Developing an Application to Convert Head Start Enrollment Slots to Early Head Start

This brief highlights select findings from the Conversion of Enrollment Slots from Head Start to Early Head Start (HS2EHS) Case Studies pertaining to how Head Start grant recipients prepared and submitted their applications to convert enrollment slots.

• Among most of the participating programs, preparation of a conversion application was a collaborative process driven by a single staff member embedded in the leadership team. 
• Staff in all six programs reported how they determined how many Head Start slots to convert into Early Head Start slots and how they developed their budget. 
• Staff from participating programs reported engaging in conversations with Office of Head Start Regional Office staff to support the development of their application. During these conversations, grant recipient staff typically inquired about the type of information and the level of detail that Office of Head Start wanted to see in conversion applications. 
• Staff from some participating programs reported using resources from the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) or receiving training and technical assistance (T/TA) from Regional T/TA providers. However, staff from other participating programs did not report using any technical assistance or referring to any outside resources during this phase of conversion.
• Staff from participating programs reported using various types of data to justify the need to convert enrollment slots in their applications, including federal, state, and local government data or other secondary data, internal data from their own programs, and perspectives or opinions of program staff or community members.
• Staff from participating programs reported leadership support, previous experience converting enrollment slots, and previous experience offering Early Head Start facilitated the development of their application to convert enrollment slots.

Purposive sampling identified six Head Start programs that had converted enrollment slots from Head Start to Early Head Start between April and October 2021. The research team conducted virtual site visits with these programs between November 2022 and March 2023. Participants included Head Start program administrators, finance staff, members of governance committees, and family-facing staff, as well as community partners, Office of Head Start Regional Office staff, training and technical assistance providers, and experts with knowledge of the local early care and education context. The research team also gathered relevant information for each program from the Head Start Program Information Report (PIR) and the Head Start Enterprise System (HSES), including conversion applications and community assessments. Participating programs provided additional documentation, such as conversion implementation plans. The research team conducted unit and cross-case analysis to develop a picture of each program’s conversion and draw out a cross-site narrative about conversion of enrollment slots.

Kate Stepleton, Carly Morrison, Diane Schilder, and Catherine Kuhns (2024). OPRE Report # 2024-309. Developing an Application to Convert Head Start Enrollment Slots to Early Head Start: Findings from the HS2EHS Case Studies, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, US Department of Health and Human Services.