HEADLINES


Historical Changes to Head Start Program to Affect Transportation


By Sylvia Arroyo Te current state of the federal Head Start program and how


it will be funded moving forward is changing in a big way, as well as the transportation for thousands of children. For the first time in the program’s history, the U.S. Department


of Health and Human Services (HHS) implemented new rules requiring all Head Start grantees that fail to meet a new set of rigorous quality benchmarks to compete for continued federal funding to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being properly used by grantees. Te regulations went into effect in early December and affect 132 agencies in 37 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In December, the HHS announced that eight percent of the


nation’s local Head Start agencies must compete with each other to obtain federal funding. During the next three years, the agency will evaluate all 1,600 Head Start grantees. It estimates that one- third of all grantees will be required to re-compete for continued funding in that timeframe. As some local agencies inevitably will lose funding, government


officials said the open competition would give new organizations the opportunity to offer Head Start services. Additionally, the open competition will increase the number of low-income children in high-quality care.


MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO AVOID ELIMINATING BUSING No doubt these new regulations will impact Head Start


student transportation in some way, particularly the agencies that


lose funding. Shortly before the new regulations were


implemented, Head Start student transporters were already dealing with budget constraints and, as a result, were making some adjustments within their departments. Last fall a number of Head Start transporters told STN that budget


cuts have prompted them to reduce transportation, but none said their transportation has been eliminated entirely. Others said they were able to just change their bus routes or lay off some of their drivers or attendants in order to prevent reducing their services. While some transporters said their services fortunately had


not changed, they didn’t have enough funds in their budget for new purchases. “I have not been able to purchase a new bus and I need one,” said one respondent. Few Head Start transporters said they have had to cut some


corners in order to preserve services. “Using substitute drivers and aides,” reported Eileen Boyard, director of Harcatus Tri-


24 School Transportation News Magazine February 2012


County Community Action Agency in Dennison, Ohio. Another transporter said “Low wages for all staff.” Interestingly, budget constraints had not been enough to


prompt many Head Start transporters to collaborate with local school districts. However, some did say they had to make the move of working with school districts. One respondent in Colorado said sharing “commercial


driver’s license (CDL) training and testing,” while another Head Start transporter from West Virginia said, “Te school district is transporting more Head Start children at the collaboration sites.” Te third transporter who worked with a school district did so “by using area school buses to pick up children in rural areas where time restrictions would apply.”


TRANSPORTATION BY THE NUMBERS Te number of buses and students these Head Start transporters


have, run the gamet. Some Head Start agencies reported having 1 bus while others have 24. As far as Head Start children, some reported having 65 and others were responsible for more than 700. Nationwide, the total number of buses owned by Head Start


programs that are currently used to support program operations are approximately 11,594, according to the government’s annual Program Information Report (PIR) for the 2010-2011 program year. All programs funded by the government to operate Head Start and Early Head Start programs must complete this PIR. Te report also records the number of buses that are leased by the programs — 293 buses leased by 70 programs. According to the PIR, about 1,476 Head Start programs provide


transportation to some or all of the enrolled children directly or through a formal contractual agreement with a transportation provider. Additionally, about 314,534 children across all Head Start and Early Head Start programs were transported during the 2010-2011 program year. We should note that if one agency operates both a Head Start


and an Early Head Start program, the agency submits a separate PIR for each. A separate PIR is also submitted by delegate agencies, which are agencies that are delegated authority by a Head Start agency to provide Head Start/Early Head Start services. Additionally, the bus figures from the PIR may include some buses counted twice because many agencies that operate Head Start and Early Head Start programs use the same buses for each program. n


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