Sneak Preview: ACF Rule Updates Head Start Performance Standards

(The following was excerpted from a recent Thompson Grants Compliance Expert article.) The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF), in a recent final rule, has revised its Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) to improve the ability of Head Start grant recipients to recruit and retain qualified staff, increase teacher wages and benefits, and provide consistent quality programming for the children and families they serve.

The effective date of the rule was Aug. 21, and Head Start recipients must comply with the revised standards as of Oct. 21.

HSPPS provides the requirements that local Head Start grant recipients must meet to support the cognitive, social, emotional and healthy development of children enrolled in the program. The standards include requirements to provide education, health, mental health, nutrition, and family and community engagement services, as well as requirements for local program governance and federal administration of the program.

The updated HSPPS requires that programs compensate Head Start staff to reflect the demands and educational requirements of their positions. ACF maintains that the final rule, published in the Aug. 21 Federal Register, will increase the annual wages for most Head Start teachers by about $10,000. Recipients must pay Head Start staff a sufficient wage based on the cost of living in their area. Being able to hire and retain qualified and experienced staff, according to the agency, will help reverse high turnover experienced by Head Start programs nationwide.

“For decades, Head Start has offered the gold standard in early childhood education to children, putting them on the path to success in school and beyond,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “However, for too long, the Head Start program has relied on staff who are often paid poverty level wages for their important work. This rule will raise wages for thousands of teachers and staff and help ensure that our most vulnerable children have access to this essential educational opportunity.”

Specifically, the revised standards will require Head Start programs to:

• pay staff competitive wages with an updated salary scale or pay structure that applies to all positions;
• pay annual salaries to staff that are at least the same as preschool teachers in public school settings, or 90% of kindergarten teacher salaries, taking into account qualifications, experience, responsibilities and hours worked;
• provide wages comparable across Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start programs; and
• pay all staff a wage that is at least sufficient to meet the basic cost of living in the local area.

(The full version of this story has now been made available to all for a limited time here.)

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