Early Head Start Toolkit

Early Head Start Information Folder
http://www.headstartinfo.org/infocenter/ehs_tkit3.htm
     This resource provides an overview of the Early Head Start program, including service areas, research and evaluation activities, available resources and contacts for additional information.

Early Head Start Tip Sheets   English      Spanish
     Intended to provide a basis for dialogue and problem solving and to guide practice, each Early Head Start Tip Sheet reflects factors to consider, the relevant Performance Standards and available resources.

News You Can Use
http://www.headstartinfo.org/pdf/NewsYouCanUse_Dec05.pdf

Head Start Program Performance Standards

Sections Applying to Early Head Start
     The Head Start Program Performance Standards are the mandatory regulations that grantees and delegate agencies must implement in order to operate a Head Start program. The standards define the objectives and features of a quality Head Start program in concrete terms; they articulate a vision of service delivery to young children and families; and they provide a regulatory structure for the monitoring and enforcement of quality standards.

Child Development and Education Approach for Infants and Toddlers
45 CFR 1304.21 (b)
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/performance/1304b2.htm

Services to Pregnant Women Who are Enrolled in Programs Serving Pregnant Women, Infants, and Toddlers
45 CFR 1304.40 (c)
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/performance/1304c1.htm

Early Head Start or Head Start Director Qualifications
45 CFR 1304.52 (c)
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/performance/1304/1304_d3.htm

Infant and Toddler Staff Qualifications
45 CFR 1304.52 (f)
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/performance/1304/1304_d3.htm

RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

Early Head Start (CORE)
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/
     3,000 families in 17 diverse communities are involved in this implementation study of programs. The research/evaluation project incorporates an impact study of child and family outcomes, local research and policy studies, and continuous program improvement. Children and families are currently being followed as the children enter Kindergarten.

Publications, as a result of the study, include:
Summary Pamphlet: Early Head Start Benefits Children and Families. 2002
HTML

Making a Difference in the Lives of Infants and Toddlers and Their Families: The Impacts of Early Head Start. 2002
Executive Summary HTML | PDF
Volume I: Final Technical Report HTML | PDF
Volume II: Final Technical Report, Appendixes HTML | PDF
Volume III: Local Contributions to Understanding Programs and Their Impacts HTML

Building Their Futures: How Early Head Start Programs Are Enhancing the Lives of Infants and Toddlers in Low-Income Families. 2001
Volume I: Technical Report HTML | PDF
Volume II: Technical Report, Appendixes HTML
Summary Report HTML, PDF

Leading the Way: Characteristics and Early Experience of Selected Early Head Start Programs. 1999, 2000
Executive Summary Volumes I, II, and III HTML, PDF
Volume I: Cross-Site Perspectives HTML, PDF
Volume II: Program Profiles HTML, PDF
Volume III: Program Implementation HTML, PDF

Publications

Statement of the Advisory Committee on Services to Families With Infants and Toddlers
http://www.bmcc.edu/headstart/advse_commtte/index.html
      The Committee was charged with advising the Secretary and Assistant Secretary for Children and Families on the development of program approaches for the new chapter of Federal support for families with infants and toddlers (the reauthorization of the Head Start Act in 1994) that would address the parenting and child development needs of low-income parents and their infants and toddlers.

Early Head Start Program Implementation: Start Up Planning
http://www.ehsnrc.org/PDFfiles/tapaper1.pdf
      This paper details the program start-up process, from the community needs assessments to the development of a written plan based on the Head Start Program Performance Standards to staff recruitment and facilities preparation. Appendices include selected resources for Early Head Start program implementation, an overview of the Head Start Training and Technical Assistance System, and an organizational readiness chart.

Early Head Start Home-based Program Option: Recruiting, Training, and Retaining High Quality Staff
http://www.ehsnrc.org/PDFfiles /tapaper2.pdf
     This paper outlines the unique aspects of home visiting as an approach for delivering Early Head Start services to expectant parents and families with infants and toddlers. Strategies are provided for staff recruitment and retention, including specific steps that supervisors have found useful in addressing the needs of home visiting staff. Profiles of three Early Head Start programs and a list of selected resources are also included.

Giving Children the Earliest Head Start: Developing an Individualized Approach to High-Quality Services for Pregnant Women
http://www.ehsnrc.org/PDFfiles/tano3.pdf
      This technical assistance paper provides an overview of the requirements set forth in the Head Start Program Performance Standards as well as suggestions for how best to mandates stated therein. The second section of the paper provides profiles of the measures that individual Early Head Start programs have taken to serve pregnant women. There is also a bibliography of selected resources for pregnant women.

Early Head Start Program Strategies:Staff Development
http://www.ehsnrc.org/PDFfiles/staffdev.pdf
     This paper is the first in a series that will describe how Early Head Start programs are meeting the challenge of providing high quality services. In Section One, five Early Head Start staff development programs are profiled, including an overview of how the programs were developed and feedback from participating staff members. Section Two presents additional examples of programs that utilize a unique approach to ongoing staff development.

Consumers' Guide to Professional Development Resources
http://www.ehsnrc.org/PDFfiles/cguide.pdf
     This guide was developed to assist Early Head Start program directors and others responsible for staff training and continuous learning. Part 1 of the Early Head Start guide outlines the steps involved in developing a professional development plan. Part 2 provides an annotated bibliography of multimedia resource materials, organized under the framework of the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

Charts

Growth Charts (Center for Disease Control)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/nhanes/growthcharts/charts.htm

Child Health Guide: Put Prevention into Practice (Agency for Health Care Research and Quality)
http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/childguide

 

Information Memorandums(IMs)

Early Head Start
ACYF-IM-HS-00-22
http://www.headstartinfo.org/publications/im00/im00_22.htm

Early Head Start Organizational Readiness Chart 
ACYF-IM-HS-99-12
http://www.headstartinfo.org/publications /im99/im99_12.htm

Bulletins

Early Head Start Bulletin (October 2000)
http://www.headstartinfo.org/publications/hsbulletin69/cont_69.htm
      This issue of the Head Start Bulletin focuses on the current best practices essential to quality programs: child development, family development, community building, and staff development, all embedded in the Head Start Performance Standards. This issue reviews the Early Head Start National Research and Evaluation Project, Curriculum in Early Head Start, Early Head Start Facilities and Selecting the Appropriate Program Option.

Early Head Start Bulletin (Winter 95/96)
http://www.headstartinfo.org/publications/hsbulletin57a/cont_57.htm
      This bulletin includes articles on EHS research and evaluation, grantees, Migrant Head Start, teamwork, disabilities, promoting relationships between parents and infants, providing supportive environments for infants and toddlers, the Health Child Care America campaign and attachment theory.

Additional Resources on Early Head Start:

Early Head Start National Resource Center

Early Head Start National Resource Center @
ZERO TO THREE
2000 M Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-638-1144
Fax: 202-638-0851
http://www.ehsnrc.org