Prepared, not pressured.
Navigate your Designation Renewal System (DRS) grant proposal, federal monitoring reviews, and Head Start grants, from Early Head Start Child Care Partnership grants to baseline, continuation, and expansion grants. Your guide has worked inside Head Start since 2001, as a division manager, a Head Start/Early Head Start director, a T/TA Coordinator for Region 9, and a Research and Evaluation Manager.
A program that breaks
the cycle of poverty.
Head Start is a transformative anti-poverty program for children from birth to age five. It promotes academic success, healthy habits, and emotional well-being for all children, including children with special needs. Head Start and Early Head Start provide social services for families to achieve self-sufficiency and ensure that families are fully engaged in the program.
Head Start and Early Head Start take a holistic approach: cognitive learning, social and emotional development, and the health and well-being of children, with families actively involved at home and in the community. Our work keeps that mission funded, compliant, and ready for review.
Choose the grant or review
in front of you.
We prepare programs for grants, DRS improvement plans, and federal reviews. Each one asks for something different, so select the one in front of you.
Designation Renewal System (DRS) grants
The DRS is an essential process for Head Start and Early Head Start programs, and a valuable opportunity to refine and strengthen your program. It demands significant effort, and completing it successfully ensures your program reaches its full potential for the children and families you serve.
A statement of need built on evidence
Base it on a current community assessment, with charts showing age- and income-eligible children by zip code and your established partnerships. Your unique services need to reflect the community needs.
Start early
Begin planning early to address the seven unique sections of the application, and invest in the adjustments that align your program with DRS requirements.
Services described in detail
Your evidence-based curriculum, how you track child development, strategies for dual-language learners, compliance with health requirements, and fully engaged families and fathers.
A safe, supportive environment
Positive relationships between staff and families, supported by ongoing monitoring with tools like CLASS and Family Readiness Checklists.
Ongoing program improvement
Your improvement plan has to address the federal review results, and we help you do that through Appreciative Inquiry. Many DRS conditions trace back to staffing shortages and a lack of specialized training, so our plans embed recruitment and retention, health services, and a training plan with follow-up coaching that delivers results.
A workforce strategy
Qualifications, meaningful mental health support, fair compensation, a respectful culture, and professional development tied to career goals.
Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships
EHS-CCP increases access to high-quality early learning for infants and toddlers while improving childcare across communities. Partnerships between Early Head Start programs and private childcare centers expand Early Head Start slots and raise the quality of care, education, and family support.
Who it serves
Small to medium-sized childcare centers and home-based providers, and established Head Start programs seeking to extend their reach.
Capacity for partnership
Frameworks and agreements that establish collaboration between Head Start and childcare centers, including contracts and effective use of resources.
Support for new programs
Workshops, coaching, and mentoring that help new partners meet Head Start standards.
Teacher training
Research-based coaching, curriculum tools, and professional development on curriculum and assessment.
Monitoring and evaluation
Site visits, assessments, and continuous improvement that keep program quality consistent.
After the grant is awarded
We help design and implement the program itself, with quality improvement and a rigorous monitoring system.
Focus Area 1 review
The Federal Aligned Monitoring System (FAMS) is divided into two reviews. Focus Area 1 assesses planning and systems design: whether your program is strategically built to meet community needs and the Head Start Program Performance Standards.
System plans and design
Strategic planning and design aligned with community needs and the Performance Standards.
Evidence reviewers read
Your community needs assessment, progress toward goals, the Program Information Report (PIR), and your self-assessment.
Education and child wellness
Curriculum, classroom environments, teacher interactions, health outcome data, and accommodations for chronic conditions.
Family services and fiscal systems
Families in governance and goal-setting, and fiscal operations that follow GAAP, with major expenditures approved by the policy council and governing body.
How we prepare you
Working from the Office of Head Start protocol, reviewing the community assessment and PIR, and running mock interviews with staff and leadership. FA1 reviews are conducted virtually, by phone.
Where we can help
Infographics and current data tours that emphasize the positive impact your program is already having.
Focus Area 2 review
Focus Area 2 assesses how your program design is carried out. It evaluates how well education, health services, and family engagement strategies are implemented to meet the Performance Standards and drive positive outcomes for children and families.
Expert preparation
The Office of Head Start introductory video, interview scripts, mock interviews with management, staff and families, and CLASS results over time.
Data tours
Program progress, child outcomes by subgroup, curriculum fidelity, and family outcomes, told through infographics, pie charts, and bar graphs.
Health services
Chronic conditions, body mass index, mental health services for children, families and staff, and active supervision in classrooms.
Family engagement
Families in governance, personalized goal-setting, and data on family outcomes.
Fiscal review
A budget built with the governing body and policy council, with spending tied visibly to program goals.
Eligibility and enrollment
Accurate eligibility documentation, barriers to full enrollment addressed, and attendance patterns monitored.
CLASS reviews (FA2 only)
We help you identify strengths and areas to improve in your teacher-child interactions, and can recommend additional CLASS evaluations and coaching for more positive interactions.
Where we can help
Visually appealing infographics and the required data tours that illustrate and emphasize your positive impact.
New, expansion, baseline,
and continuation grants.
The DRS and EHS–CCP are grants too. Alongside them we write the grants that start, grow, and sustain your program, each one built to the requirements of its funding announcement.
Grant writing servicesThree numbers in every
Head Start grant budget.
The budget works the same way for the DRS and every other Head Start grant. A detailed, well-structured budget shows reviewers you understand your financial needs and can manage funds to reach program goals. These are the lines they read first.
Salaries, wages, and benefits
Teachers, administrative staff, and support staff make up the largest share of the budget.
Administrative costs
Management and operating expenses must stay within the allowed limit.
Donations and in-kind contributions
Goods, services, and cash from community partners that support program operations.
Training and technical assistance (T/TA)
T/TA funds are part of the overall Head Start grant and supplement your other training. Programs in the DRS should aim them at current challenges: recruitment and retention, including stipends for certification and higher education, specialized professional development in challenging behavior, ongoing coaching from a professional coach, and workshops and conferences for teachers.
Program resources and family development
Classroom supplies, family resource centers, and family training workshops.
Health services and partnerships
Screenings and child health services with local health providers.
Technology
Software and hardware that streamline records and retire older equipment.
Align with program goals
The budget reflects a positive learning environment, family engagement, and child well-being.
Reasonable and allowable
Every cost is necessary and allowable under grant guidelines.
Itemized line by line
A detailed breakdown of each category shows planning and transparency.
Justify each expense
Explain how each cost contributes to program goals and why it is needed.
FA1 and FA2,
side by side.
Together the two reviews evaluate your program’s structure and its performance. Knowing which one you face changes how you prepare.
| Topic | Focus Area 1Planning and design | Focus Area 2Implementation |
|---|---|---|
| Question it asks | Is the program designed to meet community needs and the Performance Standards? | Is the design being carried out, and is it working for children and families? |
| What it examines | System plans and design, the community needs assessment, progress toward goals, the PIR, and self-assessment. | Education, health services, family engagement, fiscal management, and eligibility and enrollment in practice. |
| Evidence to prepare | The OHS protocol, key documents, and mock interviews with staff and leadership. | Interview scripts, mock interviews and observations, CLASS results, and data tours with clear visuals. |
| Where we help | Highlighting strengths and identifying improvements before the virtual review begins. | Compiling documents, running mock observations, and building the data presentations. |
“Thanks to your thorough preparation, our review was outstanding.” Patricia, Phoenix, AZ
Working from the source yourself? The Office of Head Start publishes the current monitoring protocols at headstart.gov/federal-monitoring.
Your next review can be the easy one.
Book the free hour and bring your last monitoring report. We will talk through what reviewers are likely to ask and where your program already stands out.