OHS Announces Dates for Focus Area One, Focus Area Two Monitoring

It is that time of the year again – time for Head Start Monitoring Protocols!

As mentioned in the Information Memoranda from September, the Office of Head Start (OHS) is suspending the CLASS® reviews during the fiscal year 2021 Monitoring Reviews due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Focus Area One (FA1) and Focus Area Two (FA2) are still being performed.

According to the OHS, Head Start Monitoring Kickoff webcast, grantees will still receive 45-day notification letters through Head Start/Early Head Start correspondence. Some grantees have already received their letters.

Focus Area One usually starts in October, but will begin the week of November 2, 2020, due to the pandemic.

“(The) monitoring process is about who you are all the time. We know there are a lot of programs who are stepping up and doing a lot of different things to cope with the COVID pandemic,” Adia Brown, Program Specialist at the Office of Head Start, said. “We also want to know about your future plans, we want to know what you have been doing for your community. We want you to have the opportunity to brag about things you are excited about in your program and we want to give you the opportunity, even now, even virtually.”

FA1 will be a virtual five-day review with one reviewer. According to Brown, the OHS will be using a lot of different technology this year, including programs like Zoom.

Grantees will also be able to collaborate with their reviewer on their schedule incase they want to bring in others for the review, such as managers, teachers, and even parents.

FA2 reviews will begin the week of January 4, 2021, with a virtual five-day review. This time, instead of one reviewer, there will be an average team size of four.

“This time we will have a team,” Brown explained. “Because they want to have an opportunity to dig deeper into your program’s services. FA1 is about your focus and plan. FA2 is about what you are doing.”

FA2 will include virtual data tours, which is where ChildPlus Software comes into play. During the review, you can share your screen on programs, such as Zoom, so your reviewer can see your data that you have been inputting into ChildPlus. All of your data from the entire school year will be easily accessible.

Reviewers may also ask for document reviews and give you a list of documents or information they need to see. Many of the documents or information the reviewers will need can be easily pulled from ChildPlus.  Countless reviewers even know the exact ChildPlus report number they would prefer to see.  This is another way ChildPlus makes your life easier.

“I think the approach that you’re hearing today is driven by the principles that I think reflect all the decisions we have made to support grantees’ success during these COVID times,” said Ann Linehan, Deputy Director at OHS. “(We are) really wanting programs to feel comfortable, take advantage, and incorporate the flexibility that we issue as needed in your program.”

To view the Monitoring Kickoff webcast, visit this webpage. OHS also has a PDF of the Focus Area One Monitoring Protocols available.