NHSA Update Week of February 5, 2010
Date Posted: 02/04/2010
NHSA UPDATE
Week of February 5, 2010
Dear Friends:
Please read this email and share it with others in your network. It contains an NHSA Update, Administration News, a Legislative Update, some Additional Resources, and a Call to Action.
NHSA UPDATE
NHSA January 2010 Leadership Institute in Washington, DC a Tremendous Success!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to each and everyone of you who made the trek out to our nation's capitol to participate in last weeks NHSA Leadership Institute. It was a remarkable success thanks in large part to you! We had strong attendance, informative sessions and panel discussions, and successful meetings with federal lawmakers where our voices were heard on behalf of our Head Start community. We had a great session presenting the Head Start Policy Project recommendations to Administration representatives Jacqueline Jones and Joan Lombardi. In addition, Rep. DeLauro spoke and we also honored Senator Harkin, who chairs the relevant Appropriations Sub-Committee as well as the full HELP Committee, for all he has done and continues to do for Head Start. At your suggestion, we will be posting links to some of the presentations and handouts for those who have had to miss this event.
NHSA Announces 37th Annual Head Start Conference: Reaching Higher!
NHSA is pleased to announce its 37th Annual Head Start Conference: Reaching Higher, designed specifically for the Head Start and early education and care community, to be held in Dallas, Texas on May 3 - May 8, 2010. The conference is aimed at helping those who work with or on behalf of young children and their families gain quality training and professional development. This year, there will be over 200 education sessions designed to address key topics and common challenges among programs, panel discussions on hot topics, and a host of meetings, giving you a chance to brainstorm and network.
Registration opens February 9! For more information and to sign up, please visit: http://www.nhsa.org/?e=events.detail&event_id=40
NHSA 2010 Policy Agenda Released
NHSA released our 2010 Policy Agenda, the roadmap for educating policymakers and advocating for policy changes. The Agenda lists the specific Federal legislation and regulations that the Head Start community has identified as needing changes to strengthen and better support Head Start, Early Head Start, and the Migrant/Seasonal Head Start and American Indian/Alaskan Native Head Start programs.
To download a copy, please visit http://www.nhsa.org/files/static_page_files/8A0AE124-1D09-3519-ADD7671F4B28F28D/NHSA2010PolicyAgenda012910.pdf.
ADMINISTRATION NEWS
President's Budget for FY 2011 Released
As many of you know, President Obama's budget for FY 2011 was released on February 1, 2010. NHSA is pleased that it provides critical support for young children and their families and will preserve the gains made by our recent ARRA increases.
- It would provide "an additional $989 million for FY 2011 for Head Start and Early Head Start to continue to serve 64,000 additional children and families funded in ARRA."
- It would also provide an additional $1.6 billion for the Child Care and Development Fund in preparation for its reauthorization. We are delighted that this budget demonstrates how the Administration has listened and understands the needs of our community.
- It would provide $8.9 billion over 10 years for the Early Learning Challenge Fund.
- It would provide an increase of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for families earning $115,000 and under.
- As for IDEA Part C grants for infants and families and Section 619 for preschool grants, the funding level would remain at FY 2009 levels ($440 million and $374 million).
The President's budget also includes a $3 billion increase for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act ("ESEA"). NHSA intends to follow this carefully, and as a first step, had an ad hoc working group meeting at our recent Leadership Institute to begin to gather ideas from the field about its needs in this regard. (This information will inform NHSA's work with DoE and Congress.)
Please note that release of the President's budget is just the first step. Both the House and the Senate have to review it and put forth their own proposed appropriations bills. Ultimately, they will need to vote on appropriations for anything to become our funding amount for FY 2011. Importantly, our work has just begun. Because of the pervasive national mood for cutting deficits, Congress might consider making major cuts to the President's budget. It will take our concerted work together to preserve the gains we've made for Head Start.
State of the Union Address
President Obama delivered the State of the Union address last Wednesday, and the focus was on the economy and job growth. He also discussed efforts to reform health care, education, and energy. His speech included a proposed three year freeze on discretionary spending, with the exceptions of security related spending as well as entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. He predicted the freeze would save the government an estimated $250 billion over the next ten years. To read the full text of President Obama's 2010 State of the Union Address, please visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-state-union-address.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Paygo
Last week, the Senate passed statutory pay-as-you-go, or "PAYGO" legislation (S. AMDT. 3305) based on legislation which was introduced in June 2009 in the House. The legislation, similar to a version last enacted during the Clinton Administration, requires new spending to be compensated by line cuts elsewhere as a means of creating a balanced budget - a key component to one of President Obama's 2010 priorities of reviving the United States economy. The House is expected to bring the newly passed Senate legislation to the House for a vote this week - stay tuned! To view this legislation, please go to: http://thomas.loc.gov and type in the bill number.
Health Care Reform
Following the President's State of the Union address, despite now making jobs a key priority, one thing remains clear: the President still wants Congress to follow through on its health care reform efforts. House and Senate leadership are still weighing possibilities for what may become of health care reform legislation. In the meantime, they appear to be turning their focus to bringing life back to the job market. We'll keep you updated on developments with health reform as we learn them.
RESOURCES FOR YOU
Head Start Legal Advisory Service Webinar: Human Resources in Head Start
The employment relationship between Head Start agencies and employees is defined by many elements. Some are more complicated than others and the topics for this webinar typically undergo significant scrutiny by program reviewers and auditors. Join Ted Waters of Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP ? who also leads the Head Start Legal Advisory Service, for part 2 in a series on Head Start HR issues on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 3 pm eastern time to discuss some of the more challenging aspects of Head Start employment, such as:
- Allowing for the use of Credit Cards (and oversight of them);
- Whether you can give bonuses to employees, and if so, how;
- Staff qualification requirements; and
- Tips to help you stay compliant when you are tackling the tough issues.
NOTE: Part 1, "Human Resources in Head Start," was conducted on 12/1/09 and will be repeated on 3/18/10. (Content in these webinars is wholly separate, so you can register and attend them out of sequence.)
To learn about NHSA member discount pricing for both this webinar and the one below and to sign up today, please go to http://www.feldesmantucker.com/pages/?p=44 and click on "Read More/Register" under "Head Start Organizations."
Head Start Legal Advisory Service Webinar: Recovery Act Redux
When Congress passed the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 ("ARRA") to stimulate the economy, it imposed copious new reporting requirements on recipients of ARRA funds. All Head Start programs receiving ARRA COLA funds, Program Improvement funds, and/or Head Start or Early Head Start Expansion funds under ARRA have new data to report quarterly. Then, at the close of 2009, jobs reporting methodology from the use of Recovery Act funds came under intense public scrutiny. In response, ACF issued critical new supplemental guidance. Additionally, the Office of Management and Budget ("OMB") issued revised guidance on Recovery Act reporting at the end of 2009. Join Ted Waters on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 3 pm eastern time to untangle the various report guidance and learn:
- What reporting requirements are for both grantees and delegates;
- Deadlines for reporting;
- Consequences of reporting mistakes;
- Tips to ensure compliance;
- Details of Recovery Act reporting guidance to date, including the important ACF guidance that may change your job counts; and
- We'll also include the correct reporting codes you'll need for your Head Start ARRA reporting.
Don't miss out! Please click on the link above to register.
CALL TO ACTION
Give to Dollar Per Child
Thanks to all of you who donated to the Dollar per Child Campaign ("DPC") this year. Special thanks to NINOS Inc. Administration and their family of Head Start centers: Le Moyne, Zavala, Albert Gonzalez, Rancho delCielo, Travis, Brownsville, Citrus Garden, La Villita, La Gallina, Charles Isbel, Browne, Leon Gardens, Santa Maria, Los Indios, TSTC Head Start and TSTC Early Head Start, San Benito, La Feria, DJ Lerma, El Ranchito, Landrum and Rio Hondo. Yasmina Vinci and Carolyn Stennett visited many of them last summer and enjoyed their wonderful hospitality. They are now doing an amazing job of fundraising for Dollar Per Child - and sending us the great results of their efforts.
As you probably know, 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 years, 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.
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 your 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, 2010. All rights reserved.
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