ERSEA

This subpart contains requirements and procedures for the eligibility determination, recruitment, selection, enrollment and attendance of children. It also explains the policy concerning the charging of fees.

Programs must conduct a community assessment of their service area at least once over the five-year grant period. Review this standard for clarity about what should be considered.

Review the HSPPS requirements around determining and documenting families’ eligibility for Head Start program services.

Programs must develop and implement a process to locate and recruit eligible children in their services area. Review this standard to learn about specific recruitment areas and how to serve special populations.

Programs are required to use their community assessment to establish selection criteria that prioritize certain children and families. Review this standard as a guide to build a compliant selection process.

Programs must maintain their funded enrollment level and fill any vacancy as soon as possible. Explore this standard for enrollment regulations and expectations.

To promote regular attendance, programs must have a system to track attendance for each enrolled child. Review this standard for clarity around implementation strategies and managing attendance issues. 

This standard clearly prohibits the expulsion of children from Head Start programs and sets strict limitations on the use of temporary suspension.