Head Start
Management
What Program Leaders Need to Know
Effective data use can enable Head Start management teams to move from merely reacting to proactively anticipating and solving problems.
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Leveraging Data in Program Management
Effective data use can enable Head Start management teams to move from merely reacting to proactively anticipating and solving problems.
![How Head Start Programs Use Data Coaches](https://earlyintel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Head-Start-data-coaches-1.png)
How Head Start Programs Use Data Coaches
As Head Start programs seek to strengthen their data use, they are beginning to use a new kind of resource: coaches. Data coaches started appearing in K-12 school districts over a decade ago. They help faculty glean insights from the mass of information they collect. With new federal requirements for data, now Head Start programs are engaging coaches as well. What is it like working with a data...
![Member Profile: Q&A with YMCA of the East Bay about Teacher Wellness and Retention](https://earlyintel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/teacher-retention.jpg)
Member Profile: Q&A with YMCA of the East Bay about Teacher Wellness and Retention
YMCA of the East Bay directly operates 21 Head Start and Early Start Centers. They partner with four additional centers across Alameda and Contra Costa counties in California. They also operate state funded and migrant programs in Yolo and Sacramento counties. In total, the program can serve approximately 1,800 children at full capacity. They joined the QI Network in 2021. Melanie Mueller has...
![Attendance vs. Chronic Absence in Head Start: Understanding the Difference](https://earlyintel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Chronic_absence_head_start-1080x675.jpg)
Attendance vs. Chronic Absence in Head Start: Understanding the Difference
One of the most powerful levers at our disposal is predictive data. In contrast to lagging indicators such as end of year assessments or child outcomes, predictive data enables us to proactively intervene where we can make a real difference. While there are many types of predictive data, one of the most powerful is chronic absence. Chronic child absence translates into serious learning loss over...
Read on to explore ways to step up your data practices and incorporate improvement tools into your Head Start management systems, in the following areas:
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Self-Assessment
The Office of Head Start requires programs to conduct an annual self-assessment. Beyond fulfilling this federal requirement, Head Start self-assessments provide an opportunity to reflect on data collection and yield new insights to improve team and individual performance. It’s a powerful tool for growth so that your program can plan for the coming year and address areas of need.
Another resource for self-assessment is Head Start PIR data. Early Intel and CCR Analytics produce an interactive dashboard called PIR Spotlight of national PIR data that enables programs to easily compare themselves to others in their state, federal region, or nationwide, using PIR data.
The dashboards can be used to assess teacher turnover, numbers of homeless children served, or hundreds of other performance metrics. The tool is accompanied by data coaching sessions to facilitate the dialogue and analysis. Details are available at (link TBA).
Staff Recruitment and Retention
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Growing the senior leadership team’s skills through coaching can also help foster a culture where staff want to be and where they have the ability to grow in their role. The Q.I. Network regularly holds exemplar sessions that feature effective staff recruitment and retention practices.
Child Enrollment
Child Enrollment
Dr. Maritza Lozano, Early Intel’s CQI Training Lead, discusses how a program might use CQI tools to boost enrollment.
Community Assessment
Community Assessment
Dr. Marilyn Hosea, former Head Start director and Head Start fellow, discussing strategies for effective community assessments during a Q.I. Network training.
Grant Planning
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Grant Writing
Effective Head Start grant applications clearly connect program design, program goals, school readiness goals, staffing structures, and other descriptions to internal and external data.
![woman writing at a computer](https://earlyintel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/woman-writing-at-a-computer.jpg)
Attendance and Chronic Absence
Attendance is a predictor of child success. Conversely, chronic absence is a powerful predictor of preschool age children not being ready for kindergarten. Over time, chronic child absence can mean serious learning loss and predict a child’s failure to read at grade level, as well as other negative outcomes.
If Head Start management effectively connects their data silos, they can discern child absence patterns. For example, they can determine trends for absence, how absence patterns relate to teacher CLASS scores, how absence relates to particular family needs, and many other demographic considerations. We have found that chronic absence to be one of the most fruitful areas for improvement projects among members of the Q.I. Network.
Policy Council
Board Governance
Staff Supervision
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Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
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