National Head Start Association

NHSA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE AND CALL TO ACTION

Week of August 7, 2009

Dear Friends:

Please read this email and share it with others in your network. It contains an NHSA Update, a Legislative and Administrative Update, and a Call to Action. 

NHSA UPDATE

Legal Advisory Service Webinar to Help You Understand ARRA Reporting Requirements

 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("ARRA") requires all recipients of ARRA funds to make additional quarterly reports to the federal government. The first reporting deadline is in early October 2009, and will be required of all Head Start programs receiving ARRA COLA funds, Program Improvement funds, and/or Head Start or Early Head Start Expansion funds. Navigating these new reporting requirements can be overwhelming, but NHSA has teamed up with Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP ("FTLF") to help you understand the nuances of these requirements as part of our Head Start Legal Advisory Service. Ted Waters will lead an online training on August 25, 2009 at 3 pm eastern time on Recovery Act Reporting Requirements for Head Start. Don't miss out on this valuable opportunity to learn:

• What reporting requirements are for both grantees and delegates;
• Deadlines for reporting;
• Consequences of reporting mistakes; and
• Tips to ensure compliance.

To learn about NHSA-member discount pricing for the webinar and to sign up today, please go to http://www2.eventsvc.com/FTLF/fths/.

Get Ready for the Fall Leadership Institute!

Mark your calendars and register today: the NHSA Leadership Institute is on September 21-24 followed by the NHSA Board Meeting on September 24-25.  We look forward to having Head Start leaders from the field--including program directors, parents, senior management, board members, state Head Start association leaders, Policy Council members, and others join us for what should prove to be a full program.  We'll discuss the latest legislative and regulatory action, make educational visits to Members of Congress, hear from key individuals on Capitol Hill and in the Obama administration, and more.  Click here to register: http://www.nhsa.org/?e=events.detail&event_id=38.

Send Us Your Links

If you or your program receives a write-up or interview in local media outlets about your proposed or actual uses of ARRA funding, please let us know. Or, if you've had a great news story about something special your program is doing, let us know that too. Send your links to Gregg Porter at NHSA at gporter@nhsa.org. We'd like to post them to our website and help spread the word! 

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Recess

 The House of Representatives went into August recess (their scheduled "District Work Period") last Friday, July 31, 2009. The Senate is scheduled to go out on recess on Friday, August 7, 2009. Members will be in their home districts for all of August. 

FY 2010 Appropriations

 On July 24, 2009, the full House of Representatives passed the FY 2010 Labor, Health and Education ("Labor-H") bill in a 264-153 vote. It included an increase in our regular annual appropriation of $122 million for activities under the Head Start Act over FY 2009, reflecting the Obama Administration's request for our program. The total annual amount that the House approved for FY 2010 was $7.2 billion dollars for Head Start (in addition to the supplemental $2.1 billion provided to Head Start and Early Head Start through the ARRA).

The Senate also completed its full Committee mark up last week of the Labor-H bill, approving the same $7.2 billion annual appropriation as the House for Head Start programs. No Senate vote is expected until after the August recess, so stay tuned!

On a related note, the House Appropriations bill also provides for $4.8 million to the Health Resources and Services Administration ("HRSA") to work with entities, including Head Start programs on "early childhood oral health intervention and prevention programs."

ADMINISTRATION NEWS

Jacqueline Jones Appointed as Senior Advisor at Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education ("DoE") announced late last week that Dr. Jacqueline Jones was appointed as Senior Advisor to Secretary Duncan for Early Learning. Prior to joining DoE, Dr. Jones served the New Jersey State Department of Education as Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Early Childhood Education. (Please note that NHSA has invited Dr. Jones to speak at the upcoming Leadership Institute.)

OMB Issues New Guidance for Reporting Recovery Act Funds

As you know, earlier this year Congress passed ARRA to help stimulate the economy. In doing so, it imposed myriad new reporting requirements for all ARRA funds, recently detailed in a memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget ("OMB"), M-09-21. The memo is available at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/asset.aspx?AssetId=1412.  See the NHSA Update section for information about our upcoming Legal Advisory Service Webinar offered in collaboration with FTLF on this subject. 

CALL TO ACTION

The House and Senate are both in (or about to be in) recess, which means that August is the perfect time to invite Members who are not currently running for office to come visit your center and see what you do! If you aren't a full-year program and you don't have children in your center this summer, plan a trip to your Representative's or Senators' state office! Remind your Members of Congress how important Head Start issues are  ? they need to hear from you!

When you see them, tell them:

• Thank you for your strong and continued support of Head Start and Early Head Start (collectively "Head Start"), the nation's premier early childhood education and care programs providing comprehensive school readiness, education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children ages birth to five and their families.
• That continuation of ARRA expansion funding for Head Start and Early Head Start will be important to their community. We don't want to let Head Start children and families fall off the ARRA funding cliff when the ARRA funds are finished!

To contact your Senators and Representatives, call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or if you'd like to email them, go to: www.senate.gov and click on your Senator's website or www.house.gov and click on your Representative's website. On each website, there is a contact or feedback form which will allow you to email him/her directly. You can also find out the phone numbers for their local district offices on their websites and call them there directly while they are home for recess. 

DOLLAR PER CHILD

Thanks to all of you who donated to the Dollar per Child Campaign this year. All the work that NHSA did on the ARRA and is doing on other current legislative efforts is paid for by Dollar Per Child funds. That's why we need you to continue to support the Dollar Per Child Campaign. Without a robust source of funds, NHSA can't lead the way in our advocacy efforts that benefit all Head Start programs. It is through these dollars that we can advocate for you and with you on your behalf. Don't wait. Please send your contributions, whatever amount you can afford, whether it is $1 per child, $5 per child, or $10 per child. You can even easily donate online on our new, improved website at: https://www.nhsa.org/get_involved/donate.  

Dollar Per Child funds will ensure that NHSA can continue to lead the way in all of the future advocacy efforts coming up-from regulatory issues with the Office of Head Start, to additional fiscal year appropriations, to the next Head Start Act reauthorization, which is not far off. Remember, raise you hand! Use your words! Together we can make a difference.

Please know that NHSA continues to work for you and with you on your behalf on matters of importance to the Head Start community. 

This Legislative E-Update has been sent to Head Start Directors, the NHSA Board, Head Start State and Regional Association Presidents, Executive Directors, and Parents. Please share it with others in your network.