National Head Start Association

 

Week of November 2, 2009

 

Dear Friends:

 

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

 

NHSA UPDATE

 

NHSA Recent Activities

 

Last week, NHSA established its funding request for activities under the Head Start Act for FY 2011. The request is based on the reconciliation of long-standing principles of NHSA, the strategic recommendations of the Government Affairs and Research Committees that were adopted by the NHSA Board at its September meeting, and the consensus of a coalition of national organizations led by Helen Blank. Immediately upon reaching consensus, NHSA rolled out the request on a conference call with members of the NHSA Board of Directors and state and regional Head Start Association presidents and executive directors. In brief, NHSA seeks an increase of $ 3.74 billion in annual appropriations for activities under the Head Start Act for FY 2011. This amount would sustain ARRA-financed expansion in Head Start and Early Head Start and allow for additional needed expansion in the programs. Please click here to read a summary of that conference call. The summary includes further detail on the breakdown of the $3.74 billion, positions of the NHSA Board of Directors, the principles underlying our appropriations request, and NHSA's collaboration with other early childhood groups regarding appropriations. Even though the request may be ambitious given the state of the federal budget, we are moved by the fact that the most recent U.S. Census Bureau figures show an increase of 1.1 million children under age 6 who have fallen into poverty between 2002 and 2008. (And we suspect that the recent economic slump may have added dramatically to those figures!)   While we believe that the figure accurately represents the needs of Head Start and addresses Early Head Start's move toward quadrupling available slots, we have yet to see what the Administration considers possible given its very real constraints. Stay tuned for more from us over the next few months about what you can do to help!

 

As part of this consensus agreement with the other national organizations, NHSA signed onto the Child Care and Early Learning Coalition's letter regarding appropriations for FY 2011 for CCDBG, Head Start and Early Head Start, and IDEA funding which requests an increase of 3.7 billion for Head Start and Early Head Start for FY 2011. To read the letter the Coalition sent to OMB, please click here. To read a companion letter sent to Secretary Duncan regarding IDEA funding, please click here . We thank Helen Blank and the Coalition for their leadership on these issues and look forward to working together to achieve our FY 2011 funding goals for early childhood. 

 

Also last week, NHSA's Carolyn Stennett met in coalition with the Administration's Office of Management and Budget ("OMB") via the Children's Leadership Council ("CLC"). The purpose was to discuss impending FY 2011 appropriations. Robert Gordon of the OMB attended the meeting and explained that no FY 2011 budget decisions have been made yet.  He noted that this budget year will be very difficult to due to concerns about reducing the budget deficit.  Gordon sounded committed to considering the CLC's priorities and reiterated that the Administration will fund programs showing evidence of impact and effective performance.  Helen Blank, representing the CLC early childhood efforts, explained that the CLC is asking for an $8 billion increase in funding for Head Start, Early Head Start, CCDBG, and IDEA programs.

 

Mark Your Calendar for the 26^th Annual Parent Training Conference!

 

Save the date and register today: the 26^th Annual Parent Training Conference is December 4-8 in San Jose, California. Our Parent Training Conference is designed to help parents and those who work with or on behalf of parents and their children to advance their knowledge, skills, and abilities. This conference provides a valuable opportunity to gain a better understanding of developmentally appropriate practices, learn critical new skills, broaden awareness, and acquire resources that will enable participants to help Head Start children and their families reach new heights! We understand from the Office of Head Start that the expectations on programs for returning to best practices on parent engagement is high and will seek to have the OHS presence to elaborate on implementation. Click here to register now: http://www.nhsa.org/?e=events.detail&event_id=39

 

Head Start Legal Advisory Service Webinar: Head Start Monitoring Part 3-- Fiscal from a Lawyer's Perspective

 

Ted Waters will finish out the Legal Advisory Service's Head Start Monitoring series with a special focus on the fiscal sections of the OHS Monitoring Protocol. He will review actual questions in the new tool and provide tips. Executive Directors, Management Team, and Fiscal Staff are invited to join this important webinar on Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 3 pm eastern time, to:

• Review actual questions in the new tool and what OHS is looking for;
• Provide ideas about documentation to "prove up" your compliance; and
• Work through specific approaches to some sample problems.

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

 

Head Start Legal Advisory Service Webinar: Construction, Alteration and Repair: What does Davis Bacon Mean for Your Program?

 

For those of you who missed our recent webinar on Construction and Renovation with Recovery Act Funds, it's not too late!  Whether you have concerns about how to make heads or tails out of what Davis Bacon means for your Head Start program generally, or you are receiving program expansion funds under ARRA and you'll require any construction, alteration or repair, this valuable webinar will help you decode Davis Bacon. Join Ted Waters of Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP who leads the Head Start Legal Advisory Service us to learn the in's and out's of this important topic on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 3 pm eastern time.

 

In this online training, we'll discuss:

• What does Davis Bacon usually require of Head Start programs?
• What about in the context of Recovery Act Funds?
• What do you need to know about laborers and mechanics, payroll certifications, and required contract clauses;
• Buy America provisions for ARRA funds; and
• Take away tips from litigated Head Start facility cases.

Don't miss out! Please click on the link above to register.

 

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

 

 

FY 2010 Appropriations

 

As you know, we have been keeping an eye on FY 2010 Appropriations as the various bills work their way through Congress.  In terms of status of these bills, the House voted some time ago on the FY 2010 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill and the full Senate has not yet voted on the bill.  Because the Senate was not able to complete work on numerous appropriations bills in time for them to be reconciled with the House versions prior to the end of the fiscal year, to ensure federal funds keep flowing, both the House and Senate passed a Continuing Resolution ("CR") to continue funding at FY 2009 levels through October 31, 2009.  That CR expired, so the House and Senate passed a new CR last week -- allowing the government to continue funding through December 18th. President Obama signed this second CR into law on Friday, October 30, 2009 as a part of the Department of Interior Appropriations bill.  For more information, please see http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/statement-press-secretary-hr-2996-and-s-1929, http://appropriations.senate.gov/ or http://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app10.html and stay tuned!

 

Early Learning Challenge Fund

 

 

NHSA understands from Senate staff that the Early Learning Challenge Fund ("ELCF") legislation, a part of larger legislation, is likely to go through the Budget Reconciliation process in the Senate. That process limits debate and amendments, but prevents filibusters. To be eligible for this process, the language of the bill is subject to the Byrd rule, which limits "extraneous" non-budgetary provisions and focuses on deficit increases. Accordingly, Senate staff has been working hard to "Byrd" the language of the ELCF, (that is, tighten the language to withstand the additional rules for this particular process). The new language is expected to be marked up soon in Committee. Stay tuned!

 

CALL TO ACTION

 

Please call your Senators and Representatives and let them know the following:

• 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.
   
• Continuing Head Start and Early Head Start expansion funding in FY 2011 is critical to communities across America. In the current economic environment, many more children and families need Head Start and Early Head Start services than in years past. The number of children under age 6 living in poverty has grown by over one million since 2001.   Let's ensure that we can serve as many of these children as possible helping them to be healthy and ready for school.
   
• I also understand the need for Early Learning Challenge Fund legislation and I support it.

 

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. 

 

ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Dollar Per Child

 

Thanks to all of you who donated to the Dollar per Child Campaign ("DPC") 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. With a difficult budget situation in the coming year, the struggle to maintain the gains of ARRA will arguably be even more arduous. That is why we need you to continue to support the Dollar Per Child Campaign and to get everyone in your program and your community to support DPC. 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.   

 

Special thanks to RESAVIII Head Start Policy Council from Martinsburg, WV, Hoosier Uplands E.D.C. in Mitchell, IN, and the Washington State Association out of Kent, WA for their generous Dollar per Child donations that we received over the past few weeks. 

 

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. 

 

© National Head Start Association, 2009. All rights reserved.

 

Please feel free to redistribute this NHSA Update in its entirety to your networks. When you do so, please ensure that NHSA is credited with its contents. Forwarding this email in this original form is sufficient observation of the copyright.

 

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.