"To support disability services, you need to ask two basic questions: 'How is my program doing?' and 'How can we improve?'" — Head Start program director

This chapter is about strengthening your coordinated approach for children with disabilities and their families. As the DSC, you collect information and assess your program’s disability services. One way you do this is through ongoing monitoring. This isn't always a formal process.

You gather information as you interact daily with children, families, staff, and community partners. Sometimes you rely on formal data collection methods. You also participate each year in the program-wide self-assessment. The information that you and others collect helps improve your program’s coordinated approach for children with disabilities and their families.

Key Ideas

• Ongoing monitoring helps identify immediate, timely improvements for disability services.
• The annual program self-assessment informs continuous improvement of the coordinated approach.
• Decisions are data-driven.
• Planning and goal setting are intentional.
• Families, staff, and community partners help you keep improving.

Continuous improvement means always learning more about the experiences and languages of your children and their families. Apply what you learn to strengthen your practice.

Continuous Program Improvement in Head Start Programs

Head Start programs must have a strong management system to make sure everything runs well. To keep getting better, programs must follow certain rules under Program Management and Quality Improvement, 45 CFR §1302 Subpart J. These rules help programs manage their staff, money, and services in a way that supports children and families effectively.

Strong Management System

Every program must have a solid management system. This means:

• Managing funding and staff responsibly.
• Making sure staff receive supervision and support.
• Using a coordinated approach across different areas, such as:
  • Staff training and professional development
  • Services for children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
  • Services for children with disabilities
  • Collecting and using data to make decisions

Setting Goals and Objectives

Programs must set clear goals to guide their work. These include:

• Long-term strategic goals.
• Service area goals, like education, health, and family engagement.
• School readiness goals.
• Improved health and safety practices.

These goals should be measurable, so progress can be tracked over time.

Monitoring and Oversight

Programs must regularly check how they’re doing. This includes:

• Ongoing monitoring to catch problems early and make quick improvements.
• Annual self-assessments using program data to:
  • Review progress toward goals.
  • Check if the program is following the Performance Standards.
  • Identify areas that need improvement.

Using Data to Improve

All decisions should be based on data. This helps programs:

• Understand what’s working and what’s not.
• Make smart changes.
• Keep improving services for children and families.

Using Data to Make Your Program Better

Head Start programs use data to see how well they are helping children and families. They look at how children are learning, how staff are doing, and what families need. The goal is to find out what’s working and what could be better. This process is called a self-assessment. It helps programs make smart choices to improve their services. 

To do a good self-assessment, programs must look at data from:

• Ongoing monitoring – This means regularly checking how the program is doing throughout the year. Staff look at what’s working well and what needs to change right away to better support children, families, and staff.
• Annual self-assessment – This is a once-a-year review where the program looks at all the data it has collected. The goal is to see how well the program is meeting its goals and to plan for improvement.
• Other program data, such as:
  • How teachers and home visitors support children’s learning and development
  • Staff training and support
  • How children are learning and growing
  • Family feedback on their needs, strengths, and resources
  • Health, nutrition, mental health, and other services

The self-assessment is a team effort. Several groups work together to review the program’s progress and help plan improvements. These groups include:

• Program staff – They bring knowledge about daily operations and services.
• Parents and families – They share their experiences and ideas to help improve services.
• Governing body – These are the leaders who oversee the program and make sure it follows rules and meets goals.
• Policy Council – This group includes parents and community members who help guide program decisions.

Together, these groups bring different perspectives that help the program grow stronger and better serve children and families.

After reviewing all the data, the program creates improvement plans. These plans help the program grow stronger and better meet the needs of children, families, and staff. Improvement plans can:

• Strengthen staff training by identifying areas where staff need more support or learning.
• Improve services for children and families by making changes based on what’s working and what’s not.
• Update program goals to reflect new priorities or challenges.
• Support specific groups, like children with disabilities or children who are DLLs, by addressing their unique needs.

In addition to making improvement plans, programs must also complete a few important reporting tasks:

• Share status reports with the governing body and Policy Council twice a year.
• Send the self-assessment results to their U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) official.
• Write an annual report that includes a summary of the most recent community assessment.

Using the Management Systems Wheel for Continuous Improvement

The Head Start Management Systems Wheel is more than just a visual — it’s a guide to help programs continuously improve. It shows the connections of all systems and services and how they must work together to support strong outcomes for children and families. This includes everything from education and health to fiscal management and data systems.

During the annual self-assessment, your program uses the Management Systems Wheel to ensure you review every part of the system. As the DSC, this is your opportunity to reflect on your role and how your work fits into the bigger picture.

Ask yourself:

• What action steps can I take to improve the coordinated approach for children with disabilities?
• Do I need to collaborate more closely with managers in other areas, like health, family services, or education?
• Are there professional development opportunities that could help me grow and better support my team?

Ongoing assessment is a continuous effort that brings important benefits:

• Stronger systems and higher-quality services that better support children and families
• Updated program goals that reflect the current and changing needs of your children, families, and community

Your role is to make sure your program fully includes children with disabilities and their families in this ongoing process. You also ensure they experience the benefits of a program that is always learning, improving, and working together.

Using Data to Strengthen Community Partnerships

You work closely with program managers and staff to build strong relationships with community partners. These partnerships help provide important services and support for children with disabilities and their families.

To keep these partnerships strong, you should:

• Collect information about what’s working well and what challenges exist in the partnerships. This might include feedback from staff, families, or the partners themselves.
• Gather information regularly, not just once a year. This helps you stay up to date and respond quickly to any issues.
• Look for ways to improve partnerships over time. Ask questions like: Are we meeting our goals? Are families getting the support they need? What can we do better?

What is your role in ongoing monitoring?

You’ve probably seen the word “ongoing” used a lot — ongoing child assessment, ongoing supervision, ongoing support. It also applies to monitoring, which is a key part of how Head Start programs stay on track and improve.

Ongoing monitoring means the program:

• Measures how well it’s doing.
• Finds problems early.
• Makes quick fixes when needed.
• Uses the information to write reports and plan improvements.

Program directors make sure the monitoring system works well. Managers are in charge of monitoring their own service areas.

As the DSC, your job is to monitor how staff are supporting children with disabilities. Ask yourself:

• Are staff working together to meet each child’s needs?
• Are children with disabilities fully included in all activities?
• Are families getting the support they need?

You are the eyes and ears for children with disabilities. If you’re not sure how to monitor something, talk with your supervisor or program director. Chances are, you’re already doing a lot of this in your daily work.

How do you collect ongoing monitoring data?

As a DSC, you collect important information every day — often without even thinking about it. Through your daily work with staff, families, children, and community partners, you gather data that shows how well the program is supporting children with disabilities. This ongoing monitoring helps you see what’s working and where things can improve. You collect data by: 

• Talking with staff, families, and partners.
• Attending meetings.
• Observing classrooms, home visits, and social settings.

These everyday moments help you stay connected to what’s happening and to how services are being delivered.

As you work with education and health managers, teachers, and home visitors, you learn how well they are meeting the needs of children with disabilities and special health care needs. When you visit classrooms or homes, observe how staff change their teaching and care to fit each child’s needs.

Using Specific Data Sources

In addition to observations, you should review formal data sources, such as:

• Screening and diagnostic results – Check how well staff are using the adaptations listed in each child’s plan (e.g., IFSP, IEP, 504 Plan, CAP, or health plan).
• Child assessment data – Collected three times a year (or twice for shorter programs), which shows how children with disabilities are progressing toward their learning goals.
• Other data sources – Include the Program Information Report (PIR), attendance records, and health data.

Monitoring the Learning Environment

Use tools to assess how well the learning environment meets the needs of all children:

• Profile that Measures the Quality of Individualized Support helps tailor professional development to support full participation of children with disabilities in program services.
• Environment Rating Scales (ERS) helps tailor training to support a high-quality learning environment for all children
• Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®) helps tailor training to make sure staff use supportive interactions with all children

Connecting to the Framework for Effective Practice 

Use your data to reflect on the Framework for Effective Practice. Are the foundation, pillars, and roof strong? Are families at the center of the work? This helps you see the bigger picture of how well your program supports children with disabilities. 

Professional Development Feedback

The professional development needs assessment is part of ongoing monitoring. Ask:

• Are staff requesting support?
• What kind of training do they need?
• Are their practices improving after training?

Talk regularly with teachers, home visitors, coaches, and managers to gather feedback.

Family and Community Input

Families are important partners. During referrals, evaluations, and plan meetings (e.g., IFSP, IEP, CAP), ask families about their experiences and ideas. Family service workers can also share helpful information. 

Community partners are another important source of feedback. Ask:

• What’s working well in your agreements and MOUs?
• What challenges are they experiencing?
• What do the screening, referral, and evaluation tracking forms show?

For Children Who Are DLLs

If your program serves DLLs, use the Dual Language Learners Program Assessment to guide planning. Pay special attention to children who are DLLs with disabilities or special health care needs, and review data on staffing, curriculum, and services.

What do you do with the ongoing monitoring data?

As you keep track of disability services, you learn what’s working, what needs to change, and how to make things better. This helps you make improvements — sometimes right away. 

Quick Fixes from Daily Monitoring

Ongoing monitoring often leads to small, immediate actions. For example:

• After talking with a parent or staff member, you might learn about a challenge a family is facing.
• You may be able to help quickly with a phone call, email, or follow-up meeting.
• These are called course corrections. They’re focused, fast, and based on what you learn in real time.
• Longer-term, program-wide changes usually come from the annual self-assessment, not daily monitoring.

Ask Questions, Start Conversations

Use your data to start meaningful discussions with your team:

• What are the strengths and challenges in our disability services?
• What are families, staff, and partners saying?
• Do we need to collect more or different data?
• How can we build on what’s working?

These conversations help your team reflect and grow.

Share What You Learn

Keep your supervisor and program leaders informed. Let them know what the data is telling you. They can help you solve problems and plan next steps.

Use Data to Drive Positive Change

Head Start programs are always growing and improving. Change should be:

• Data-based – grounded in facts and observations.
• Planned – not random or rushed.
• Intentional – focused on better outcomes for children and families.

Your goal is to use what you learn to improve how your program supports children with disabilities and their families.

How the Self-assessment Supports Continuous Improvement

Each year, program leaders work with a team to plan and carry out the annual self-assessment. This process uses data from ongoing monitoring to look at how well the program is doing in all areas — services, systems, goals, and objectives. Based on what they learn, the team makes plans to improve services and update goals, including school readiness goals for all children.

Looking at the Whole Program

The self-assessment uses data from many parts of the program to evaluate how well the coordinated approach is working for children with disabilities and their families. This includes:

• Community partnerships
• Eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance (ERSEA)
• Screening and referral
• Individualizing and curriculum
• Health and safety
• Transitions
• Professional development

Other systems also support the coordinated approach, such as:

• Fiscal management
• Facilities
• Human resources
• Data management

Together, you and your team gather and analyze data from all these areas to get a full picture of how the program is supporting children with disabilities.

Using Data to Plan

The self-assessment should lead to stronger systems and better services. Based on the data, your team can:

• Identify what’s working well.
• Spot areas that need improvement.
• Create action steps to improve disability services.

Because the coordinated approach involves the whole program, any changes may affect staff, partners, and families. It’s important to communicate clearly so everyone understands the goals and next steps.

Helpful Tools

The Assessment and Planning Matrix tool in Appendix F can guide your team in reviewing data and planning improvements for your coordinated approach.

To learn more, explore how planning, ongoing monitoring, and the program self-assessment all work together to support continuous improvement.

Tips for Continuous Improvement of the Coordinated Approach

Improving your program’s coordinated approach for children with disabilities takes ongoing effort, teamwork, and reflection. Here are some helpful tips to guide your work:

• Explore tools to assess learning environments. Learn about checklists and observation tools that help you understand how well classrooms and home settings support all children. Talk with early intervention and special education partners and connect with other DSCs to share ideas.
• Understand the value of data. Data can show patterns and trends that help you make better decisions. Learn how to use data to improve services for children with disabilities and their families.
• Review existing program data. Look at what your program already collects, such as:
  • Community assessment results
  • Program Information Report (PIR)
  • Child assessment and observation data
  • Staff surveys and professional development needs
• Ask for feedback. Talk with parents and community partners. Ask them what’s working well and what could be better in your disability services. Their suggestions can lead to meaningful improvements.
• Work with program leadership. Review how budgets, staffing, training plans, and facilities affect services for children with disabilities. Collaborate with managers to make sure these systems support your goals.
• Stay open-minded. Be willing to learn from the process. Continuous improvement means being flexible and ready to make changes when needed.
• Remember the purpose of self-assessment. The goal is not to find fault, it’s to grow. Every program has room to improve, and the self-assessment helps you move forward with purpose.

People Who Can Help You

You don’t have to improve disability services alone. Many people in your program and community can support your work. These include:

• Program managers from all system and service areas, such as ERSEA, data, and transportation.
• Direct service staff who work with children with disabilities and their families.
• Early intervention specialists and special educators from your LEA.
• Community partners who provide services or support.
• Family members who offer valuable insights into their children’s needs and experiences.

Questions to Ask Your Team

To strengthen your coordinated approach, ask thoughtful questions that help the team reflect and improve:

• What are the strengths of our disability services?
• What support do we need to improve learning environments for children with and without disabilities?
• What internal supports do we offer (e.g., training, coaching, or mental health consultation)?
• What external supports do we use, such as joint training or visits with special education partners?
• How do we review our day-to-day work with children with disabilities and their families?
• How do we look at the big picture to understand how well our coordinated approach is working?
• How do our disability services data help us plan and set meaningful program goals?

Scenario: Using Data to Improve Attendance for Children with Asthma

The Mountain Lakes Head Start program is preparing for its annual self-assessment. Janelle, the DSC, and Sergio, the Health Coordinator, are reviewing attendance data. They break the data down by subgroups, including children with disabilities and medical conditions.

They notice something important: 90% of children with asthma are frequently absent.

This raises a red flag. According to Head Start standards, programs must promote attendance, find out why children are missing school, and make changes to improve.

Digging Deeper with Data

Janelle and Sergio work with the management team to explore the issue further:

• The community assessment shows that asthma is becoming more common in their city.
• Hospital staff and medical providers confirm this trend.
• A multi-year review of PIR data shows that asthma rates in their program are rising — and are now higher than the national average.

They also gather feedback:

• Staff survey: Teachers and home visitors feel confident using health care plans but aren’t sure how to spot asthma triggers in classrooms.
• Family survey: Many families don’t fully understand asthma and want more information in their home languages.

Taking Action: A New Health Goal

The team presents their findings to the governing body and Health and Mental Health Services Advisory Committee (HMHSAC). Everyone agrees: the program needs a better plan to support children with asthma and reduce absences.

They set a new goal: Increase attendance for children with asthma.

Janelle and Sergio will:

• Monitor attendance closely
• Contact families quickly when absences increase
• Track missed home visits and group socializations in Early Head Start

A Multiyear, Multipronged Plan

The program also launches a long-term plan to improve how they support children with disabilities and medical conditions. This plan involves many systems and service areas.

Key actions include:

• Developing an asthma policy and procedures, including:
  • Staff training on asthma
  • Using an asthma-friendly classroom checklist
  • Tracking attendance and symptoms for children with asthma
  • Facility improvements based on checklist results, with support from budget staff
• Creating an MOU with the local hospital to:
  • Train staff to educate families about asthma
  • Provide asthma resources in families’ preferred home languages

Looking Ahead

Janelle, Sergio, and the management team are excited to begin this health initiative. They believe that with strong planning, teamwork, and clear communication, staff and families will be ready to support this important work.