, Head Start Director

John Morton, Governing Board Member

Iweogu Okechukwu, Policy Council Chairperson

Kimberly Pillow, Policy Council Chairperson

Segment 1:

• Welcome and Overview, Ann Linehan, Director, Program Support Division, Head Start Bureau
• Effective Program Governance - Ensuring the Success of Head Start's Children, Windy M. Hill, Associate Commissioner, Head Start Bureau
• Shared Decision-Making as Required in The Program Performance Standards, Frankie Gibson, Senior Parent Involvement Specialist, Head Start Bureau

Ann Linehan: Good afternoon, and good morning to those of you joining us from the West Coast.

We welcome you to this special satellite broadcast and simultaneous Web cast on Head Start program governance, and we also welcome our Spanish-speaking audience joining us via Web cast.

Damos la bienvenida a nuestra audiencia de habla hispana.

My name is Ann Linehan. I'm Director of the Division of Program Support in the Head Start Bureau.

We have thousands of folks joining us today. In addition to executive directors, Head Start directors and other grantee staff, we extend a special welcome to the many governing bodies and Policy Council members who are joining us today.

Additionally, we welcome all parents, state collaboration offices, state partners and federal staff from regional offices across the country and in Washington, D.C. We are very pleased that you have taken the time from your busy schedules to be with us today.

We'd also like to extend a special thanks to our panel participants, whom you will meet later. We believe that their experiences in local Head Start programs will greatly enrich our agenda today.

We have developed an agenda that will revisit and renew our commitment to ensure that Head Start programs understand, value and implement strong governing policies and procedures. At the close, Windy Hill will offer some important Head Start updates. The two-hour broadcast is divided into four segments. You will have an opportunity to ask questions after the second segment.

We invite your questions and comments via telephone, fax, and e-mail during the question and answer segment. Whether you phone, fax, or e-mail, please tell us your first name, title, and state. We would also like to remind everyone that we welcome your questions in Spanish as well.

Recordamos que pueden hacer sus preguntas en su español.

Contact information will be posted throughout the afternoon at the bottom of your screen. We will not get to every question today. However, after this broadcast, you will be able to continue sending your e-mails through 6:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time today.

Representative questions and answers will be posted on the Web site address you now see on the bottom of your screen.

My role today is to serve as moderator. I promise to keep us within the allotted time for each segment. The full script of each presentation during the program will be posted at the Web address shown on your screen now, as well as any presentation slides.

Let's begin. Windy Hill, Associate Commissioner of the Head Start Bureau, and Frankie Gibson, Senior Program Specialist for Parent Involvement, will join us for the first segment on effective program governance, and the requirements and intent of shared decision making. Windy...

Windy Hill: Thank you, Ann. It is my pleasure to be with you today, and to be a part of this important broadcast. Important because of the very critical role program governance plays in serving our children in the highest quality, most comprehensive early care and education environment available to low income children and families.

As you know, we have had other broadcasts this year in order to keep you well informed—as some might say, straight from the horse's mouth—about the progress we're making on the National Reporting System and other initiatives within the bureau.

I know that is a subject—the National Reporting System—that Head Start board members, Policy Councils, and other parents are very familiar with now.

We gather today to speak briefly and directly about governance in Head Start programs and about program requirements for effective shared decision making. You will hear us describe the critical nature of the roles and responsibilities between your local public and private non-profit agency and Policy Council, or Policy Committee and Parent Committee, as well as the support of executive and management staff.

But will what you hear or be asked to do be something new or something different? Well, this is one of those questions answered decades ago, this time by the nationally renowned father of Head Start, Dr. Edward Zigler.

• In 1979, the Free Press published a book that I daresay many consider a must-read for advocates of the Head Start Program. The book, entitled Project Head Start: A Legacy of the War on Poverty, was edited by Dr. Zigler and Jeanette Valentine. Few would argue that the book, Project Head Start, as its editor and author described, is "the only comprehensive history and analysis of the operation and evolution of this unique, complex and often misunderstood social experiment."
  
• In chapter 22 of the book, Project Head Start, one is provided a critique of the theory and practice relating to this much-loved federal program. In writing in 1979 about the continuing problems in program operation of Head Start, these long-time advocates of children and families and Project Head Start said that

  after nearly 15 years of operation, two issues have been raised time and time again, and are yet to be resolved. One of these problems has been with the Head Start program from early on and continues to be a salient problem today, and that is quality control.

• A bit later in this chapter, the authors say, "Quality control issues have emerged in three major areas. One: setting and meeting program performance standards. Two: accountability. And three: staffing needs." They write that the first two aspects of quality control are interrelated, and that program performance standards for Head Start are set in Washington and each program must meet these basic requirements.
  
• Just a bit further, as they brought chapter 22 to a close, the authors of the book, Project Head Start, put into words more than 20 years ago still, the best reason for our renewed efforts today, and targeted and more focused attention to governance and shared decision making. They wrote,

  The original planners of Head Start recognized that children's development of a sense of control over their own lives is important, and that it requires adult models who believe they can influence their own destiny." Parent and local community involvement in decision making roles was designed to provide opportunity for the poor to exercise power to influence their own and their children's lives.

The challenges we face in this area are not new to Head Start, yet effective program governance remains a keystone in a solid foundation for building positive outcomes for children and families.

During this broadcast, you will hear about the three primary partners in shared governance.

• Management, which is made up of your local executive or your Head Start director and administrative staff,
• The grantee agency, called "the Board," and
• The Policy Council or Policy Committee.

Each of these partners has a unique and complimentary role to play in effective shared governance.

Broadly, management has a responsibility to support shared decision-making by facilitating communication and information-sharing between the two groups and through its responsibility for implementing decisions and policies established and approved by these two bodies.

In accepting the federal Head Start grant, the board has a responsibility to carry out the requirements of shared decision making as outlined in the Head Start program performance standards. This is true of every Head Start grantee, whether the board members represent a public school, a community action agency or some other nonprofit or for-profit organization. You will also hear more about your board's legal and fiduciary responsibilities for the Head Start program.

Every grantee must understand and appreciate the responsibilities of both the board and the Policy Council in shared governance. Programs that deny its board members or its parents their full role in program governance not only shortchange the children and families they serve, and the community which supports and depends on these vital resources, and the taxpayers who provide the money to fund the Head Start Program, but these are programs that are deficient.

As we move forward with this broadcast today, I can't help but share one more quote from Dr. Zigler's book, Project Head Start. It is this:

In sum, Head Start has struggled and continues to struggle with important issues of quality control—program performance standards, accountability and staffing. These are problematic primarily because Head Start emphasizes that it is a local program serving local communities and hence, encourages flexibility and responsiveness to local needs. This paradox is not an easy one to resolve, yet these issues are important for the continuing vitality of the program.

Thanks. Over to you, Frankie.

Frankie Gibson: Thank you, Windy. I'd like to start by restating, in bit of a different way for all of us, that from Head Start's inception, the creators demonstrated an understanding of the critical role that parents have in the lives of their children and the power of shared decision-making. This is an important reminder today for everyone—those who have a long history in Head Start and those new to the program.

• The original legislation in 1964 required the first summer programs in 1965 to provide for direct participation of the parents in the development, conduct and overall program direction at the local level.
  
• Then, in August of 1970, the Head Start policy manual "70.2, The Parents," was published. This mandated a local formal structure to empower and require parents' involvement in policy making and program operation through Parent Committees, Policy Committees and Policy Councils.
  
• The first Program Performance Standards, finalized in June of 1975, also emphasized that parents are to be recognized as contributors to the Head Start program and to their communities and to be afforded opportunities for direct involvement in program planning operation. The "Parents, 70.2" was incorporated into this document in its entirety.
  
• The revised performance standards that took effect January 1, 1998 , incorporate all of 70.2 into the section now called "Program Governance."

So, the values that formed Head Start in 1970 continue to the present by requiring that each agency has an effective system of program governance. All Head Start programs must embrace shared decision-making. That includes participation of every interested parent as well as program and community individuals.

Positive leadership provided by the governing body, the policy group, which is a Policy Council for a grantee, or a Policy Committee for a delegate agency and key management staff is essential. The steps to attain successful and productive relationships among these groups are complex and dynamic. These relationships change annually with the formulation of each newly elected policy group. Each program has a responsibility to create a climate that fosters and builds meaningful and informed involvement and positive working relationships.

Like any regulation or law, meeting the "letter of the law" is sometimes far easier than insuring that the spirit and intent of the regulation is met. This is certainly true in Head Start and, in particular, in the regulations defining program governance. Governance works best when programs believe that meaningful involvement of parents is linked to positive child outcomes. When the intent and spirit of this shared governance is carried out, it's also one of the best examples of democracy and action our country has to offer.

Today, we are focusing on some aspects of program governance. Section 1304.50 is a narrative iteration of appendix A, which restates the responsibilities and outlines the interactions of the governing body, policy group and management staff. But I want to caution you, please don't take any regulation, or part of one, in isolation without considering the whole. Programs must see the whole, not individual items and issues, in order for governance to effectively function to support a quality program.

Another way to think about this interaction of program leadership is to look at the circular picture at the beginning of 1304.51. There is an ongoing and evolving dynamic among all of the participants.

Black Elk, of the Oglala Sioux, talked about "everything the power of the world does is done in a circle—the earth, the sun, the moon, even the seasons form a circle from childhood to childhood. Our tepees were round like the nests of birds, and these were always set in circles. The nations hoop a nest of many nests where the Great Spirit meant for us to hatch our children."

Our task, as adults, to care about Head Start children and families is to establish a safe and nurturing environment, just as we do in our own biological families, to grow and learn and yes, sometimes disagree together.

I want to bring us back to the Head Start guidebook, the program performance standards, and briefly review the definitions of responsibility as identified by an "A," "B," "C" and "D" in the 1304.50 appendix A, which is titled "Governance and Management Responsibilities Chart."

• When you see an "A" on the chart, we're looking at general responsibility. And the definition of general responsibility is, "The group with legal and fiscal responsibility that guides and oversees the carrying out of the functions described through the individual or group given operating responsibility." For example, it might be a community action board, a tribal council, a board of county or city commissioners, a school board, a for-profit or non-profit agency in a community.
  
• When you see "B" on the chart, we're talking about operating responsibility, so the individual or group that is directly responsible for carrying out or performing the functions consistent with the general guidance and oversight from the group holding general responsibility. We're talking about senior staff. We're talking about the executive director. We're talking about the Head Start director, Early Head Start director, and other staff that they delegate to carry out the day-to-day functions.
  
• A "C" on the chart talks about "must approve or disapprove." So this is the group—a group, not an individual—that must be involved in the decision-making process prior to the point of seeking approval. If it does not approve, a proposal cannot be adopted or the proposed action taken until agreement is reached between the disagreeing groups. So here, we're thinking about the written procedures that must be in place for a resolving of a conflict, if it occurs. We sometimes refer to that as an impasse. So if there's a disagreement, we have to look at it carefully and resolve it.
  
• When you see "D" on the chart, the definition is for "determined locally." We're talking about management staff functions that are determined by the local governing body and in accordance with all Head Start regulations. So that allows you flexibility to make decisions on how to best administer your program locally, but you always must do it within the context of the regulations that oversee Head Start.

Let's look at a few specific program performance standards. And remember that policy groups must work in partnership with the governing body and key management staff to develop, review and approve or disapprove, so no rubber stamping. The other part of this is that these are yearly tasks. Remember that, as a new policy group is formulated, they must have the opportunity to fulfill and work with the governing body on all of the tasks that are identified. We're going to talk about another A-B-C in the chart that I'm sure all of you are familiar with, and it divides up the functions.

• The first function is referred to as planning functions, under "A." I'm just going to give you a few examples of what we're talking about. These are the things around grant and budget application—there must be shared decision making. Change in site locations: A site is no longer viable, a new site must be identified as something that requires shared decision making, joint approval. Adding or changing a delegate agency at the grantee level is another area where that must happen.
  
• Now, let's look at "B," and we refer to "B" as general procedures. I've a few examples, but you need to look at all of them. This is just a few of the things that are dealt with.
  
  • The procedure for shared decision-making: So, the policy group and the governing body must decide on how they will proceed in shared decision-making and have that jointly agreed upon in the collaboration on that.
    
  • Written internal dispute resolution procedure: Again, something I have mentioned before, but it's critical that the two groups are working together on that. So hopefully they'll never have to use it. But, it's in place if they do have a disagreement.
    
  • And then working with community issues: Taking leadership within the agency to deal with issues that identify new programs that may identify problems that need to be addressed.
    
• When we look toward "C," we're talking about human resources management. Two very important examples are the review of personnel policies and procedures. That doesn't mean that every year it has to be rewritten, but it must be reviewed and looked at to see if there are changes that should be made, adjustments to that document to fit the program as you're now identifying it. Another large area, of course, is the hiring and termination decisions for your Head Start director, Early Head Start director. That is something that two groups must be working on jointly. Other staff—there are decisions that local programs can make around this in a flexible way.

So evidence of regular communication between the governing body and the policy group and supported by management staff must permeate the organization's functioning. Again, just a few examples for you to think about in your particular agency:

• What does your program's organizational chart look like? Does it truly reflect how you're doing business? And if it does, does it need changed? If it doesn't, then how are we going to change it?
• Meeting minutes: For all of your formal minutes, you need to have a record, so that people can remember and be accountable for the decisions made and the follow-up tasks that need to happen.
• Subcommittee structures: So that lots of work is done in preparation for your governing body meetings, your policy groups.
• Joint executive committee collaboration: The officers from the governing body and policy group meeting on a regular basis to discuss issues.
• Community partnerships and outreach: How are you providing leadership in your two groups for that?

And then, there needs to be evidence of knowledgeable articulation of your grantee or delegate agency goals by all those involved—not just the governing body and the policy group, but every parent, every staff, your community, interested parties. Back to you, Ann.

Ann Linehan: Thanks, Windy and Frankie. During our second segment, Frankie will be joined by Craig Turner, Director of the Division of Program Management at the Head Start Bureau, and Nila Reinhart, Project Director for the National Interim Grantee Contract. Frankie, Craig and Nila will discuss how data informs us and contributes to continued improvement efforts in the area of governance.

Now as we go to a break, we have an excerpt of the video "Linking Our Voices," a training-based program used by many governing bodies, parents and policy groups for orientation over the past several years. We will continue in a few moments.

Clip from Linking Our Voices "What is a Policy Council?"

Male Voiceover : I saw all these people. My first impression was like, what am I getting into here?

Female Voiceover: I couldn't understand some of what was being discussed. It was a little, intimidating I think, is a good word to say, at the beginning.

Male Voiceover: I didn't know what Policy Council was anyway. When I got there, bam, they had all this information and stuff going on with Head Start—telling you about parent involvement and parenting classes.

Female Voiceover: It's a process. And as time goes on, you start learning how to do business, how to associate with people, how to make issues become reality and put into force.

Narrator: A Head Start Policy Council is basically a group of parents and other people from the community working together to make decisions about the overall design and operation of a Head Start program's services. Doing this means joining with the governing body and Head Start staff to form a partnership that encourages openness and trust.

Woman at meeting: The Parent Resource Center wants to encourage low-income parents to come in.

Narrator: The Policy Council is a way to make sure parents are heard.

Terry White (Chairperson, Policy Council): One thing about Policy Council, it teaches parents what they should know all the time—that the parent is the primary educator of his children. And there's nobody that has a better connection of teaching their children than the parent, himself.

Denota Watson (Parent Involvement Coordinator): It's also an opportunity for parents, that they know that things are going to happen in the program is because they had a say in it, a partnership role in it. And it's not something that you drop your kids off today and we don't need you anymore—that they're an intricate part that makes this program successful and work.

Segment 2

• Craig Turner, Director, Program Management Division, Head Start Bureau
• Nila Rinehart, Project Director, National Interim Grantee Project
• Frankie Gibson, Senior Parent Involvement Specialist, Head Start Bureau

Ann Linehan: Welcome back. You have just heard from Windy and Frankie about the importance of effective governance. We cannot stress enough that programs faced with instability, fiscal woes and personnel conflicts commonly have inadequate governance. Conversely, programs focused on positive child outcomes for children, with sound management practices, have strong governance.

This segment will focus on how data informs us and contributes to the continuous improvement efforts in the area of program governance.

At the end of the segment, we invite your questions and comments via telephone, fax and e-mail during the question and answer segment. Welcome, Craig.

Craig Turner: Thanks, Ann. Good afternoon, my name is Craig Turner. I'm the Director of the Program Management Division of the Head Start Bureau. This division, among its other duties, is responsible for the Head Start monitoring system. In a few minutes, I want to share with you a few of the findings from the fiscal year 2004 monitoring year, as it relates to program governance. Prior to doing that, I wanted to speak briefly with you about Head Start in 2004.

There are today 1,670 Head Start grantees across the United States. These 1,670 grantees received nearly $6.5 billion, served more than 900,000 children and employ 200,000 staff. The average Head Start grantee is funded for $4 million, serves more than 500 children and employs 120 staff. Head Start, in short, has become big business. In fact, if we were a company, we would rank number 281 on the Fortune 500 list of the largest American companies, barely below Campbell's Soup and, in fact, bigger than both Apple Computer and Southwest Airlines. And, if we were a company, we would rank as the 18th largest employer in the United States. We cannot operate and manage Head Start the way we did 25 years ago. It is too big, too complex and too important to be managed by only one or two key staff at each grantee.

Every grantee must have a governing board. This board must recognize itself as the entity responsible for the Head Start grant, including fiduciary responsibility. Boards must regularly engage themselves in the business of understanding the Head Start program for which they have responsibility. We have all seen the consequences in corporate America when an ineffective and out of touch board cedes control of a company to one executive or a small group of employees. The situation is no different with Head Start. Board members must be committed to the regular exercise of their responsibilities. When members find they can no longer do this, it is in their and everyone else's interest for them to step aside. There are hundreds of former board members that, in hindsight, have realized that they might have been able to save their Head Start program if they had been more engaged. I have no doubt that all of them would do things differently given another chance.

Every grantee must also, of course, have a Policy Council. The Policy Council must, like the board, be more than just a name. It also must be a fully functioning organization, exercising the responsibility it has been given. The Policy Council is in place to support the board and senior grantee staff make the right decisions in areas such as personnel and budget. While Policy Council should say yes whenever reasonable, they should say no whenever necessary. Please, do not let anyone, be it a board chair, executive director, or even a Policy Council chair, deny you the vital role you need to play in assuring the successful administration of your Head Start grant.

And finally, every grantee must have senior management staff to carry out the day to day operation of the Head Start program. These staff must share with their colleagues on the board and Policy Council, must allow all concerned parties to be fully informed and aware. We are better together than individually. We can all make mistakes in judgment when we have no one questioning us.

Head Start grantees are only as good as the sum of their components. Yes, many grantees can go on for years and years with ineffective governance, but too many times something eventually gives and we find ourselves with the grantee in crisis. The grantee with poor governance may do many things well, but, for many such grantees, it is only a matter of time before something goes irrevocably wrong and the grant is in jeopardy. A grantee with good governance, one which shares and talks and considers together, is almost never a grantee that will be looking at the prospect of losing its grant. A grantee with poor governance will, at some point, run into real problems. Consider, for example, that in fiscal year 2004 more than 60% of the grantees which were identified as being deficient were deficient in governance. More than 35% of the grantees with noncompliance findings have findings in governance.

As Nila will discuss shortly, 20 grantees lost their grants in the last year. And virtually every one of these was, in large part, attributable to issues related to inadequate governance. These are grantees with boards that didn't recognize the grantee was spending more money than it had, grantees with Policy Councils that did not engage regularly and, too often, did not ask questions that needed asking, or grantees with an executive director that, for too long, had run the program with no accountability. A three-tiered governance structure will almost always be better than a one or two-tiered structure. Each of you needs to take full advantage of the talent and skills of your community and design Head Start programs that are as good as they can and should be. Thank you. Nila...

Nila Reinhart: Thank you, Craig. I am the Project Director for the National Interim Grantee Project. And from this perspective, I've had a unique viewpoint that comes after taking responsibility for Head Start and Early Head Start programs when local grantees have either relinquished or been terminated from operating the program. As the national interim grantee contractor for the federal Head Start Bureau, Community Development Institute has served over 50 Head Start and Early Head Start programs in 11 federal Head Start regions across the country.

The National Interim Grantee Contract provides the framework necessary to stabilize, strengthen, and operate the programs anywhere in the country. We work closely with the national Head Start Bureau, their regional offices, and the Head Start training system to address program issues and assure quality and continuous Head Start services. I would like to discuss some of our experiences.

Most boards of directors are committed to the mission and purpose of a community service agency. However, commitment and good intentions alone cannot provide the backbone for being a responsible and accountable organization that is secure in its stewardship over the Head Start program.

When we enter a program after a relinquishment or termination, there are many issues to contend with:

• The community's trust in the program has been shaken.
• The parent's reliance on the program is uncertain.
• In some cases, serious program changes must occur to bring the program back into compliance with Head Start performance standards.
• The staff are confused and upset, and often feel abandoned.
• A well-meaning board of directors, often leaders in the community, lose the confidence of their community.
• And the internal affairs of the organization become quickly exposed by an inquiring public media.

In short, the integrity of the Head Start program, the staff, and the board of directors are seriously undermined.

In observing grantees that have either relinquished or been terminated from operating the Head Start program, there are some common characteristics.

• The selection, support, and performance review of the executive director, Head Start director, controller and finance officers have often been inadequate.
• A cycle of effective evaluation, planning and improvement strategy implementation is not present.
• The performance of the governing body has not been addressed.
• There is usually a long history of program management, financial management, and governance red flags in on-site review reports that have gone unanswered.
• Appropriate internal controls are not established and implemented to safeguard the organization's assets.
• In many cases, the program has overextended its financial and human resources.
• Staff have not been held to account for their responsibilities. Communication systems between the governing board, Policy Council and management staffs are ineffective.
• The program has isolated itself from helping partners that could provide support and guidance.
• Oftentimes, agencies wait too long to put into place essential systems and fixes at a time when the agency is already at its most vulnerable.

The governing body has the responsibility for overseeing the management systems that support program functions. What can boards do to uphold this stewardship role?

• The first step a governing body must take to assess the performance of the organization is to evaluate its own performance in fulfilling its responsibilities.
• It must analyze its achievements and reach consensus on the areas that need improvement.
• It must thoroughly examine and determine new services and develop procedures for overseeing the organization's management systems.
• It must insist on periodic and verifiable reports to board of directors, Policy Councils, and constituents about the agency's progress.
• Boards must be engaged, informed and faithful fiduciaries, protecting the long-term interests of community's trust.
• Board members have a duty of ethical practices, acting in the best interests of their charter, and free from conflict with personal, financial or other interests.
• Boards have the duty of care and responsibility, making decisions on an informed basis, with oversight of risk and management.

Boards must ask themselves:

• Is there a board self-evaluation process in place?
• How effective is the board as a group and as individual members?
• Are optimum board roles and structures in place?
• Does your nominating and selection process ensure the necessary board expertise, experience, and commitment of time?
• Is there adequate ongoing education for board members?
• Is there clear accountability between the board and the executive director and/or Head Start director and his/her management team?

Above all, governing boards are stewards. As elected or appointed representatives of the community, governing body members must uphold this trust by enacting their responsibilities so that children, families, and the community can receive the best quality Head Start and Early Head Start program. Thank you. And over to you, Frankie.

Frankie Gibson: Thank you, Nila. Craig and Nila have shared with you some of the facts about what happens when shared decision-making breaks down or simply isn't occurring. Fortunately, most of the situations are resolved at the local level, and that's what we want and expect to happen. When Policy Council members begin to contact the regional office or central office, we must begin to provide support to that local program to assist them in working out what's going wrong.

Over the years, I must say I've spoken to many parents who feel their input was not valued.

I want to share with you a few examples of common concerns that parents have expressed.

• The first one is a new grantee has been selected for an existing program in a community and the agency is unfamiliar with Head Start regulations and culture.
• Another, a longstanding local program hires a new executive director or Head Start director and this person begins to make changes, excluding the governing body and policy group.
• And third, parents are asked to quickly approve a budget or policy without any input, discussion or review.

You know, all types of grantee agencies are represented in the above examples. The common denominator missing seems to be that most often there is a lack of regular, respectful and thoughtful two-way communication. I'm wondering, does this sound familiar to anyone in the audience? While we want to continue by focusing on what works, it's also necessary to understand why things don't go well. Our hope today is for each of you to be able to take away something that will enhance shared governance in your program.

Questions and Answers

• Craig Turner, Director, Program Management Division, Head Start Bureau
• Nila Rinehart, Project Director, National Interim Grantee Project
• Frankie Gibson, Senior Parent Involvement Specialist, Head Start Bureau

Q1: Can you clarify the composition of the Policy Council and what is the role of the community rep?

Frankie Gibson: Policy Councils or Policy Committees must be made up of a minimum of 51% parents who have children currently enrolled in the program. The rest of the membership can be community representatives. The number of parents could be higher than 51%, but it cannot be lower. But we certainly encourage a large representation from community people, and in a broad base, whether it's through the faith based community, business community, or just a number of places. The community representatives are there as equal partners with the parents and they also are there really sometimes in a mentoring role to be assisting new parents as they learn the job of being an effective Policy Council member.

Q2: Could you explain what role of oversight the Policy Council has over the fiscal department? Should the Policy Council, at all, require the controller to attend the Policy Council meetings?

Craig Turner: There is a narrow technical answer and then there is a broader philosophical answer. The narrow answer is that the Policy Council must approve or disapprove any budgets submitted by the Head Start grantee to its regional office. However, philosophically we would suggest that the Policy Council be part of the conversation from the beginning, as grantees are developing budgets, and as grantees are discussing issues related to fiscal governance. This is a much more effective strategy. It's much better to have the Policy Council starting with you, understanding the issues, talking them through and reaching consensus up front, than to have a Policy Council that does not understand the budget and perhaps may not approve the budget. The latter situation may jeopardize the Head Start grant and underscores the need to engage the Policy Council during the entire process of Head Start budget formulation and fiscal issues.

Q3: We are an Early Head Start grantee and a delegate Head Start program. And we're not really sure -- should we have one or two Policy Councils?

Frankie Gibson: Your agency has one governing body. You have one policy group. You must have a Policy Council. You also will have some business that you will be conducting as a Policy Committee, but it's important that you have one body that is looking at all of the programs for your agency in a broader scope, and not just focusing in on one aspect of the program.

Q4: We hear the term, Policy Council and board liaisons. I don't see, in the performance standards, any mention of liaisons. Can you tell me what they're supposed to be about?

Nila Reinhart: Board liaisons can be very useful in terms of the communication structure and the sharing of information that has to occur between the Policy Council and also the governing boards. In my tenure as the Head Start Director, one of the things that we did was to use the board liaison to interact between both memberships, to share information, to pass on viewpoints and to really serve as a communication link.

Q5: Who at the local level addresses the performance of the governing board? Who holds the board accountable?

Frankie Gibson: Number one, a board is accountable to itself, as the overseer of that particular agency, and certainly the community, I think. We'd expect that the board fulfill all of the responsibilities in protecting and overseeing the federal dollars that are coming into the agency.

Craig Turner: The board holds itself responsible. I think it's important to emphasize, that the board is the entity that we are funding. The board represents the agency. Board members are responsible for the effective oversight of Head Start dollars, and if there are situations where grantees find themselves in fiscal duress, then the board is ultimately responsible for resolution. We have found too many cases of late where grantees have gotten themselves into fiscal problems. They've spent down their grants before the budget year was out. They've spent money on inappropriate charges. The board will ultimately be held accountable by the federal government for the effective expenditure of Head Start grant funds.

Nila Reinhart: The thing that I wanted to add is that it's better that the board of directors hold itself accountable to their organization and their stewardship, rather than having the public media and their constituents later have to suffer the aspects that can put a board into trouble. Because it's really not a good picture when a board has to have its internal business exposed by the public media, once they've already gone down that path.

Q6: If your program is experiencing difficulties between the Policy Council and the program director, how can the governance specialist get either side to comply? What do you do when the Policy Council and program director don't get along or agree?

Frankie Gibson: Basically the Policy Council is important. This underscores the importance of their having an ongoing comprehensive and productive relationship with the governing body. So, certainly the governing body and the executive director, if there is one, would be the person who is responsible for the conduct of the Head Start director. But the beauty of shared decision-making is that it isn't any one person's responsibility, or even one of the groups, to resolve a situation like this. So, I would think that the Policy Council officers and the governing body officers need to strategize on next steps, depending on the situation because there could be a lot of reasons why something like that was occurring.

Q7: Please, explain the Policy Council term limits.

Frankie Gibson: Well, Policy Council term limits are three one-year terms for parent representatives as well as community representatives. The rationale for that is that we want to have as many parents as possible have the opportunity to participate while their children are in the program. And we want to cast a net as wide as possible, encourage that local program to bring in resources from their local community as community reps. Now a parent, if they have only served two years on the Policy Council and are still interested, could be selected to come back a third year as a community rep as well. But we encourage that local programs look to many, many places in the community to pull in support from their community representatives. They can be wonderful advocates and mentors and supporters for the program and for the total Policy Council.

Q8: Can you offer some training strategies for the Policy Council and the board?

Nila Reinhart: One of the most critical roles of the grantee is to provide ongoing training and assistance to allow the policy group and the governing board to function as it's designed to function. And one of the things that we must think about is that our governing board members and Policy Council members come and go. And so our thoughts, in terms of designing a training plan, should be built around what sort of experience or expertise do our Policy Council members and governing board members need? And what sort of individuals are they? What kinds of concerns does your particular Head Start program have in terms of its program operations? And designing the training plan around those needs, as well as around the basic performance standards, so that each governing board member and Policy Council member fully understands its role and responsibility in overseeing the Head Start program.

Frankie Gibson: I would just like to add that it's a wonderful opportunity for the current Policy Council to welcome and support a newly elected Policy Council in beginning some of that transition, by sharing the knowledge and passing that training on. There's also a role for a parent to possibly come back if they have served their three terms and still want to be active to be a resource for training as well, for both groups.

Q9: Does the national interim grantee project assume responsibility for every grantee relinquishment and termination?

Craig Turner: Almost every grantee. Prior to funding CDI, the Head Start Bureau acted as a national interim grantee. Often regional offices would seek neighboring grantees to come in. That was problematic for a lot of grantees. We were moving into an area where there were problems, generally, and there was difficulty in having relationships in communities that were not perceived to be part of your service area. Sometimes when grantees came in to act on a temporary basis, there were concerns about whether or not that was a prelude to giving them the grant on a permanent basis. We just felt it made much more sense to bring in one institution who would, in all cases, act as the interim grantee. There have been a few carefully considered exceptions to this, when there were reasons to have a neighboring grantee come in. But those, just to be clear, are certainly the exceptions. We're very happy with the job that CDI, that Nila and her colleagues have done, and we believe this allows us to effect a transition from a grantee relinquishment or termination to putting in place a new grantee in an orderly fashion. It's provided CDI with expertise that they can carry to other grantees in the future. We frankly believe it's the most effective way to do this.

Q10: About PC approval of hiring and terminations of the Head Start director, I thought I heard you say that programs had options regarding the termination and hiring of other employees.

Frankie Gibson: What I was referring to is that the term "primarily" works for Head Start in the standard, which gives you some flexibility with staff beyond the Head Start director or Early Head Start director. But it's still very important that the Policy Council be involved with all of those staff who have primary responsibility for working with their children in the Head Start program. The term must be identified and defined locally, but everyone needs to be a part of what that means because we, in no way, weakened that standard or any of the other standards in the revision, which took place January 1st, 1998. So, there isn't anything that is lessened in the intent of parents' participation in making decisions about staff hiring, as well as termination, when it comes to that.

Craig Turner: As Frankie said, "primarily" is a subjective term. We all would, perhaps, come to a different point. But I would like to provide an example: Our largest grantee in the country is the Los Angeles County Office of Education. We would not expect the superintendent of Los Angeles County Schools to be in a position subject to Policy Council approval. We're talking about people who are primarily employees of the Head Start program, for whom most of their day is spent dealing with efforts related to Head Start. If most of your paycheck is coming from Head Start grant funds, the way we see it, then that's certainly subject to Policy Council review and approval. If you're working in a very tangential way with Head Start, even though you are technically part of the program, such as a superintendent of schools or some similar position, then we would argue that's not the case in that particular situation.

Q11: This is a follow-up to the question about liaisons -- are they allowed to vote if they are a liaison only?

Frankie Gibson: As you remember, there is nothing in the standards regarding liaisons. We support the concept of a non-voting liaison who acts to facilitate communication and collaboration between the governing body and the policy group. Improving communication between the two groups can be done several ways. Sometimes members of the governing and policy groups take on the added task of ensuring the flow of information between groups. Other organizations simply identify a non-member to function as a liaison.

Q12: What is Head Start doing to include more fathers to participate in Policy Councils and in the program?

Frankie Gibson: I am hoping that many of you in our viewing audience participated, attended the Dallas Fatherhood Institute that the Bureau sponsored in June. We had almost 3,800 participants and many, many of the individuals there were fathers from your local programs, fathers who are working in the program, fathers who have children there. We're seeing more and more fathers locally. We're seeing more fathers in every aspect of the program. So getting fathers on the Policy Council, I think sometimes we could take some leadership from possibly our migrant programs who often have a large percentage of men in that role. But it's a matter of one father's active recruiting and reaching out to other fathers and building gradually that capacity locally. But certainly, your Policy Council taking leadership and deciding that's something that they want to take on and make successful will be incredibly helpful in your local program. There are a lot of resources people need to find out about.

Q13: Can a Policy Council president be a member of the grantee board of directors?

Frankie Gibson: Yes. If you have a structure that allows a representative from the Policy Council to serve on the governing body, then certainly if that's what the Policy Council decides, that person could be the Policy Council chair or the president. There's nothing in the standards that would prohibit that.

Q14: Who decides how the training money is spent within an organization?

Craig Turner: Let's assume we are talking about the training money which is part of the funds that go out to every Head Start grantee every year.. Later I'll speak in more detail about the governance training, the $4,000 that was made available to each of you. This is joint decision making. This is an executive director and a Head Start director making plans about how to use the money in concert with a Policy Council and in concert with a grantee board. I keep going back to the notion of a triad of government. It seems to me the training money is no different than the rest of the program money in the annual funding application and the annual grant award. These funds are part of what makes Head Start work in that community.

Q15: On the one-year terms for Policy Council members, may we, each grantee, define the term in its bylaws?

Nila Reinhart: Policy Councils and grantees have the responsibility of assisting the Policy Council in developing bylaws and the one-year terms can be addressed in those bylaws. And we should always be careful to make sure we're following the heart of the performance standards and being careful that we don't exceed the maximum three-year limits that are imposed by the performance standards.

Q16: How can we improve governance when the current governing body is dysfunctional?

Nila Reinhart: One of the important things that we have to think about is that oftentimes it's really easy to get caught in a situation where we're blaming one another for problems that exist. And whether you're a staff member or a Policy Council or community member that is interacting with a governing board that you feel is "dysfunctional," I think, as a constituent and a person of the community, that you have the ability to say what you know is true, and to help facilitate and sponsor the governing board to realize that change is necessary. And so, I would hope that if an individual feels this way that they begin interacting and getting support, because there are people out there either within the Head Start Bureau or within the training systems throughout the country, people who are willing and able to assist in helping boards get back onto keel. And one thing that I have experienced with the national interim grantee contract is that sometimes governing boards wait too long to implement change and that had solutions or new changes been sponsored into the organization sooner, it could prevent a disastrous impact. And so, I would hope that people would take it on themselves and interact responsibly and encourage and sponsor this change to occur.

Frankie Gibson: I'd like to reiterate something that I mentioned earlier. That, certainly, we expect these kinds of things to be able to be resolved locally and that's the ideal. If that doesn't happen though, we feel that anyone within a local program who is unhappy with what's going on should have access to the regional office. There's certainly a program specialist that's assigned to your particular grant and that would be your first line of contact. But there are people at that regional office as well as the central office and we need to be available to support you in any way that we can.

Q17: Is the maximum three years that a parent can serve on Policy Council just within that state or is it national? If a parent moves from Louisiana to Ohio to Virginia is that counted, or just counted within that state?

Frankie Gibson: We really do define that as a lifetime limit of three one-year terms. But, obviously, it's an honor system and it's not anything that we oversee or look at. We just ask that people buy into the rationale and the explanation and in the spirit of that and look to other ways to be active and involved if they're still interested and still want to be a part of Head Start. There are so many other ways beyond that particular role that people can provide meaningful support for the program, wherever they move or wherever they're located.

Q18: What role should parents have, if any, in interviewing, screening of Head Start staff?

Frankie Gibson: To underscore things that Craig has mentioned about other planning, other decisions of the program, you have a personnel committee just as you would have a budget committee. We would encourage this so that parents learn the role of interviewing and selecting, maybe even developing job descriptions, and there are just so many ways that parents can be a part of that process. And it can work in any kind of a grantee or delegate situation. You just have to believe that it's possible and then support people in moving in that direction.

Q19: My question is related to a point made earlier about getting reports that are verifiable. I just am wondering what suggestions you might have: what kind of reports we should be looking for, how to make the best use of our limited time. We're volunteers, many of us from the community, who are working on boards, as well as parents on policy groups that are also volunteering their time. How to make the best use of our time -- what sorts of things do we look for in those reports so that we really can make informed decisions?

Nila Reinhart: One of the things that a governing board can do, first of all, is really think about what kind of expertise do we need represented on the board level? And finances and fiduciary responsibilities are absolutely critical to whether or not an organization can maintain its health and vitality. And so, I would begin by making sure that you have people on the board who have that kind of expertise, who can wade through the financial reports and really fully understand the implications of an audit and who can coach and mentor the rest of the board members to be able to understand those issues. Secondly, the grantee really needs to take responsibility for ongoing training and education. If folks are not understanding the financial reports or have questions, then you have the responsibility to insist that ongoing training occurs. Thirdly, in terms of how you choose the auditor that you have selected for your organization -- are they such that they really know and understand performance standards and the rules around federal grants management? And lastly, my comment is just an observation; it's just so critical in terms of who you hire for your controller position. The expertise that they bring, the integrity and stewardship they have over keeping the board members well informed and educated about financial circumstances is really critical.

Craig Turner: Clearly, the whole fiduciary responsibility for board members is extremely important and there are reports that are not terribly difficult to understand. For example, you should simply ask your executive director to give you what we call "payment management system cash draw down". How much money are they drawing down at any given point? Remember, our grantees get funded for a one-year budget period. Roughly 1/12th of the money each month should be deemed "drawn down." And if you're seeing peculiar draw down patterns you should ask that executive director why. But I also want to remind you that your oversight responsibility, at least in my judgment, goes beyond just fiduciary. I think you've got a responsibility to ensure we're delivering quality services to the children and families in that program. So a few of the things I would ask the board members to look at -- We have an annual report called the Program Information Report (PIR) that all programs submit to the federal government. It's got lots of information about the services that were provided the previous year. Board members ought to be looking at that and assessing areas where the grantee is not delivering all of the services that it is required to. Once every three years we go on site to do a triennial monitoring review, and the review report is mailed from the regional office to the board chair. I would certainly encourage all board members to carefully read the report which shares what the results of that one-week on-site review entailed, including what problems (areas of noncompliance with regulation) were found in that grantee. This is an opportunity for you to stay on top of quality as well as the fiduciary area. Parents can ensure not only that the grantee is fiscally sound, but in fact it's delivering the high-quality services we expect of all programs.

Frankie Gibson: Two other quick reminders. The annual self-assessment, I think, would be very key in this, and also the board responsibility to supervise and evaluate the executive director.

Q20: Would it not be a conflict of interest if the governing board chair is also the council policy chair?

Craig Turner: That would not be a healthy arrangement for the grantee. It seems to be self-evident that we're talking about this. Again, I go back to the triad governance here and my earlier comments where I suggested that three of us are better than one of us or two of us. I think we need to maintain discreet units here. We can certainly collaborate and coordinate, but I don't think we should just do away with any one of those three. So no, I don't think that is an arrangement that we want to encourage at all.

Frankie Gibson: Nothing is in the standard that says you absolutely couldn't. But when you're looking at common sense and some best practice, you very clearly would want to question that. The same thing the standards do not say that a parent must be the Policy Council chair, but we would want you to look at that very carefully because the intent of the Policy Council is to allow parents to learn skills and confidence to go on beyond their experience.

Q21: Can two family members be on a Policy Council and on a board from the same family?

Frankie Gibson: I think it fits into the same category in many ways as the last question. As far as I know there's nothing in the standards, but it does set up a high question about conflict of interest. And I think if you have bylaws and are working on things, you want to think through some of these issues. What are the ramifications for allowing that kind of thing to occur in your program? It's up to local programs to decide and avoid those kinds of pitfalls.

Nila Reinhart: In some small communities you don't have a choice. There are a lot of relationships that go throughout the community. But I think Frankie's point about why, keeping our sense about this and the rich decision-making process that we want to encourage is one that is well-rounded in terms of representation and viewpoints and wrestling with some of the disagreements in order to come to a better common-ground place that can really move the program forward. So in terms of membership, I think the more diverse the better.

Clip from Linking Our Voices: "A Policy Council in Action"

Amanda Bradley (Parent Representative, Policy Council: Benjamin is people-oriented. He loves to go, go, go, go. And what I found is that Head Start gave him a balance to where he can have that interaction with other children. He has learned so many different things. And I've got a great relationship with his teacher. So I understand what he's learning and I can carry that on into the home. Because I'm a parent, it's important to me that the people who are interacting with my child are the people that I would like to be interacting with my child.

Narrator: As part of their responsibilities, Policy Council members like Amanda Bradley play an important role in making decisions and developing policies on staff hiring that will affect their children and the community.

Amanda Bradley (Interviewing teacher candidate): OK, I'm a parent and I'm coming into your classrooms, a 3 or 4-year-old room, how would you make me feel comfortable?

Teacher Candidate: I'll ask if you have any questions about us or the classroom.

Sandra Owle (Parent Involvement Coordinator): The more involved the parents have become in the process of interviewing and doing more than just looking at paper applications and the more committed they've become and eventually see they're valuable.

Narrator: Amanda's interest led her to serve on the Policy Council's personnel subcommittee. In developing hiring policies, they work together with their grantee agency, the tribal council. But, at times, there are challenges.

Policy Council Member (reading from letter): As of today, all tribal programs should discontinue interviewing for vacant positions in their department. Recommendations from the directors will be taken into consideration but the tribal committee should make the final decision.

Amanda Bradley: I had some suggestions that I was bringing to this meeting and now I can't tell you the suggestions because they're going to change the policy and the way we're doing things. I feel cheated.

Woman: They told me that we were supposed to submit everything to them and I said, well, that seems like you're circumventing personnel policy.

Woman: One of the federal regs is: the Policy Council must approve all hiring and firing. So, once they're made aware of that, then you know, all the rest, I think, will fall into place.

Amanda Bradley: The idea of the Policy Council roles and responsibilities is a constant struggle. Policy Council cannot independently hire or fire anyone. Staff cannot independently hire or fire anyone. It has to be a partnership between the grantee agency, program staff, Policy Council. No one group can function independently of the others.

Man: How're you doing?

Woman: I'm doing fine. Good to see you.

Narrator: Later that day the subcommittee brought their concerns to the Policy Council meeting where they met with other Policy Council members from community and the tribal council.

Amanda Bradley: When we received this memorandum today, one of the things that was discussed was after all the time and procedures that we had been going through and trying to put together, it was like it was taken away from us and we won't have the opportunity now to continue on with what we're doing.

Sandra Owle: I didn't have to do much to get the parents involved. Once they're allowed to be involved, they are. Information is power. So once you provide them with all the types of information that they should have to make an informed decision, then they begin to question.

Amanda Bradley: We've spoken in our meeting today. We don't want a conflict. We just want them to understand what we're doing. I, as a parent, feel very part of what's going on with my child by being involved.

Man: I'll be more than happy to address this with the chairman of the personnel committee and it's just because of a lack of knowledge on this. I'll be the one that fights the battle with it.

Woman: What I found with Policy Council, it puts the parent in the leadership position. It opens up the situation to where the parent says, yes, I could have control of some of what's happening to my life, my community, my children, my family.

Man: Sometimes the director can view the Policy Council as being a threat. That's an issue that directors have to really look at—recognize they have the ability to help me design a program that truly meets the needs of their own children. It's been a truly wonderful partnership.

Narrator: Through team work and shared decision-making, Policy Council members make an important difference in the lives of the children and their community.

Segment 3:
Roundtable Discussion: Illustrations from Three Local Programs

• Frankie Gibson, Senior Parent Involvement Specialist, Head Start Bureau
• Kimberly Pillow, Policy Council Chairperson
• John Morton, Governing Board Member
• Kathy Channell, Head Start Director
• Iweogu Okechukwu, Policy Council Chairperson

Ann Linehan: Welcome back to this segment of our broadcast featuring Frankie Gibson, John Morton, a governing body member, Kimberly Pillow, a Policy Council chair, Kathy Channell, a Head Start director, and Iweogu Okechukwu (Chuck), a Policy Council chair. Frankie...

Frankie Gibson: Thank you, Ann. Kathy, we're going to start with you. As a Head Start director working in a program where the grantee is a school system, can you explain to us how program governance is working well where you are?

Kathy Channell: Sure. I think that it's important that no matter whether your grantee is a school division or another type of grantee, that they recognize that as they accept the Head Start funds and the grants, that they accept the terms and conditions of that grant, and so they have the roles and responsibilities in carrying out the plan to make sure that that happens. When shared decision making really works and policy councils and governing boards come together and are really making that happen, then we can ensure high quality programming for our children and families. And that's what we're really all about.

In our school division, let me just talk about them for a few minutes. We have a governing board, which is our school board, and we have an executive director, who's our superintendent, and they have always felt the importance of parent involvement and parents as decision-makers. They've made that very clear in developing their strategic plan, and within that strategic plan they talk about developing and maintaining school/home partnerships and school and community partnerships and developing ways that families and communities can be involved in the decision-making process. I think that parents are valued within our school division, and I believe that parent involvement is a cornerstone of Head Start, so it's such a wonderful match for us.

And Frankie, I know that you were talking earlier about communication and shared decision-making and sharing information and planning. All of those are such critical pieces. When all of the stakeholders have the information that they need, have training that they need, then they can make informed decisions for the children and families in their community.

Frankie Gibson: Kimberly, you're the Policy Council chair for the program where Kathy is the director. Tell us how Policy Council members are supported and valued. Kathy referred to that. Explain to us how that works.

Kimberly Pillow: I think the most basic thing in our program is that the Policy Council members are given a great deal of respect by the grantee agency as well as by the Head Start staff. We're given all the tools that we need to do our job. Each Policy Council member is given a tote bag in the beginning of the year that has all the tools we need to perform during Policy Council meetings. Just office supplies, calculators, things like that, that we might need to work on the budget. In addition to that, we each receive a program calendar that has all of our program's Head Start activities for the coming year. We are also given the opportunity to do all the training that other school division employees would be given the opportunity to do. So we do have access to training opportunities and I think the other very important piece is that we're always given the time to make thoughtful decisions.

Frankie Gibson: So the things you were hearing earlier play out, do you feel like?

Kimberly Pillow: Absolutely. We're treated as professionals.

Frankie Gibson: That's great. Chuck, you were also a Policy Council chair person in an urban community action agency program. So the things you've heard already, how does that fit with your program? What's different? What would you like to add? What is the same in your program?

Iweogu Okechukwu: It's not much different from what Kimberly said because it's all lined up with one design: to bring parents in, and for more parents come in to be a member or join a particular program. And these parents come together to form a body. And out of this body is a neutral election and they're being sent to the council. And when they receive this key, the time is taken out for a formal training because these parents as Policy Councils or Policy Committees will now be making some decisions and rethinking design policies to disapprove or approve issues rising out of the governing body. Also, they look into the governing body and how they're managing the fiscal affairs of each program. It is a very great thing for parents to come in and be trained out of nowhere to understand governance and performance standards.

Frankie Gibson: John, you are a long-time community organizer and volunteer in your community. You've served on boards and you're hearing some things that are happening right now. What could you add about the things that are important, from a board perspective, when everything is working well?

John Morton: One of the issues that I'd like to talk about is describing the upward mobility philosophy of my former agency. How we made a great effort to deal with both our staff and the parents to upgrade their education and job opportunities. And I was so fortunate to be very close with a Head Start graduate, Seton Hall graduate and a former president of the board of our local school district. That's all because of our efforts to increase the ability, to increase the opportunity for all of our participants. I'm very, very pleased about that. Thank you.

Frankie Gibson: Anyone else have something to add to this whole aspect of upward mobility and the importance of that and how that plays out in your program?

Iweogu Okechukwu: Yes, Frankie. The upward mobility comes about when community representatives, community activists come and join the parents. It's very good to formalize this whole aspect of the committee of the Policy Council. The issue here is for parents to be prepared. It takes a wholesome mind to raise a child. And when parents see their active role in this child rearing and the partnership that forms with particular agencies it brings a new dynamic and a new aspect to life. And that's what John, I think, as a member of the board of directors, is trying to point out here.

Frankie Gibson: Kimberly, I think you had something you'd like to add.

Kimberly Pillow: Yes. In our program we find that it's important to empower parents. I think each of us in each of our programs needs to remember and be sensitive of the population that we serve. We're all dealing with the mindset of poverty and that can be something that's damaging to the person's self-esteem, to the parents. We may be dealing with cultural issues or with language barriers. Even the difference of whether your program is in a rural community or an inner city program will change the way you can most effectively communicate with your parents. It's important to empower the parents in our program. We have the parents training the parents, we have parents that mentor other parents to get them involved into the program each program year. We begin at parent orientation and we go on from there to increase the parent involvement in the program. I think it's important for us to let all the parents know that in Head Start their voice is heard and their vote counts.

Frankie Gibson: I am wondering if you have some advice that you'd like to share with the board members in our audience. Either one of you as Policy Council chairs, what are those most important tasks to get that message across to Policy Council members? Chuck, you can start.

Iweogu Okechukwu: A Policy Council chair which I've held for quite a time now.

Frankie Gibson: This is your second year?

Iweogu Okechukwu: This is my second year. My advice is for them not to get complacent in their role as directors because their main rule is to see the total success of each program because they are responsible for the governance and they are responsible for sharing judgments that they will carry out. So if the money and the funds from the fed is the wheel, and if it's not being taken care of, or it's not being accounted for, or not being directed to that right aspect of what it's meant to do, that's going to be laxity. And when you have laxity, you have a fallout and there's where the issues begin to crumble.

Frankie Gibson: Kimberly, do you want to add something?

Kimberly Pillow: In our program, again, I think that success can be achieved by having a mutual relationship of respect and support and a great deal of communication between the grantee agency and the Head Start staff, the program director and the Policy Council, which involves the parents as well as the community representatives. It needs to be a relationship of great respect and support.

Frankie Gibson: Kathy, I'd be remiss if I didn't give you the opportunity to share a little different take on what can happen around the personnel committee and how Policy Councils can be involved even in the school system setting.

Kathy Channell: As I already previously said, our school division really values parent involvement and in the next year or so we'll be looking at a new superintendent in our school division. And even at that level, parents will be involved in interviewing and thinking about what types of qualities we want our superintendent to have.

Frankie Gibson: I think I even heard you say that people were asked to suggest individuals who might be qualified to apply.

Kathy Channell: Yeah.

Frankie Gibson: Okay. Well maybe, John, we can move on now and take a little bit different turn because I know just recently the agency that's important to you, that was the Head Start grantee, was required to relinquish that program. And so, I think you could be helpful to those people, you're certainly helpful to us here and those in the audience, about what it was, as you reflect back, that the board needed to do differently to have had a more successful outcome to what's going on right now.

John Morton: There are several major factors, but I'll just briefly deal with two, primarily. The first one is keeping our minds and thoughts on our purpose as given to us by the Head Start Bureau, Head Start organizations. What has happened will happen and we are very fortunate to have memberships that have been involved on the governance body for over 20 years. And when that occurs, there's a complacency that is only human that will happen to us. And that did happen to us. And to be more specific, one of the biggest jobs that we have is hiring the person that's in charge of the daily operation, that is, the executive director. And through our interviewing process we looked at the academia, his presentation, but we did not, in my view, find out if he was about what we were about—our mission statement. I think that's very vital because a person can come in and have all the academics needed to do a job, but if the mindset does not fit into your goals, then you're going to have a problem. So I warn, keep that in mind.

Frankie Gibson: And everybody in the audience.

John Morton: Yes. Keep that in mind. That's vital. You've got to be on the same page. If not, you're going to have chaos and it's going to create divisions…

Frankie Gibson: Okay.

John Morton: …between your parent board and your governing board and then that's going to be divided. And who's going to be in control normally will be a manipulative, bright executive director. You don't want to have that happen to you. You are physically responsible for the agency.

Frankie Gibson: So that person should always be facilitating the communication, never the go between.

John Morton: Yes.

Frankie Gibson: And I think you mentioned earlier too, the importance, I am sure you would agree with what Craig said in our last section, about the importance of the controller's role, as well as the hiring of that person.

John Morton: Oh yes, I mentioned in a previous conversation that we had about the controllers. Those are the two most vital persons in terms that they must understand who they work for and are responsible to the board. The board is responsible to its funding source and to its mission.

Frankie Gibson: Okay.

John Morton: Thank you.

Frankie Gibson: Be clear about that. Would anyone on the panel like to add something that hasn't been said about the importance of ongoing training with the governing body and Policy Council, a specific way it might be happening that could be helpful to our audience?

John Morton: Yes.

Frankie Gibson: Ok. Jump right in.

John Morton: I feel as though the training, that it's vital. And I heard earlier, periods of training, and it was brought to my attention in the earlier discussion that I was listening to that we can do it. It's not good for us to do annual training. We need to almost do training as needed.

Frankie Gibson: Ongoing.

John Morton : Yes. As needed. We're going to have it the first of this year, the last of next year. No, because things get too old. It's 2004; things are changing very rapidly. And the board has to be aggressive.

Frankie Gibson: Chuck?

Iweogu Okechukwu: Exactly what John is saying. We ask about the added value to parents. It's a partnership and it's the sharing of decision making. If a parent is not properly trained and that's been an ongoing trend, how could that parent design and look into bylaws and impasses and policy strategies? How could parents who are not trying? So as a policy chairperson, I know my job is to be fair, but at the same time, I want good people to understand the issue at hand so they will go down there and they will know that, "this is a new beginning for me. I'm not going back on that even after I leave the Head Start program. I have been trained for life." So that training is vital and it should be ongoing and I shall encourage that the policy should be increased for parents so that they will have the continuous training going.

Frankie Gibson: I'd like to add, that goes for governing bodies as well as Policy Councils. It's so important to be trained. Anyone with that one last short sound bite that you haven't had a chance to say or you want to reinforce before we move on?

Kathy Channell: Frankie, I will close out if that's okay with you. I just think that at a time when school divisions all over this country are looking at a plan for No Child Left Behind, that it's so important that we recognize that Early Head Start and Head Start are the first steps in making sure that no child is left behind. And that when we come together as parents and staff and Policy Councils and governing boards we can make a difference for children and families and we can be assured that no child will be left behind.

Frankie Gibson: I can't think of any better way, Kathy, to close out this panel discussion and I want to thank all of you for sharing your lessons learned today. I suspect there are many communities who could identify with the issues you described. I'm really quite confident that programs in the audience are going to benefit from your experiences as they look carefully at ways to improve their own shared governance structure. Ann, we're going to turn it back to you.

Ann Linehan: Thanks, again, to our panelists. In our next segment, Craig Turner will address the purpose of the onetime supplemental funding available to grantees for governance screening. Frankie will reflect on the local experiences and Windy Hill will provide closing remarks that include Head Start Bureau information and updates. We will continue after this break and another short clip from the Linking Our Voices video. We'll be right back.

Clip from Linking Our Voices : "Policy Council from the Fathers Perspective"

Alvin Ortiz (walking son to school): We've got school tomorrow, but tomorrow's Friday. That means Josh might come over tomorrow.

Son: Yay!

Alvin Ortiz: Working with the center and Policy Council has kind of bonded my son Alvin closer together with me in the sense we now do a lot of projects together, we go on trips and I've changed. I listen more to him, to what he has to say and he makes sure I listen, definitely.

Son: I'm making the spaghetti sauce.

Alvin Ortiz: I like the kids to be around him and once I start seeing the other teachers and the kids who get to know me and everything, I go there every day. It's fun for me and a great learning experience.

Narrator: While volunteering, Alvin Ortiz also got involved with the center's Parent Committee and later was elected representative to the program's Policy Council.

Alvin Ortiz: Our Parent Committee meetings are so everybody can get to know each other, also to pass out information that has had been left from Policy Council and any other concerns that the parents themselves have.

Narrator: In the Policy Council meetings, Alvin and other members share information and focus on ways to make Head Start work better. They're responsible for helping plan and develop the program and its goals, for helping make personnel and budget decisions and doing program evaluations.

Woman in Meeting : And members who served on that particular team included parents, support staff and center staff.

Woman: It appeared it didn't have much ethic background to show, pictures, posters of Spanish. They need more Spanish posters and stuff like that. They also need more bilingual people there, foreign staff.

Narrator: Through the Policy Council, Alvin met Terry White and joined F.A.M.I.L.Y., a subcommittee formed to get men more involved in Head Start.

Terry White: Most of the women bring their kids to school and you see maybe a few fathers, but they just come, drop and they leave. They figure—like me, I guess, years ago when I was with my daughter Latoya—hey, it's a woman thing.

Terry White: So we got together and we formed this group and it's called, "F.A.M.I.L.Y.: Fathers Advocating Male Involvement In the Lives of Youth". And we will be out there talking to people and talking to guys and telling them, come on, get up and help these kids out. They don't need money. All they need is time. You know what I mean? Just give them some time and some encouragement. You'll be surprised at what it can do for you.

Terry White (to Alvin ): It's just focused on getting guys, you know, all guys, men, significant male role models.

Man: I really believe that anything that's presented to her as a positive role image or role model will benefit. You know, I know how I could have benefited more myself, as a child, if I had a role model.

Narrator: The success of family comes not only from the number of men who choose to get involved but from the strength of the friendships that they form with each other.

Man: Is this is what male involvement is all about—pizza?

Alvin Ortiz: Terry and me were talking to a couple of fellows yesterday. A guy asked us for a card. We had nothing to give him. We need fliers stating, you know—not for just one event, but in general—F.A.M.I.L.Y.

Man: When you talk about recruiting, I mean, we're going to go outside the centers for recruitment.

Man: The other day, I met this guy down here, from the projects down the way, he runs for the housing authority an after-school literacy program for the children in that project area. I can see how some of the parents can help with his program and teaching after-school literacy or tutoring and, again, those parents can reflect back to our program.

Terry White: The male role model is lacking in a lot of communities. You have to realize that you're going to be the one who shows the child the right way in life. So, the more positive things you do, they're definitely going to have to remember because there's enough negatives going on.

Terry White: For instance, my grandson. His father is incarcerated for one thing. No problem, that's a good reason why he can't be there. I love my grandson anyway, doesn't make a difference. I'll be there for him regardless. But as a role model, I think it has changed him a little bit. He was getting a little wild, and for me to come into the classroom kind of makes him feel good.

Terry White: What you learn from Policy Council is going to uplift the community, uplift your family and definitely uplift your child, and it makes you feel good about yourself.

Program Governance Training: Tailored to Enhance the Knowledge and Function of the Governing Body, Policy Council/Committee, and Parent Committees , Craig Turner and Frankie Gibson

Ann Linehan: Welcome back, let us begin our last segment with Craig Turner. Craig...

Craig Turner: Thanks, Ann. I want to speak to you briefly today of how we at the bureau envision the type of governance training grantees should pursue. I want to begin this discussion by briefly quoting from the July 15th letter that was sent to each of you, in which we asked that this training be, and I quote,

intensive grantee design governance training that provides in-depth orientation to all members of the governing boards, Policy Councils and senior Head Start staff under administrative and fiduciary responsibilities within their organizations and its Head Start agencies.

That is, training designed for the particular circumstances of your grantee, your governing board, your Policy Council, your executive director and your Head Start director.

We do not envision this training as one in which 50 grantees sit in an auditorium for a one and a half-day PowerPoint presentation.

Nor is this training sending your parents alone to some training event or sending your executive director or your Head Start director alone to a three-day course in management. It is about getting all key players together in the same room. And with the help of the trainer, talking about issues related to governance at your program.

Some grantees have asked about cluster training, where a few neighboring grantees would get together. If done right, we think this can work. As long as the training ensures that there is sufficient time for each grantee to speak alone among its players, as well as sharing experiences with representatives from the other grantees.

We would also like to encourage that each of you involve your local training and technical assistance specialist in designing this training. We understand we are still sorting out the new T/TA system, but we believe we have a cadre of highly skilled and committed individuals in these positions and you should take full advantage of that in seeking the right way to improve program governance.

Lastly, I want to emphasize that this training should not be perceived as a one-time event. We have made funding available for this effort because there are just too many situations lately where grantees have gotten into trouble because of governance problems. However, a one or two-day training event should be just the beginning. Grantees, and I know many of you do this, need to incorporate governance training into their ongoing T/TA plans. Board members change, Policy Council members change, executive directors and Head Start directors change and circumstances at the grantee change. If you all work to focus on governance in a strategic, thoughtful and ongoing way, you will, in our judgment, go a long way to ensuring the continued success of your Head Start program. Frankie...

Frankie Gibson: Thank you, Craig. As you reflect on today's broadcast, we hope that the leadership in your program in every Head Start agency that is in the viewing audience ask themselves:

• Do we know if our governance structure is effective?
  
• When was the last time we have talked as a group—the group that Craig just suggested that must be happening?
  
• Are changes needed in what we're doing?
  
• What training has already occurred over the last year?

It's expected that every grantee and delegate agency begins this process each new program year. And one resource that can be extremely helpful is the video that you've been seeing clips from, Linking Our Voices. We know a lot of you use it. We're suggesting that it's important for everyone to use it at some point because this video-based training is available in both English and Spanish and it can be used for a parent orientation, for our governing body or policy group orientation and then ongoing work with your Policy Council.

It's available from the Head Start Information and Publication Center. We'd hope, at a minimum, that the four Linking Our Voices training modules can be presented to newly established policy groups. Also, you have the resource of the training guide Fostering Program Governance. It's important for your governing body. It's a follow up to the Linking Our Voices training. Remember that ongoing training for policy groups is to occur. It focuses on the standards. You heard it over and over today.

Each program is in a unique position; therefore, issues can best be resolved locally. But your federal, national and regional offices with the assistance of the TA network are available to support your efforts to successfully carry out shared decision-making. And be sure to watch for the new Head Start Virtual Learning Center that will be coming and be available to you soon. Windy, I'd like to turn it over to you for some closing remarks and updates.