Explore community assessment standards and best practices. Learn how community assessments help programs remain responsive to the children and families they serve.

Learn about the standards, expectations, and best practices that guide a community assessment, an essential first step in designing responsive programs.

The community assessment is a way to jumpstart the program planning process. Learn how the assessment helps Head Start programs provide key services to the children and families that need them.

This checklist is helpful in determining when and how to conduct a needs assessment. Program directors and services area managers can use it when identifying local needs and resources.

Nothing ensures the success of a program more than community participation in assessing their perceived needs, strengths, and hopes for the future. Programs can use this resource to plan and coordinate their community assessment. It provides insight into public forums and listening sessions. Learn how to conduct them to engage your community in identifying and solving problems.

The Community Assessment Workbook presents the five steps on how to conduct a thorough and up-to-date community assessment. The Workbook will help programs identify new or underserved populations in the service area, assess their needs and identify available resources. Head Start and Early Head Start grantees will find this resource useful in coordinating and executing their community assessment.

Community and self-assessment systems highlight the two starting points for the program planning process. Community assessment is the initial focus on external factors for new and existing programs, ensuring they are providing the right services to the right population. Self-assessment, with its focus on internal factors like ongoing monitoring data, supports the continuous quality improvement process which occurs annually.

Find strategies to ensure vulnerable and underserved populations are included in your community assessments.