Head Start Self-Assessment: Your Foundation for Building Program Excellence

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Program Self-Assessment Booklet 5

Management Systems: Ongoing Monitoring

Core Question to be answered by Self-Assessment team:

How effective is the grantee’s ongoing monitoring system in supporting the implementation of quality services to children and families?

Purpose:

Ongoing Monitoring helps to ensure that Federal regulations and local goals and objectives are being achieved, and to ensure that appropriate interventions are being taken in a timely manner. (Rationale to 1304.51(i)(2), p. 188)

This booklet will help the team assess if the program meets Federal Performance Standards relating to monitoring program operations and those of delegate agencies (if applicable). Related Performance Standards include: 1304.51(i)(2)-1304.51(i)(3); 1308.4(d); Part 74.51; Part 92.40

As you conduct your assessment of the program’s ongoing monitoring systems, look for evidence that managers:

• Analyze Early Head Start and Head Start data and information contained in tracking systems and written reports
• Engage in on-site observation and supervision of Early Head Start and Head Start staff
• Have a system in place for tracking family and community partnerships
• Have a system in place for tracking patterns of progress and accomplishments for groups of three to five year old children in the eight domains of learning in addition to health and disabilities services. The eight domains of learning and development for three to five year old children are:
• Language Development
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Science
• Creative Arts
• Social & Emotional Development
• Approaches Toward Learning
• Physical Health and Development
• Use information from reports, observations, etc. to take corrective action and make program changes

Helpful tools to support data collection in this area follow.

Review:

Ask the Head Start director and/or responsible manager to provide you with access to the following documents:

• Program policies and procedures relating to ongoing monitoring
• Sample tracking reports
• Ongoing monitoring reports
• Written documentation of periodic monitoring activities, including reports to any delegate agencies
• Important data sources relevant to this area such as the PRISM report, PIR data, Community Assessment, strategic plan or short and long term program goals

Use the checklist below to assist your document review:

Are there tracking/reporting systems in place and regular monitoring activities occurring in each of the following service areas? Identify who is receiving such reports and describe how they are being used.

	EHS		HS		Describe
Child Development	Yes	No	Yes	No
Health
Mental Health
Disabilities
Nutrition
Family Partnerships
Transition
Community
Partnerships
Parent Involvement

Interview:

Interview program management staff and ask them to describe their system for ensuring that program operations are being implemented properly and according to plan. Questions may include:

In what ways are staff supervised and observed on-site to assure that services are delivered with consistent quality?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

How are services to children with disabilities tracked and monitored?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

How do you use program tracking reports and other reports?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

How does the program check on the quality and completeness of ongoing child assessment data?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Can you share an example of how your analysis of child outcome information for three-to-five year old children has resulted in program change?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

For programs with child care partnerships:

What is your system for monitoring partnership classrooms to assure quality services are implemented? What have your recent monitoring efforts revealed?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

For programs with delegate agencies:

What is your system for monitoring your delegate agencies to assure quality services are implemented? What have your recent monitoring efforts revealed?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Incorporating Relevant Data Sources:

Additional observations, document reviews, or interview questions that this team may choose to add:
___________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

Include any key insights you may have learned from reviewing important data sources such as the PRISM report, PIR data, Community Assessment, strategic plan or short and long term program goals:
___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

Team Member Summary Worksheet

Summary of Results for Ongoing Monitoring

Areas where the program is working well. Provide examples of program strengths or areas where the program exceeds Performance Standards: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Areas where the program needs improvement:
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Additional areas of concern:
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

TEAM LEADER BOOKLET ANALYSIS

Booklet # ____________
Booklet Name: ______________________________________________________________________________

Program Strengths	Data Source
Specific Program Weaknesses and Areas to Strengthen	Data Source