The kinds of information you are required to gather in the community assessment shape the questions you will ask. For example, you will need to ask families about the services they are receiving from Head Start in order to assess whether their needs are being met. You will have to ask child care providers about their enrollment of different age groups and children with disabilities. In other words, once you identify the data you want to report about your service area, you will be able to figure out how to get that data by asking the right questions.

The community assessment will inform decisions in many areas, including program goals and objectives; services and program options; recruitment and service areas; program locations; and criteria for recruitment and selection. The community assessment report provides a rationale for changes in program options, locations, and other matter, assuming the evidence gathered during the community assessment process supports the need for those changes.