Planning

Planning process in Head Start includes developing such products as a procedure for planning a philosophy for the program (if one does not already exist), goals, objectives and strategies, operational plans and procedures for monitoring ongoing operations and assessing and program impact. See the Sample Planning Calendar for examples of specific shared decision-making responsibilities for governing body, policy group and staff.

Shared decision-making in planning is required in the Head Start Program Performance Standards. While it is common for the board and staff to share the responsibilities for planning in most organizations, in Head Start organizations this process is also shared with the Head Start Policy Council or Policy Committee.

The governing body and policy group must understand and agree on the planning activities that they need to perform and the timeframes for conducting these activities. Therefore, the first critical planning step is to establish how and when planning activities will occur-a procedure for planning. Because staff cannot commit either body to carry out these functions, the two groups must agree on the procedure before it is implemented. The governing body and the policy group must be consulted about any item that requires their approval during the developmental process and before approval is sought. It is imperative that the planning process describes not only when approval will occur but also when prior consultation and involvement in each planning activity will occur.

Monitoring and Assessing Performance

The governing body is responsible for ensuring that the program is meeting its goals and objectives. The results of ongoing monitoring of both program and fiscal activities provide information for the governing body and policy group to keep them apprised of program progress. The annual self-assessment results describe accomplishment of program goals and objectives and outcomes for children as well as proposals to correct any identified problems.

Addressing Human Resources

The Human Resources Management Section of the Head Start Program Performance Standards states that the governing body and the policy group must approve personnel policies and decisions to hire or terminate the Head Start or Early Head Start director. The policy group does not carry the legal and fiscal responsibility for the agency as the governing body does; consequently, the governing body may be far more involved in determining personnel policies to assure that risk to the agency is minimized. These policies form the basis of an agency's human resources system.

Setting Staff Boundaries and Limits

For all of the items that require shared approval by the policy group and the board, it is imperative that the role of staff in each item be clearly described and agreed to. In addition to the limits personnel policies place on staff, other limits or boundaries are needed to help staff understand expectations. For example, if the procedure for planning is to be initiated by staff as a draft working paper for the board and the policy group, the timeframe for receiving and acting on the draft as well as completing approvals ought to be detailed in the procedure for planning.

Boundaries for staff are needed in numerous areas. An example is the amount of flexibility staff have in making changes to the budget (which may also require changes in work plans to be detailed in agency procedures). This and other policies and directives should be part of the procedures that are adopted for governance. If a staff boundary or limit affects an area that is covered by shared decision-making, then the boundary must be approved by both groups. For example, the director has discretion to move the established percent of a budget category without the prior approval of the governing body and the policy group. The established percentage becomes the boundary that staff must follow.

Designing Governance Processes

There are three very important aspects of designing governance processes and procedures that are shared between the policy group and the governing body.

The first is to ensure that there are clearly written procedures for each item that requires shared decision-making. Because many of the individual items are part of the ongoing systems of the agency, it is imperative that policymakers (policy group and governing body) understand how action on one item must be taken before action on others can occur. For example, the funding application is not developed before goals and objectives have been adopted. Procedures must be established using the "givens" that the agency must respond to, including the cycle of funding for the Head Start program.

The roles of agency leaders and staff are an integral part of the written procedures. For example, if the governing body and policy group expect staff to present their analysis of community issues and concerns from the Community Assessment (CA) as the preliminary information for establishing goals, this needs to be described in the procedures and timetable for planning. The activities staff perform as support to the governing body and policy group help to clarify how the systems of the organization function.

The second consideration when designing a governance system is the need for a procedure to resolve disputes between the governing body and the policy group. The dispute resolution process must be developed and approved by both the governing body and the policy group. The process must describe when an impasse exists and how the process is activated. The procedure is required in the event that there is a dispute between the two bodies. Many agencies are able to avoid such conflicts if their procedures for shared decision-making are supported by a good communication system that provides thorough and timely information to both groups. In addition to quality information, both groups must respect and support the shared decision-making process.

The third consideration when designing governance procedures is to assure that a procedure for hearing and resolving community complaints about the program exists. Both the governing body and the policy group are given operating responsibility for developing and implementing the community complaint procedure. This procedure allows both bodies to hear about issues that arise from within the community and to ensure that steps are taken to respond in a timely and thorough manner.

Integrating Governing Body and Policy Group Membership

Open communication and access to information are important ingredients of shared decision-making. Many programs enhance communication between the groups by having at least one representative from the governing body serve on the policy group and at least one representative from the policy group serve on the governing body. In public agencies for which governing body membership is limited to elected members, other solutions, such as board and policy group liaisons, may help to accomplish similar results.

Exchanging members has many advantages. Each group stays abreast of what the other is doing. Relationships develop that help to personalize and demystify the groups and their members. Cooperation is fostered as relationships develop, making it easier to face challenging decisions. Most important, the two groups are better able to link their procedures when there is a linkage between the membership of the two groups.

To accomplish this purpose, it is necessary to define how the two groups relate to each other.

In summary, the governing body and the policy group are always operating with a common purpose: to improve the lives of children and families. Both groups are important contributors to the Head Start program in their community. They are both interested in making the best decisions they can for the benefit of the program and the families served. They are both parts of the systems that integrate many facets to deliver high-quality services to eligible children and families.