South Plains Community Action Association Head Start & Early Head Start Division The Life of a Policy Council Member Sebrina Carroll, MS. Associate Director

South Plains Community Action AssociationHead Start & Early Head Start Division

The Life of a Policy Council Member

Sebrina Carroll, MS.Associate Director of Program Development and Quality Assurance


Who’s Who in HS and EHS Program Governance

• Head Start and Early Head Start Governance is the function of three primary groups.– Parent Committees– Policy Council– Board of Directors


Parent Committees• A group established at each site, which must

be comprised exclusively of the parents of children currently enrolled at the site.– Meetings occur monthly– Site decisions are made by the group– A member from each committee is elected to the Policy

Council.


Policy Council

• A group established at the grantee level through which parents can participate in policy making or in other decisions about the Head Start program. Policy Councils must be comprised of two types of representatives: parents of currently enrolled children and community representatives.


Board of Directors

• The group with the legal and fiscal responsibility for administering the Head Start and Early Head program.– Comprised of representatives from all counties served– Make decisions regarding all SPCAA programs


• As a PC Member, it is helpful understand both the differences between these three governing groups, and the nature of the coordination of their work.


• As a Policy council member you are responsible for :– Participating : active, independent, and,

informed– Governance: ensuring compliance with

applicable laws and regulations.– Approving policies and procedures, funding

applications, and budgets.


Conflict of Interest

• As a PC member, there are specific activities and/or relationships that one should not engage in,

• In order to dismiss the potential of a conflict of interest. Members of the PC should operate as an entity independent of staff employed by the Head Start program AND:


Conflict of Interest• Not have a financial conflict of interest with the Head Start

program/agency• Not receive compensation for serving on the PC or for

providing services to the Head Start program/agency. • Not be employed, nor members of your immediate family

be employed, by the Head Start program/agency.


Training• As a PC member, you must receive appropriate training

and technical assistance to ensure you understand the information you receive and can oversee and participate in program administration effectively.

• After an initial orientation as to your roles and responsibilities as a PC member, we will provide ongoing training opportunities for you at each PC meeting.


Program Areas• Education• Health Services• ERSEA (Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, Attendance)• Family and Community Partnerships• Mental Health and Disabilities• Transportation and Maintenance• Program Design and Management• Human Resources• Fiscal


Service Plans and Procedures

• Plans and procedures are reviewed and revised each year by the management team and the PC.

• Service Plans and procedures for each area can be found on the SPCAA website under the employee only tab.

• The website address is :– www.spcaa.org


Policy Council Meetings

• The Policy Council holds monthly meetings to discuss Head Start/Early Head Start program business, make policy and administrative decisions, ensure high-quality services are being provided, and guarantee appropriate internal controls are being implemented to safeguard Federal funds. Policy Council Meetings follow Robert’s Rules of Order.


How are you involved in Policy Council Meetings• Attend the meetings• Make motions• Speaking, debating, discussing• Nominating• Voting• Holding office• Starting the meeting on time• Maintaining an agenda and receiving materials ahead of

time


PC Packets• PC packets are mailed to each member the Saturday before the

scheduled meeting.• Each Packet contains

– PC Information Sheet– PC Agenda– Executive Director’s and Division Director’s Report– Service Area Reports/Finance Reports/ Personnel Reports– Updated Procedures/Service Plans– Correspondence with the Regional Office or the Office of Head Start– Other Important Information


Program Planning and Direction

• Throughout the year, you should not only be aware of but involved in the following:

• Annual Strategic Planning• Community Assessment• Local Self Assessment


Annual Strategic Planning

• Strategic Planning involves an annual meeting with staff and PC members, with the purpose of developing and/or revisiting long and short-term planning goals.

• The Strategic plan is developed during October and November .


Community Assessment

• The Community Assessment is a comprehensive report developed every 3 years and updated annually to assess community demographics and needs, in order to better identify services and areas in which to serve.

• The Community Assessment is conducted /updated in September/October annually.


Local Self Assessment

• Local Self Assessment: An annual process of analyzing program strengths and areas of improvement from education to fiscal to safe environments.

• The Local Self Assessment occurs in January.


Activity and Decision Requirements

• As a PC member, there are many activities in which you may participate. In order to support program administration and implementation, you must approve and submit to the Board decisions about the following activities:



• Program recruitment, selection, and enrollment priorities;• By-laws for Policy Council operations;• Applications for funding and amendments to applications for

funding for programs before application submission;• Budget planning for program expenditures, including

policies for reimbursement and participation in Policy Council activities;



• Program personnel policies and decisions regarding employment of all program staff, including standards of conduct for program staff.

• Developing procedures for electing Policy Council members; and


Policy Council Job Description


Policy Council Agreement


Tell me and I forget; show me and I remember; involve me and I understand. - Anonymous

Documents

South Plains Community Action Association Head Start & Early Head Start Division The Life of a Policy Council Member Sebrina Carroll, MS. Associate Director