Head Start and Early Head Start community assessments
Page in progress
The Head Start Program Performance Standards require a comprehensive community assessment at least once in every five-year grant period, reviewed every year. A good one reads like a portrait of the families you serve. A weak one reads like a census table.
How often must a Head Start program complete a community assessment?
At least once in every five-year grant period, with an annual review and update if significant changes occur, under 45 CFR 1302.11. The assessment covers eligible children and expectant mothers, family needs, parents’ work and school schedules, other child care programs, and community resources and gaps. Plotline Evaluation gathers the parts that have to be asked rather than downloaded.
What 45 CFR 1302.11 requires
- “A program must conduct a comprehensive community assessment at least once over the five-year grant period and annually review and update if any significant changes are needed” (45 CFR 1302.11(b)(1)).
- Demographic data on eligible children and expectant mothers: race and ethnicity, children living in poverty, children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, children with disabilities, and where families live and the languages they speak.
- The education, health, nutrition and social service needs of eligible children and their families.
- The typical work, school and training schedules of parents.
- Other child development and child care programs serving eligible children.
- Community resources, especially transportation; the strengths of the community; and the gaps in its resources.
Facts on this page were checked against the official sources on October 31, 2026. Rules change; rely on the official announcement or regulation linked here, not on this summary.
Where we fit
Half of that list cannot be downloaded from a federal website. It has to be asked.
- Parent and family surveys, in the languages your families speak
- Focus groups and interviews with parents, staff and community partners
- Quantitative analysis of census, state and program data for your service area
- Data management, so the annual update is an update and not a restart
- Expert data visualization, and a report written for your policy council, your board and your grant application
- Final reporting in multiple formats: full report, executive summary, slide deck, one-page brief or dashboard
Mixed methods is our default design: qualitative and quantitative data, collected together and reported as one story.
Timing, and a rule in motion
We recommend scheduling the full assessment for year four or five of the grant, so it can inform the next application. The annual review belongs with self-assessment each spring.
In August 2026 the Administration for Children and Families proposed to rescind and replace the performance standards (Federal Register notice). The proposal would remove section 1302.11, including the five-year frequency, the required data elements and the annual review, while the Head Start Act would still require a communitywide needs assessment. The comment period closed on October 6, 2026. As of October 31, 2026 no final rule has been published, so section 1302.11 stands as written. We will update this page when that changes.
Questions people ask
What must a Head Start community assessment include?
Demographic data on eligible children and expectant mothers, including children in poverty, experiencing homelessness, in foster care and with disabilities, and the languages families speak; the education, health, nutrition and social service needs of families; parents’ work, school and training schedules; other child development and child care programs; and community resources, strengths and gaps.
When in the grant period should the full assessment be done?
We recommend year four or five, so it can inform the next application. The annual review belongs with self-assessment each spring.
Is the community assessment rule changing?
Possibly. An August 2026 proposed rule would remove section 1302.11, including the five-year frequency and the required data elements; the Head Start Act would still require a communitywide needs assessment. As of October 31, 2026 no final rule has been published, so the current rule applies.
Is your community assessment coming due?
Tell us where you are in your five-year grant and how many counties you serve. You will hear back within one business day.
Every inquiry is confidential. We never sell or share your information. Privacy policy.