Since January 2010, more than 35 OIG reports have been released, citing multiple infractions of Head Start rules and regulations, ranging from poor fiscal controls, including inappropriate match requirements and failure, to establish eligibility guidelines. In addition, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation and subsequent report identified 13 Head Start centers with areas of serious concern, including enrolling children from over-income families, falsifying income reports, and failure to meet health and safety standards. Last month, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced new proposed regulations that, for the first time, will require lower performing Head Start programs to compete against other entities for continued funding. The proposed regulations will also implement additional training and technical assistance initiatives to help Head Start grantees meet higher standards. The proposed rule is consistent with the Administration’s broad commitment to hold those that receive federal funding accountable and to use competition to ensure that only the highest quality entities receive federal funding. The link to the Notice of Proposed Rule Making is located at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-23583.htm.

About Kay Casey

Kay Casey has over 20 years of experience in federal and state child welfare policy and programs, having worked for the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Florida Department of Children and Families prior to joining PCG. She is responsible for the review and assessment of fiscal processing systems that impact a state’s ability to identify, document, and report expenditures for federal reporting purposes accompanied with the programmatic impact on the state’s system of care.

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