Preparing for a Head Start Monitoring Review

Every 3 years, Head Start grantee programs are subject to a comprehensive review as mandated by the Head Start Act. The Office of Head Start and its Monitoring Support contractor, Danya International, Inc., have established a series of steps in preparing Grantees for the review. OHS, through Danya, gives Grantees written notification 30 days in advance of the scheduled on-site review date. Following notification, the pre-review planning process is initiated.

The pre-planning phase is a pivotal step in the review process. Grantees who take full advantage of the pre-planning stage are better positioned to enhance understanding of how their programs actually deliver services. The review team is better informed before beginning the on-site field work, and this increased awareness allows for maximized efficiency in scheduling interviews and conducting assessments.

In preparation for the Head Start Monitoring Review, Danya requests that the:

• Grantee upload specific documents to the Head Start Enterprise System prior to the Review team’s arrival on-site. Educating the monitoring team in advance enables Reviewers to be better prepared and informed on-site. The pre-review materials requested include a complete Community Assessment and Updates, the most recent Grantee Self-Assessment, an organizational chart, and details on class schedules, hours, and staffing. The Grantee Self-Assessment provides the grantee with the opportunity to describe in its own words how it ensures compliance with Head Start requirements.
• Grantee complete a Grantee Contact Information form that enables the grantee to identify the appropriate individuals to respond to compliance questions during the on-site review to ensure the final report presents a fair and accurate representation of the program. OHS wants Grantees to have every opportunity to ensure that the Review team is getting the relevant information from the most knowledgeable staff resource.
• Grantee make readily available on-site a series of documents for use by review team. These materials include documents related to the FY 2009 OHS Monitoring Protocol.

FY2010 Documents

Pre-Site Document List for FY 2010
This document lists the materials the grantee must upload to HSES before the review.

On-Site: Materials that will be available on-site for FY 2010
This document lists the materials the Grantee must provide to the review team on-site.