Review of 24 Head Start Grantees Compliance with Health and Safety Standards

摘要

Within the Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start, administers Head Start. In fiscal year (FY) 2009, Congress appropriated $7.1 billion to fund Head Starts regular operations. The Recovery Act provided an additional $2.1 billion for Head Start during FYs 2009 and 2010. These funds were intended for activities such as expanding enrollment, funding cost-of-living wage increases for grantees, upgrading centers and classrooms, and bolstering training and technical assistance. Pursuant to Federal Head Start regulations (45 CFR Section 1304.53(a)(7)), Head Start grantees must provide for the maintenance, repair, safety, and security of all Head Start facilities. These regulations also specify that facilities used by Head Start grantees for regularly scheduled, center-based activities must comply with State and local licensing requirements. If State and local licensing standards are less stringent than the Head Start regulations or if no State licensing standards are applicable, grantees must ensure that their facilities comply with the Head Start Program Performance Standards related to health and safety (45 CFR Section 1306.30(c)). From May 2009 through October 2010, we conducted site visits and assessed health and safety compliance at 24 Head Start grantees that managed 175 facilities in 8 States. The objective was to summarize the results of 24 Head Start health and safety audits that determined whether grantees complied with applicable Federal, State, and local regulations and standards.