Head Start Program Self-Assessment Checklist
What's inside
- ERSEA compliance checklist covering eligibility documentation, recruitment plans, and attendance tracking
- Education and child development checklist including individualized plans, developmental screening, and IEP coordination
- Health services checklist covering physicals, dental exams, immunizations, vision and hearing screening
- Family engagement checklist with family partnership agreements, home visits, and parent committee meetings
- Governance checklist covering policy council, governing board meeting requirements, and organizational documentation
- Fiscal management checklist verifying budget approval and eligibility documentation alignment
- Annual self-assessment process steps from team assembly through governing body submission
Downloaded by childcare directors across the US
TLDR
An annual self-assessment checklist for Head Start and Early Head Start programs covering ERSEA, health services, family engagement, education and child development, and fiscal management compliance areas. The annual self-assessment is a federal requirement — using a structured checklist ensures your findings are comprehensive enough to withstand federal monitoring.
How to Use This Checklist
Assign each section to the relevant program manager or coordinator to gather documentation before the assessment meeting. Hold the full self-assessment with stakeholders present to review findings together. Record both strengths and areas for improvement — an honest assessment with documented weaknesses is better than a superficial one. All findings and the resulting Quality Improvement Plan must be submitted to the governing body and policy council.
Section 1: ERSEA — Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance
Eligibility Documentation ★
- Income eligibility documentation is on file for all currently enrolled children
- Documentation type matches the income verification method used (pay stubs, tax return, benefit letter, homeless documentation, etc.)
- Over-income children enrolled under a waiver (up to 35% of enrollment): waiver documentation is current and justified
- Foster children and children who are homeless or in the child welfare system are documented according to their categorical eligibility status
- Eligibility is re-determined at least annually — all re-determination records are current
- Eligibility files are organized and retrievable within a reasonable timeframe for federal review
Recruitment
- A written recruitment plan is in place for the current program year
- Recruitment efforts are documented (outreach activities, materials distributed, community partnerships engaged)
- Recruitment reaches the hardest-to-serve families in your service area (document your strategies for reaching these families)
- Waiting list is maintained and managed according to your selection criteria
- Community need data supports the enrollment population being served
Selection
- Selection criteria are documented and consistently applied
- Priority enrollment categories are followed: children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, children from families below the poverty line
- Selection decisions are documented with reason for selection (priority category applied)
- No child was selected outside priority criteria while higher-priority eligible children remained on the waiting list without documented reason
Enrollment and Attendance ★
- Actual enrollment meets or exceeds funded enrollment level for the current reporting period
- Enrollment forms are complete and signed for all children
- Daily attendance is recorded for each enrolled child at each service session
- Attendance tracking system can produce a record of attendance for any child for any date range within 24 hours
- Chronic absence patterns (missing more than 20% of scheduled days) are identified and family services staff are engaged
- Children who have missed [X] consecutive days have been contacted by family services staff; contact attempts are documented
- Enrollment data matches the count used in ERSEA eligibility files
Head Start Program Self-Assessment Checklist
Annual self-assessment checklist for Head Start programs. Covers ERSEA, health services, family engagement, education, and fiscal compliance areas.
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Q&A
What is required in a Head Start annual self-assessment?
Head Start Performance Standard 45 CFR §1302.102 requires grantees to conduct a comprehensive annual self-assessment. The assessment must evaluate the effectiveness of the program against the Head Start Program Performance Standards, involve appropriate stakeholders (governing body, policy council, parents, staff, community partners), identify program strengths and areas for improvement, and produce a written Quality Improvement Plan that is submitted to the governing body and policy council.
Q&A
Who needs to be involved in the Head Start self-assessment?
The governing body, policy council, management team, teaching staff, family services staff, health staff, and parents of currently and recently enrolled children must have the opportunity to participate. Community partners and delegate agency representatives (if applicable) may also be included. The involvement should be meaningful, not just a sign-off — staff and families should contribute data and input, not just review a completed document.