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

Table of Contents | Introduction | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4

Preparing Your Self-Assessment

Overview

Key participants in Stage 1 include:

The Self-Assessment leadership team, which is made up of the Head Start director (or designee) and a team of managers and program leaders. The leadership team designs and leads the Self-Assessment process, analyzes the results, and incorporates the results into program improvement efforts. Your assigned TA specialist can work with you as you design how the Self-Assessment process will look in your program.

In this stage you will:

Determine how the Self-Assessment process will look in your program by:

• Introducing Head Start Self-Assessment: Your Foundation for Building Program Excellence to Self-Assessment leaders
• Dividing and assigning the responsibilities to make the process more manageable
• Selecting team leaders
• Recruiting participants to serve on your Self-Assessment teams
• Training Self-Assessment teams
• Focusing your assessment
• Establishing a timeline

Consult with the Policy Council in order to:

• Meet the regulatory requirement
• Ensure meaningful participation

 

Stage 1: Preparing Your Self-Assessment

Determine How the Self-Assessment Process Will Look in Your Program

The Head Start Self-Assessment: Your Foundation for Building Program Excellence is a guide to be adapted to meet the individual needs of your program. Stage 1 provides you with helpful tools to assist you as you plan how the Self-Assessment process will look in your program. This planning is essential for the development and implementation of a comprehensive Self-Assessment that yields valuable information for continuous program improvement.

To plan your Self-Assessment, you will need to:

• Convene the Self-Assessment leadership team and introduce them to the Self-Assessment Guide
• Divide the responsibilities among various teams
• Designate Self-Assessment team leaders
• Recruit participants to serve on the Self-Assessment teams
• Provide training for participants
• Focus your Self-Assessment by selecting representative child and family records, centers, classrooms, program options, child care partners, and delegate agencies
• Establish a timeline for completion of Self-Assessment activities
• Present this plan to the Policy Council for review

These steps are described in detail on the following pages, along with examples and helpful worksheets to support the planning process.

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

One of the first responsibilities of the Head Start director is to provide Self-Assessment leaders with an understanding and appreciation of the role that Self-Assessment plays in maintaining program quality and fostering positive change and continuous improvement. The director, who by Head Start regulation has operating responsibility for the Self-Assessment process, may choose to facilitate the work of the Self-Assessment leadership team or designate that responsibility to one of its members.

When recruiting members to join the Self-Assessment leadership team, directors need to consider the role of governing bodies, delegates and child care partners on that team. As stated in 1304.51(i)(1) of the Head Start Program Performance Standards, the Self-Assessment is conducted “…with the consultation and participation of the policy groups and, as appropriate, other community members.” Directors should recruit these partners to the table.

The group leader should then share the Guide with the membership. Team members should become familiar with all of the materials, including the instructions, booklets, and data collection instruments. They should discuss why the Self-Assessment is being conducted, who should be involved as team leaders and team members, and whose cooperation is needed in order for it to be successful.

Dividing and Assigning the Responsibilities to Make the Process More Manageable

A quality Self-Assessment takes considerable time and effort. The process of assessing all program services and systems may be more manageable if you divide the responsibilities among various teams, designating program managers and other key decision makers as team leaders. Creating teams will have several advantages:

• The work will be spread among a larger group of individuals to lessen the burden and add depth, knowledge and valuable perspectives of many individuals to the experience
• Staff, parents, Policy Council members, participants, community partners and others serving on Self-Assessment teams will have greater access to team leaders who can provide support and guidance throughout the process
• Individual teams can focus on particular areas or systems that are more appropriate to their experience (e.g. members with expertise in fiscal matters should be on the team which covers this system)
• By recruiting managers and staff representing delegates and child care partners, you are fully investing delegates and partners in the Self-Assessment process. They will gain a fuller understanding of the Head Start Program Performance Standards and their importance to a quality program

Programs can determine team assignments by dividing the 18 booklets in a way that makes sense for your program. Factors that can help you determine the number and composition of each group might be:

• Your program's organizational structure and the manner in which responsibilities are assigned to management staff
• The size of your program
• The time it will take to adequately complete each booklet
• Sufficient expertise of members

The following chart illustrates just two examples of ways that the Self-Assessment responsibilities can be divided among various teams. Use these examples to come up with your own configuration and record your decisions on the Team Assignment Worksheet provided on page 5.

Sample Team Assignment Worksheet (printable gif)

Example A
TEAM 1: Management Systems
Governance	Planning
Communication	Record-Keeping & Reporting
Ongoing Monitoring	Human Resources
Fiscal Management	Child Outcomes
TEAM 2: Child Development and Health Services
Prevention & Early Intervention	Individualization
Disabilities Services	Curriculum
Tracking and Follow-up
TEAM 3: Family and Community Partnerships:
Family Partnership Building	Parent Involvement
Community and Child Care Partnerships
TEAM 4: Program Design
Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance (ERSEA)	Facilities, Materials, Equipment & Transportation
Example B
TEAM 1: Management
Community and Child Care Partnerships	Planning
Communication	Record-Keeping & Reporting
Ongoing Monitoring	Human Resources
Fiscal Management	Facilities, Materials, Equipment & Transportation
TEAM 2: Education and Disabilities
Individualization	Curriculum
Disabilities Services	Child Outcomes
TEAM 3: Health, Nutrition, and Mental Health
Prevention and Early Intervention	Tracking and Follow-up
TEAM 4: Family Partnerships and ERSEA
Family Partnership Building	Parent Involvement
Governance	Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance (ERSEA)

 

Team Assignment Worksheet (printable gif)

Record your decisions about how the Self-Assessment responsibilities should be divided. List the booklets that will be used by each of the teams.

TEAM____:
TEAM____:
TEAM____:
TEAM____:
TEAM____:

 

Selecting Team Leaders

Persons who serve as leaders for each Self-Assessment team are responsible for:

• Recruiting a diverse group of team members to engage in the assessment process
• Training members of the Self-Assessment team on the content of the regulations and the process they will use to assess the program
• Describing the program structure and layout to members, pointing out key locations they will visit, and introducing them to members of the staff and Head Start community who they may need to speak with
• Assisting team members in distributing the work load, assigning tasks that correspond to the skills and abilities of members, and pairing team members, as appropriate
• Establishing a time frame for completing the assignments
• Arranging to check in with members at certain intervals to assess their progress and assist with any problems that arise
• Providing on-going support to team members
• Assisting members in summarizing the data and information they have collected and drawing conclusions
• Synthesizing information into a Booklet Analysis that identifies program strengths and areas to strengthen
• Recognizing team members for their contributions to the program

Many programs choose leaders with experience and expertise in the service or management areas to which they are assigned. Other programs choose leaders from different content areas in order to enhance the objectivity of the process.

Team Leader Worksheet (printable gif)

Use the following Team Leader Worksheet to help you make decisions about what kinds of skills your team leaders should have and who would be the best candidate to assume a team leadership position.

Title	Skills/Perspectives	Team Leader (name, position)
Team 1:
Team 2:
Team 3:
Team 4:
Team 5:

 

Recruiting Participants to Serve on your Self-Assessment Teams

Although the Self-Assessment process will be heavily supported by program staff, it provides a wonderful opportunity to involve others. The guidance attached to Regulation 1304.51(i)(1), program Self-Assessment and monitoring, reads: “consider including staff, policy group members, parents, representatives from community organizations, governing body members, and staff from other Head Start agencies on the Self-Assessment team.” To the extent possible, it is desirable to recruit a team that is representative of the diversity of enrolled children, families and the local community.

Serving on a Self-Assessment team provides parents with an opportunity to learn important new skills that can be applied to their goals for personal or professional development. Including individuals from outside your program can offer a tremendous learning opportunity for both parties. You may want to contact peers from nearby Head Start programs and offer to assist with their assessment if they will assist with yours. Consider inviting early childhood development programs in the local area that would be willing to lend a hand. Affirmatively recruit team members who have the right skills and will contribute to the team. When recruiting, be sure your candidates have the time to engage in the process.

In selecting potential team members, take into consideration the different skills and qualities that the task requires. In addition to having an interest and/or expertise relating to Head Start services or systems, participants serving on the assessment team should have the following skills and qualities:

• Objectivity
• Professional conduct
• An appreciation for confidentiality
• One or more of the following:
  • Observation skills
  • Interview skills
  • Reading and documentation skills

Use the following Team Participant Worksheet (printable gif) to record your ideas for staff and volunteers who might serve on each of the Self-Assessment teams. We recommend that you list more persons than are actually needed, in the event that some volunteers have limited availability.

Team 1 - Title:
Team 2 - Title:
Team 3 - Title:
Team 4 - Title:
Team 5: - Title:

 

Training Self-Assessment Teams

Team leaders should give careful thought to the training that they provide to team members so their team will be fully prepared to engage in the assessment process. The quality of the initial orientation and training as well as ongoing support have a direct impact on the quality and usefulness of the results. Key elements of the training should include:

• Discussion of the purpose of Self-Assessment and how the results are an integral part of the planning process
• Overview of the program's organizational structure and description of program services and options
• Distribution of Head Start regulations and booklets relating to team assignments (duplicate the booklets as needed to provide everyone with a copy)
• Overview of regulations and discussion of their intent
• Review of the booklets and the three methods of collecting information: review, observe, and interview
• Distribution of written plans describing services in each of the content areas
• Review of important data sources that may be relevant to your work such as the PRISM Report, PIR data, Community Assessment, child outcome information, strategic plan, short and long term program goals, ongoing monitoring reports,
  and summaries of staff development plans
• Discussion of the qualities that make for a good team member (e.g. they are objective, honest, respectful of staff) and review of professional conduct expected of the team
• Sharing of the skills, expertise, and qualities of each member of the team

There are a number of different approaches to training staff and volunteers who serve on Self-Assessment teams. You may choose to:

• Keep all participants together for the entire training
• Provide an orientation to the full group followed by individual team training
• Conduct all training in individual teams

Use the following Self-Assessment Training Worksheet (printable gif) to assist you in designing the orientation and training session(s) for your Self-Assessment teams.

Self-Assessment Training Worksheet

Full Group
Training content	Trainer(s)

 

Individual Teams
	Training content	Trainer(s)
Team 1 - Title:
Team 2 - Title:
Team 3 - Title
Team 4 - Title
Team 5 - Title

 

Focusing Your Assessment

Many programs enroll large numbers of children and families and operate classrooms in more than one location. Your Self-Assessment leadership team may determine that including every classroom and every child’s file in the Self-Assessment process will be too time-consuming. Decide if the Self-Assessment team will look at the entire program or focus their efforts on a representative sample.

A sample should be chosen which represents a cross-section of children, families, program options and services. Your sample should be large enough to establish whether quality is consistent throughout the program.

For grantees with delegate agencies and child care partnerships, it is important to make sure that these segments of your program are fully included in the Self-Assessment process. Determine if your Self-Assessment teams are responsible for assessing delegate programs and child care partners at this time, or if the delegate or partner will engage in an independent assessment.

Use the following Focusing the Assessment Worksheet to record your decisions.

Focusing the Assessment Worksheet (printable gif)

Select centers, classrooms, program options and records that will give you a full picture of the effectiveness of systems and services. Determine the approach you will take to assess partners and delegates. Record your decisions in the space provided.

Centers
Classrooms
Program Options
Child and Family Records
Child Care Partners
Delegate Agencies

Establishing a Timeline

Develop a timeline for teams to begin and end the process. Programs may wish to conduct Self-Assessment in phases. Others may choose to focus their efforts so that the Self-Assessment takes place over a number of weeks. Since Self-Assessment is an integral part of program planning, be sure to coordinate your Self-Assessment with your planning calendar. It is important that you adapt the process to best meet the needs of your particular program. Think about scheduling your own Self-Assessment at a time during the program year when:

• The Policy Council has enough experience to be full participants in the process
• Services are well underway
• Time remains before the end of the program year to correct any issues that arise, to maximize outcomes for children and families currently participating in the program
• The results can be used to support the development of the program's Training and Technical Assistance Plan and annual grant application

Many programs prefer to stagger their schedule so that the assessment of program services precedes the assessment of management systems. Teams assigned to assess Head Start management systems may benefit from the information gathered during the assessment of program services. They can use the information to draw conclusions about the relationship between systems and services and determine how systems are affecting services to children and families. Staggering the schedule also permits staff and volunteers to serve on more than one assessment team.

The following Month-At-A-Glance Chart shows, as an example, how the Self-Assessment might look in a program that chooses to complete Stage 2 of the process within one month.

Month-At-A-Glance
1st Week	2nd Week	3rd Week	4th Week
Self-Assessment Teams receive orientation and training	Team conducts Self-Assessment	Team conducts Self-Assessment Team Leaders check in with team's progress	Team summarizes results

Use the following Self-Assessment Timeline Worksheet to set target dates for steps in the Self-Assessment process.

Self-Assessment Timeline Worksheet (printable gif)

	Activity	Date
Stage 1 Preparing	Recruit and convene the Self-Assessment leadership team
	Convene the Self-Assessment leadership team to design the Self-Assessment process
	Present process to Policy Council for consultation
	Recruit participants to serve on Self-Assessment teams
	Convene teams for orientation and training
Stage 2 Collecting and Synthesizing	Draw on multiple data sources to complete service area booklets
	Draw on multiple data sources to complete management system booklets
	Summarize booklet information for Individual Team Member Summary
	Consolidate information from individual team members into Team Leader Booklet Analysis
Stage 3 Interpreting	Reconvene Self-Assessment leadership team to review and analyze results
	Identify program strengths
	Display information from the 18 Booklet Analyses in a useful manner
	Establish patterns of identified needs
	Reveal underlying causes and systemic issues
	Classify and prioritize the identified weaknesses and areas to strengthen
Stage 4 Strengthening	Develop a program improvement plan by identifying goals, desired outcomes, and specific action steps
	Develop and implement a Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Plan
	Monitor and assess progress in implementing the Program Improvement Plan and T/TA Plan

Including the Policy Council

Once you have completed the worksheets in Stage 1, present your completed package to the Policy Council for review. Ask members of your Self-Assessment leadership team who serve on the Policy Council to assist you in making the presentation.

Section 1304.51(i)(1) of the Head Start Performance Standards requires the consultation and participation of the Policy Council in the Self-Assessment process. Section 1304.50(d)(1)(viii) provides the following guidance:

As active participants in the ongoing process of annual Self-Assessment . . .
the Policy Council and Policy Committee consider the extent to which:

• The time schedule for Self-Assessment is reasonable
• An appropriate assessment team has been formed, which includes parents and adequate representation from the community
• The Self-Assessment team receives training on how to conduct an assessment
• All team members are fully aware of the results of the last Self-Assessment, as well as of the Federal monitoring review
• The measures used to conduct the Self-Assessment adequately evaluate the program
• Findings from the Self-Assessment are reported to the Policy Council, Policy Committee, Parent Committees and governing bodies
• Improvement Plans are appropriate and feasible in terms of resources and timeframes