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Head Start and Early Head Start community assessments
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.
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 September 20, 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
Most programs schedule 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 restructure the performance standards (Federal Register notice); the comment period closes on October 6, 2026. Until a final rule is published, section 1302.11 stands as written. We will update this page when that changes.
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.