The Designation Renewal System (DRS) holds Head Start and Early Head Start agencies accountable for delivering high-quality and comprehensive services to the children and families they serve, and meeting program and financial requirements. The DRS establishes seven conditions to determine whether programs qualify for continued Head Start funding for five years without competing for those funds with other local agencies. Open competitions are held in communities in which a program meets one or more specified conditions. In this case, interested agencies may apply to provide Head Start and Early Head Start services in that area through a funding opportunity announcement (FOA). Any agencies that do not meet one of the seven DRS conditions become eligible to receive a new five-year grant noncompetitively. The DRS was established in 2011 and revised in 2020.
Explore revisions to the Designation Renewal System (DRS) that will further improve and strengthen the Head Start program. They ensure less uncertainty around the competitive process for all Head Start agencies.
Watch this webinar for answers to grantee questions about revisions to the Designation Renewal System (DRS) that will further improve and strengthen the Head Start program.
The Designation Renewal System Final Rule makes important changes to the Classroom Assessment Scoring System condition. Dr. B explains how these changes promote a growth mindset and support continuous improvement.
Effective November 9, 2020, the Head Start Program Performance Standards at 45 CFR § 1304 Subpart B will read as shown in the PDF.
The preamble discusses the comments received in response to the notice of proposed rule-making and of the various impacts anticipate by the issuance of this rule.
Find responses to questions anticipated from the public and the grantee community about Designation Renewal System (DRS) changes.
Explore this brief overview of the Designation Renewal System (DRS) background and conditions.
The DRS Revisions in 2020 ensure the conditions for competitive designation target grantees with lower performance or systemic problems. The changes also support for grantees to continuously improve the quality of teacher-child interactions.
Four reports provide evidence that, since the last reauthorization, quality in Head Start has increased across the country..
Explore this report based on data from the fiscal years 2012-2015 regarding the use of the CLASS Pre-K® instrument during monitoring reviews of Head Start grantees.