Attachment A - Governance and Leadership Capacity Report.pdf

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ATTACHMENT A
Governance and Leadership Capacity Report 
Purpose 
The Office of Head Start mandates that all grantees establish a governance infrastructure 
consisting of three entities: management, parent policy council, and governing board.  To 
ensure grantees have a solid governance structure to oversee and guide the Head Start 
program, a Governance and Leadership Capacity screening must be conducted within 60 
days of starting a new five-year grant period.  The Governing Board also must confirm 
that the screening was conducted and an action plan developed, if applicable, to address 
any areas needing quality improvement.  A screener certificate must be submitted to the 
Office of Head Start within 75 calendar days of the start of the grant period, which was 
July 1, 2024. 
This process helps grantees build leadership capacity, meet all Head Start program 
governance requirements, and identify successes and areas for quality improvement. 
The screening was conducted by the Deputy Director and two Policy Council members. 
Competencies of the Screener 
The Governance and Leadership Capacity Screener covers the following aspects of 
the Governing Board and Policy Council. 
Composition of Members 
Governing Board members must have backgrounds or extensive knowledge of 
fiscal or accounting, early childhood education or a related field, legal knowledge 
and must reflect the communities served. 
The majority of Policy Council members must have children currently enrolled in 
Early Head Start or Head Start.   
Members-at-large should represent the communities served and may include 
former parents.

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The grantee must ensure all members do not have a conflict of interest. 
Results – In Compliance 
The Head Start Birth to Five Program (Birth to Five Program) Governing Board is 
comprised of members who have expertise or knowledge in the necessary areas.   
The majority of Policy Council members are parents with children currently enrolled 
in the Birth to Five Program.  There are currently two members-at-large; one is a 
former Head Start parent, and the other is from the Mexican American Legal 
Defense and Educational Fund organization. 
  
Effective and Ongoing Training 
All members are provided an orientation within 180 days of the start of a new term 
or upon becoming a new member to understand their roles and responsibilities. 
The training must include the roles and responsibilities, an overview of Head Start 
Governance, and expectations for the term. 
Results – In Compliance 
The Governing Board will have an orientation on September 11, 2024, within the 
required timeframe.  The Policy Council receives an orientation prior to being 
seated as a member; this takes place in early November.  New members are given 
an individual orientation. 
 
Roles and Responsibilities 
The management team, Policy Council, and Governing Board collaborate to make 
decisions regarding programmatic and financial matters for the program. The 
management team presents items to the Policy Council for discussion, review, and 
approval before presenting them to the Governing Board for final approval. 
Results – In Compliance 
The Birth to Five Program’s governance bylaws delineates the process for 
collaboration among the management team, the Policy Council, and the Governing 
Board. This process is strictly adhered to for all programmatic and financial 
decisions and actions.

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Annual and Monthly Reporting 
All members are responsible for overseeing and approving program effectiveness, 
policies and procedures, funding applications, financial management, and 
compliance with local, state, and federal laws regarding federal grants. 
Results – Quality Improvement Needed 
The governing bodies review and approve new policies every year. For example, 
the Standards of Conduct policy was approved in June 2024. They also approve 
annual funding applications and governance documents, including Birth to Five 
Program bylaws, the Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and 
Attendance Plan, annual self-assessment, child and family outcomes, and Head 
Start Program Information Reports. Both governing bodies receive monthly 
financial statements, program information summaries, enrollment reports, child 
incident reports, and nutritional reports. The Policy Council is responsible for 
approving all financial reports. 
 
Action Plan 
Two items, child nutrition and child incidents, have not been included in the monthly 
reports. However, they are included in the July 2024 report, the first report of the 
new five-year grant cycle, and will be included in subsequent monthly reports.