Ever been curious how federal reviewers think about your local data practices? Or what it’s like for the review team visiting centers virtually or in person? As a Review Lead and later as a Field Operations Manager, Dr. Desiree Del-Zio has facilitated or managed approximately 400 federal reviews. She’s now CQI Training Lead for the Q.I. Network. Dr. Del-Zio shared her insights as a former...
Community assessments are an often misunderstood and yet critical tool for Head Start programs. Requiring inquiry, data, thoughtful analysis, they can accelerate your progress or create headaches that endure for years. Given their pivotal role, it’s amazing how little we think about them. Even if they are heavy on data, they are unfortunately often light on reflection and analysis. Recognizing...
Last year we formed a new kind of learning network where early childhood programs lean into their data and use improvement science tools to improve child outcomes. Thirty programs from across the country currently participate and are at various stages on the improvement journey. We’ve just decided to share via blog what we’re learning, so welcome to this first post in an ongoing...
To be honest: when we first recruited the Harvard team to present their early childhood data bootcamp to Head Start leaders, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Professors Nonie and Stephanie of the Zaentz Early Education Initiative are respected educators, but they have limited experience with Head Start. Our idea was to spend two weeks thinking about data, and then a third week building on...
The survey found that while most programs were forced to close their doors, staff continued to provide services, often in creative ways, and moved quickly to meet basic needs, stay connected and provide distance learning. Nearly 20% of Head Start programs -- representing every region of the country -- participated in the survey. Most programs (93%) reported that teachers and family support staff...