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Head Start/Early Head Start Emergency Preparedness Survey
ACF-PI-HS-09-09

PROGRAM INSTRUCTION [See Attachment at the bottom]

TO: All Head Start and Early Head Start Grantees

SUBJECT: Head Start/Early Head Start Emergency Preparedness Survey

INSTRUCTION:

Section 649(m) of the Head Start Act requires that:

"The Secretary shall evaluate the Federal, State, and local preparedness of Head Start programs, including Early Head Start programs, to respond appropriately in the event of a large-scale emergency, such as the hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, or other incidents where assistance may be warranted under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.)."

There is currently no uniform information collected on how Head Start programs have or have not developed policies and procedures for such situations. Such information is crucial to the Office of Head Start (OHS) in responding to the Congressional requirements in the 2007 Act. For this purpose, the Office of Head Start developed and obtained OMB approval of the Head Start/Early Head Start Emergency Preparedness Survey (OMB Control No. 0970-0368). The survey is now available to grantees in the Head Start Enterprise System (HSES) in the tab titled "Emergency Preparedness." Grantees are required to complete and submit the survey no later than December 30, 2009. Submission questions can be directed to HSES Help at hseshelp@acf.hhs.gov or 1-866-771-4737.

It is essential that this survey accurately represent Head Start and Early Head Start program's emergency preparedness and response activites.

The Office of Head Start understands that programs are in various stages of planning and preparing for large-scale emergencies. It is important that the survey results capture this variability so that OHS can better plan for technical assistance and guidance.

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

/Patricia E. Brown/

Patricia E. Brown
Acting Director
Office of Head Start

Login to HSES to complete your survey

Attachment:
     Sample Emergency Preparedness Survey [PDF, 335KB]

See PDF Version:
     Head Start/Early Head Start Emergency Preparedness Survey [PDF, 320KB]