Program Instructions (PIs)—2009

Conversion of Part-day Slots to Full-working Day Slots or Sessions (ACF–PI–HS–09–02)

PROGRAM INSTRUCTION:

TO: All Head Start and Early Head Start Grantees

SUBJECT: Conversion of Part-day Slots to Full-working Day Slots or Sessions

INSTRUCTION:

Changes to the Head Start Act, signed by President Bush on December 12, 2007, include new language in Sections 640(f)(2)(A) and 645(a)(4) that allow a Head Start or Early Head Start grantee to propose to convert some of its part-day slots to full-working day slots. (Please note that the Head Start Act defines “full-working day” to mean not less than 10 hours per day while noting that no Head Start program is required by this definition to serve children for more hours per day than is permitted by state law (including regulations); that is, full-working day could be fewer than 10 hours if the State did not allow a child to be served for that long a period of time.)

This instruction is intended for any grantee seeking to use Head Start funds to cover a portion of the additional costs needed to provide full-working day services. Any grantee proposing to use Head Start funds for such a purpose should submit a request to its responsible OHS Regional Office. The request should include the following information:

• A discussion of why you believe your agency’s community wide strategic planning and needs assessment supports the need for full-working day services.
• The number of children currently served by your program, by program option.
• The number of children you are proposing to serve, by program option.
• The amount of grant funds that is proposed to be used to support full-working day services.
• The number of hours per day and days per year you are proposing to serve children in this full-working day option.
• A discussion of the additional non-Head Start resources that will be used to support your proposed conversion of slots. Grantees not proposing to use any non-Head Start resources for this conversion should include a discussion of all the potential funding sources available to them in their community (i.e. Child Care funding, State pre-K funding, etc.) and why none of these resources are available to assist the grantee with this proposed conversion.
• The proposed timetable during which this conversion, if approved, would be implemented.

Please direct any questions on this Instruction to your OHS Regional Office.

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