The overall goal of Head Start is to ensure that children of low-income families who are reaching the end of the preschool period and entering school are ready for school success. To accomplish this goal, Head Start provides comprehensive services to these children and families. Head Start enhances children's physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development. It supports parents in their efforts to fulfill their parental roles and provides for their involvement in the implementation of the Head Start program. Head Start also focuses on strengthening community supports for families with young children while they are working toward employment and self-sufficiency.

In an attempt to ensure high quality services to children and their families, Head Start has conducted many demonstration projects, provided grantees with training and technical assistance, and given grantees funds to implement their own training efforts. For example, Head Start supported the creation of the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential designed for early childhood development teaching staff, implemented the Head Start Teaching Centers, and developed other innovative projects. Thus, ongoing professional development has long been an integral component of Head Start. Following the 1998 reauthorization of the Head Start Act, the Head Start Bureau (HSB) focused more specifically on training that is linked to college credit and the reduction or elimination of barriers to degree programs.

In keeping with the Head Start tradition of creating innovative programs of working with low-income children and their families, the HSB launched its Higher Education Partnerships to expand professional development opportunities for Head Start staff and parents. The HSB currently promotes higher education and academic partnerships in a variety of ways, such as by making $80 million in quality improvement funds available to all Head Start and Early Head Start grantees for such purposes as course fees, books, transportation, tutors, release time, substitute teachers, child care, and higher compensation related to increased credentials (per the Information Memorandum of January 10, 2000). The regional Quality Improvement Centers also play a role in fostering partnerships with institutions of higher education. The Higher Education Partnerships focus specifically on partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, institutions of higher education serving a majority of Hispanic/Latino students, and Tribally controlled land grant colleges and universities.

Tribal Colleges and Universities
In 1999, the HSB provided three-year grants to six Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) to develop educational models for providing academic training to Head Start program staff. An additional seven grants were funded in 2000 to (1) develop education models; (2) develop models for culture and language preservation; and (3) develop technological models, such as distance learning models. Through this initiative, program staff, parents, and community residents are attending academic courses leading to college degrees. Three additional institutions were recently awarded the fiscal year 2001 partnership grant, bringing the total number of participants in the TCU partnership consortium to 16.

The TCU grant recipients are—

1999-2002 Institutions

Stone Child College
State: MT
ACF Region: VIII

Ft. Peck Community College
State: MT
ACF Region: VIII

College of Menominee Nation
State: WI
ACF Region: V

Northwest Indian College
State: WA
ACF Region: X

Sitting Bull College
State: ND
ACF Region: VIII

Leech Lake Tribal College
State: MN
ACF Region: V

2000-2003 Institutions State ACF Region

Bay Mills Community College
State: WI
ACF Region: V

Oglala Lakota College
State: SD
ACF Region: VIII

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute
State: NM
ACF Region: VI

Blackfeet Community College
State: MT
ACF Region: VIII

Dull Knife Memorial College
State: MT
ACF Region: VIII

Fort Belknap College
State: MT
ACF Region: VIII

Little Big Horn College
State: MT
ACF Region: VIII

2001-2006 Institutions

Salish Kootenai College
State: MT
ACF Region: VIII

Sinte Gleska University
State: SD
ACF Region: VIII

Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College
State: MN
ACF Region: V

Higher Education Hispanic/Latino Services Partnerships

The Head Start Program Information Report (PIR) reveals that Hispanic/ Latino children are the second largest minority group enrolled in Head Start. In 2000, the HSB undertook a new initiative involving institutions of higher education that serve a large percentage of Hispanic/Latino students. Fiscal Year 2000 grants were provided to seven such institutions (HSIs) to (1) develop educational models;(2) develop models for culture and language preservation; and (3) develop technological models, in partnership with Head Start programs. They also provide training to Head Start staff in pursuit of academic degrees. Fiscal year 2001 grants were recently awarded to five additional institutions, bringing the total number of partnering institutions involved in this initiative to 12.

The HIS grantees are–

2000-2004 Institutions

Portland Community College
State: OR
ACF Region: X

Fresno City College
State: CA
ACF Region: IX

CSU Bakersfield
State: CA
ACF Region: IX

CSU Northridge
State: CA
ACF Region: IX

CSU San Marcos
State: CA
ACF Region: IX

Aims Community College
State: CO
ACF Region: VIII

UT Pan American
State: TX
ACF Region: VI

2001-2005 Institutions

Hartnell Community College
State: CA
ACF Region: IX

Yosemite Community College District/Modesto Junior College
State: CA
ACF Region: IX

Bronx Community College
State: NY
ACF Region: II

UT San Antonio
State: TX
ACF Region: VI

Michigan State University
State: MI
ACF Region: V

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Head Start has been partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) since 1990. Under the Head Start Higher Education Partnerships program, launched in 1997, there are 32 grants with HBCUs to develop working models to assist local Head Start programs in a variety of ways, including enhancing educational opportunities for Head Start staff and parents and providing specialized training in such key areas as substance abuse and mental health.

Current HBCU grantees are—

1997-2001 Institutions

SC State University
State: SC
ACF Region: IV

Cheyney University of PA
State: PA
ACF Region: III

Texas Southern University
State: TX
ACF Region: VII

North Carolina Central University
State: NC
ACF Region: IV

Kentucky State University
State: KY
ACF Region: IV

Howard University
State: DC
ACF Region: III

Tennessee State University
State: TN
ACF Region: IV

Jackson State University
State: MS
ACF Region: IV

1998-2002 Institutions

Delaware State University
State: DE
ACF Region: III

University of DC
State: DC
ACF Region: III

University of MD Eastern Shore
State: MD
ACF Region: III

Florida A&M University
State: FL
ACF Region: IV

Shaw University
State: NC
ACF Region: IV

Norfolk State University
State: VA
ACF Region: III

Hampton University
State: VA
ACF Region: III

1999-2003 Institutions

Howard University
State: DC
ACF Region: III

Southern University and A&M College
State: LA
ACF Region: VI

H. Council Trenholm State Technical College
State: AL
ACF Region: IV

Bluefield State College
State: WV
ACF Region:III

Kentucky State University
State: KY
ACF Region: IV

Dillard University
State: LA
ACF Region: VI

2000-2004 Institutions

Harris Stowe State College
State: MO
ACF Region: VII

Kentucky State University
State: KY
ACF Region: IV

North Carolina Central University
State: NC
ACF Region: IV

Southern University and A&M College
State: LA
ACF Region: VI

Texas Southern University
State: TX
ACF Region: VI

University of DC
State: DC
ACF Region: III

University of AR at Pine Bluff
State: AR
ACF Region: IX

2001-2005 Institutions

Albany State University
State: GA
ACF Region: IV

Cheyney University of PA
State: PA
ACF Region: III

Alabama A&M University
State: AL
ACF Region: IV

Spelman College
State: GA
ACF Region: IV

Together, there are 60 grants involved in the Head Start Higher Education Partnerships. Through these efforts, the HSB hopes to increase educational opportunities for Head Start staff and parents, and develop model partnerships that can be replicated in communities across the nation.

Dr. Henry M. Doan is a Senior Social Analyst and the Program Manager for the Higher Education Partnership Initiative grants. He can be reached at T: 202-260-2667; E: .hdoan@acf.hhs.gov