Performance Standards

The Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) set forth the requirements local grant recipients must meet to support the cognitive, social, emotional, and healthy development of children from birth to age five. They encompass requirements to provide education, health, mental health, nutrition, and family and community engagement services as well as rules for local program governance and aspects of federal administration of the program.

Head Start Program Performance Standards History

The first set of Head Start program performance standards were published in the 1970s. Since then, they have been revised following subsequent Congressional reauthorizations.

In the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007, Congress instructed the Office of Head Start to update its performance standards. Several years later, in 2015, former Secretary of Health and Human Services (and Head Start alumna!) Sylvia Mathews Burwell visited a Head Start program in Chicago to announce the release of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the HSPPS.

She shared: “These proposed standards provide the building blocks for the success of future generations of Head Start kids. As a Head Start kid myself, I know firsthand the power Head Start has to instill a lifelong love of learning. By reducing the unnecessary bureaucratic burdens and applying the latest research and best practices in our Head Start programs, we will help more children onto the path of success.”

NHSA worked quickly to review and respond to the HSPPS NPRM. Designed for flexibility and based on firm research, the revised standards expanded full-day services and included numerous changes that required careful consideration and response from the entire Head Start and Early Head Start field. NHSA members developed recommendations before the NPRM release. The response was so intense that the 60-day deadline was extended by 30 days.

NHSA’s final comments were submitted in September 2015 and included sign-ons from 1,200 Head Start practitioners and advocates, including every national, regional, and state association.

NHSA’s Head Start Program Performance Standards Recommendations

NHSA and the Head Start community made the following core recommendations:

  1. Increases in dosage must be shaped by community need.
  2. The role of parents as family and program leaders must be strengthened.
  3. Local flexibility drives strong outcomes for children and families and must be accessible to every community.

Related Content

NHSA Files Revision Recommendations for HSPPS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In advance of the deadline for submitting comments in response to the Notice of Proposed Rule Making for revised Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS), 1,200 Head Start practitioners and advocates – including every national, regional, and state Head Start Association representing all Head Start grantees – signed on to the National Head Start Association’s recommendations filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Head Start. The following statement should be attributed to Yasmina Vinci, Executive Director of the National Head Start Association: “After three months of collaboration, we are pleased to submit revision recommendations that have been embraced by the entire Head Start community. The recommendations reflect a shared enthusiasm for revising the dated HSPPS and include suggestions about how the proposed Standards might be strengthened, clarified, and revised to support successful implementation. The broad community support for these suggestions demonstrates a collective agreement about what would be best for Head Start children and families, what is feasible for program implementation, and what resources programs will need to build on Head Start’s  legacy of providing high-quality early learning opportunities. We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress to ensure the revised…

Statement on Head Start Program Performance Standards Comment Period Extension

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it has extended the comment period on the Notice of Proposed Rule Making for revised Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) by 30 days. The announcement will be published in the Federal Register on Wednesday August 12, 2015 and the new deadline for comments is September 17, 2015. The following statement should be attributed to Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association: “We applaud the progress being made toward finalizing the Head Start Performance Standards (HSPPS) and are delighted that the comment period has been extended to give the entire Head Start community more time to share valuable feedback and expertise on the proposed changes. The 30-day extension is an important step in ensuring the Final Rule for the HSPPS represents what is best for our children and families, what is feasible for programs to implement, and what resources programs need to continue Head Start’s legacy of high-quality early childhood care and education.”

Head Start Basics

Available in Pre-Service Bundle

This course trains new and returning staff on the basics of Head Start—the program’s history, parent and family engagement, health policies, Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS), and more!