Conversion Training from T/TAS
Changes to the Head Start Act allow any Head Start grantee that currently operates a Head Start program or a Head Start/Early Head Start program to propose using a portion of their award used for serving Head Start children to instead serve infants and toddlers.* The Act also allows grantees to propose converting some part-day slots to full-day slots.** These changes offer some unique opportunities for Head Start and Early Head Start grantees, but they also present some critical challenges.
Converting slots from Preschool Head Start to Early Head Start requires careful consideration and will impact:- Staff Training and Development - Will your staff be able to switch from preschool services to infant/toddler services? What training will they need prior to the conversion? What is the impact on your program’s Professional Development Plans?
- Facilities - What changes will be required to make preschool learning environments appropriate for infants and toddlers?
- Program Costs - How much will the conversion of slots cost? What new, ongoing expenses will conversion create?
- Staffing Patterns - What will it take to prepare your program’s strategic plans and your staff for the change?
- Program Costs - How does conversion from part- to full-day impact the bottom line?
- Recruiting - How will conversion impact your program’s recruiting efforts?
The answers to these questions may be difficult to find, but your program can find all the help you need by employing the expertise and experience of T/TAS.
- Specialists from T/TAS facilitate both the conversion conversation and local decision-making with the key staff of your Head Start and/or grantee agency.
- Our experts help identify both programmatic and fiscal issues related to conversion, determine what information needs to be gathered, and establish sound timeframes for action.
- The professionals of T/TAS can draft your conversion proposal for submission to your regional office, including doing the research and updating your Community Assessment to “prove the point” that conversion is both desirable and appropriate.
Contact T/TAS to schedule a low-cost Technical Assistance Day on Conversion for your program or for a cluster of programs in your area. Together, we will explore the issues, opportunities, and challenges in converting from Head Start to Early Head Start or moving from part-day to full-day services. T/TAS will facilitate your meeting with a structured agenda, in-depth discussion, and helpful materials so that you, your staff, your partners, and colleagues are better equipped to make informed choices about conversion.
Call T/TAS today at 1-800-882-7482 or e-mail us at ttas.info@wku.edu. We’re ready to serve you!
*Sections 640(f)(2)(B) and 645(a)(5 and
**Sections 640(f)(2)(A) and 645(a)(4) of The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007
