Don’t know about you, but it

seems that 2010 came in like a

Cheetah running at 70 miles

per hour and now 2011 is right

around the corner.

This issue is dedicated to the

highlights of the year. One

that stands out in my mind was

the 6-minute battle of words

between reporter John Stossel

and NHSA Chair, Ron

Herndon. Stossel tried to slam

dunk Head Start and link the

entire program to a control

group of students, who at-

tended Head Start prior to 1st

grade and tests showed that

they were on the same level as

children who did not attend

Head Start. “$166 million of

your dollars have made... no

difference,” said Stossel.

Needless to say, since 1965,

HEAD START has served

millions of children and their

families across the country,

increasing every Head Start

Child’s exposure to effective,

appropriate learning

experiences both in the

program and at home. What

other pre-school program has

more than 1,600 performance

standards and have clearly

contributed to the success of

so many? Go Head Start, go!

Federal Monitoring Review

(FMR)

The Department of Health

and Human Services con-

ducted an onsite monitoring

review of ACS from July 5,

2009 to July 17, 2009. Based

on the information gathered

the grantee program was found

to be out of compliance with

several Head Start Perform-

ance Standards. The areas of

non-compliance sited in the

FMR report were given 120

day time frame for corrective

action. Areas of strength in-

cluded collaborations, partner-

ships, and enhanced services to

19,311 children and families.

It was noted that the

“Delegate Agencies and Com-

munity Partners provided op-

portunities for children and

their families to learn and grow

through services and systems

in a seamless approach exceed-

ing the scope of regular Head

Start service.”

April 2010 EarlyLearn NYC

This concept paper is being

offered to New York City’s

private provider community

and the general public in order

to help frame and give purpose

to the Request for Proposals

(“RFP”) which the City of

New York’s Administration for

Children’s Services (“ACS”)

expects to release in 2010, for

implementation of services to

children and families in 2011.

“Through EarlyLearn NYC,

we will enhance the quality of

Early Education for New York

City’s children,” said ACS

commissioner John B.

Mattingly.

On November 3rd, several

members of the Early Child-

care community met with

Commissioner Mattingly to

continue the dialogue about

EarlyLearn and the release of

the RFP. We were informed

that the RFP would be released

January/February 2011 with

implementation of the program

Highlights of 2010

DECEMBER 2010

Volume 5, Issue 1

HSSBC 2010 2

HSSBC Meeting Schedule

2

HSSBC Annual Meet & Greet Photo Gallery

3

HS Re-competition 4

Re-competition Timetable 5

Region II Conference 6

Open Positions 7

Inside this issue:

Special Points of

Interest:

What’s New in Head

Start for 2011

Region II Head Start

Association

Conference

Photo Gallery

403(b)

Job Opportunities

HEAD START SPONSORING BOARD COUNCIL

Page 2 HSSBC Newsletter Volume 5, I ssue 1

ALL MEETINGS START AT 6:00 PM

The Following Are Dates For Future Meetings:

Monday, January 10, 2011

Monday, February 7, 2011

Monday, March 7, 2011

Monday, April 4, 2011

Monday, May 2, 2011

Monday, June 6, 2011

JULY & AUGUST - NO MEETINGS

Andre S. Lake

President

Ronni Fisher

1st Vice President

Cynthia McCright

2nd Vice President

President Emeritus

Sandra Roche

Secretary

Gina Rusch

Treasurer

Gwendolyn McEvilley

Director

Head Start Sponsoring Board Council Of the City of New York

45 Main Street, Suite 712

Brooklyn, NY 11201

(718) 858-7575-Phone

(718) 858-6765-Fax

HSSBC Meet & Greet Photo Gallery

Council Member Letitia James,

Andre Lake, Ronni Fisher,

Ayleen Guzman, Andrea Anthony,

Gina Rusch, Sandy Roche,

Gwen McEvilley

Page 3 HSSBC Newsletter Volume 5, I ssue 1

Head Start Re-competition Regulations (Excepts from feldesmantucker.com)

The re-competition requirement is not intended to replace either the current Head Start monitoring system or the

ability of OHS to defund grantees for specific reasons, but rather would be new, additional process for Head Start

and Early Head Start (collectively, “Head Start”) programs.

In Head Start, once an organization receives a federal grant, unless it does something to lose the Head Start grant

(such as having an uncorrected deficiency finding) or become de-funded, the organization continues that grant in

perpetuity so long as it follows the program laws and regulations and submits annual refunding applications. To illus-

trate this point, many programs have been operating for over 40 years under the same Head Start grants. However, if

implemented as proposed, the new system of re-competition would change that.

The Head Start Act as amended in 2007 includes a requirement that Head Start grants become five-year grants. Cou-

pled with that, the proposed system in the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) would require that after a pe-

riod of transition, “a minimum of 25 percent of all Head Start grantees (including both Head Start and Early Head

Start grantees) reviewed in the same year would re-compete for their grant in an open competition against other enti-

ties for the next five years of funding.

The proposed system as drafted is quite stringent, and as such, may impact significantly whether or not your agency

continues to receive federal dollars.

All grantees and other interested parties are encouraged to submit written comments to ACF on this proposed rule

explaining the effect your expect it will have on your program and providing suggestions for alternatives. Comments

can be submitted anytime until December 21, 2010, and may be submitted electronically via www.regulations.gov.

Triggers for Re-Competition

The NPRM contain seven conditions that would subject “lower performing” Head Start grantees to open

competition:

For quality:

1. A determination by ACF that the agency has one or more deficiencies during a single monitoring review;

2. A determination by ACF that an agency has not established and taken steps to achieve its goals for improving

school-readiness and has not analyzed individual child-level assessment data in accordance with the Head Start

Child Outcomes Framework (Or Early Head Start Program Performance Measures Framework);

3. Certain low scores on the Classroom Assessment Scoring System: Pre-K (“CLASS: Pre-K”)

For Licensing and Operation:

4. Revocation of an agency’s license to operate by a state or local licensing agency;

5. Suspension from the Head Start of Early Head Start program;

For Fiscal Internal Controls:

6. Debarment by any federal or state agency from receiving federal or state funds or is disqualified from the Child

and Adult Care Food Program; or

7. A determination by an independent auditor, a state agency, the National External Audit Review Center, or the

HHS Office of Inspector General that the agency has one or more material weaknesses or is determined to be

unable to ensure that it can continue as a going concern.

Page 4 Newsletter T i t le Volume 1, I ssue 1

Page 5 Newsletter T i t le Volume 1, I ssue 1

Reporting Requirements In addition, the NPRM proposes new reporting requirements for grantees. It specifies that Head Start agencies

would have to report to ACF in writing within 10 days of the occurrence of any of the following:

1. Revocation of a license to operate by a state or local licensing entity;

2. Filing for organizational bankruptcy or agreeing to a reorganization plan as part of a bankruptcy

settlement;

3. Debarment from receipt of federal or state funds or disqualification from the Child and Adult Care Food

Program (“CACFP”);

4. Receipt of an audit, audit review, investigation or inspection report from the agency’s auditor, a state

agency, or the cognizant federal audit agency containing a determination that one or more material weak-

nesses exists or that the organization is at risk for ceasing to be a going concern.

Impact on Grantees

Given the importance of the scope of this NPRM, it has the potential to have a significant impact on current

Head Start grantees. Because a grantee’s past performance will be taken into account in determining whether

to re-compete, it is imperative for grantees to consider carefully all of the elements upon which they

might be judged. In addition, when this NPRM is finalized, we expect to see more grantees challenging audit

findings, license revocation, and monitoring reports, otherwise, such findings are likely to form the basis for

re-competition.

Overview of ACF’s Proposed Re-Competition System Through the NPRM, ACF has proposed that at least 25 percent of all Head Start and Early Head Start (Collectively “Head Start”) grantee reviewed in the same year would have to re-compete for their next five years of funding. Whether or not a grantee would fall into the at least 25 percent pool would be based on seven specific performances conditions and criteria (“triggers”). If a grantee has one of the triggers, its grant would be automatically re-competed. These seven conditions fall into three categories: Quality; Licensing and Operations; and Fiscal and Internal Controls. Timetable:

The public has 90 days from 9/22/2010 to comment on the proposed regulation The deadline for public comments on the proposed regulation is 12/21/2010 OHS will begin implementing the new system within 12 months of the publication of the final rule OHS will convert the current continuous grants into five-year grants within a three-year transition period after the final rule is published.

Page 6 Newsletter T i t le Volume 1, I ssue 1

R

E

G

I

O

N

II

P

H

O

T

O

G

A

L

L

A

R

Y

THE SAGAMORE

Open Positions

Education Director

Deadline for submission of resume 12/15/2010

Masters in Early Childhood Education with certification a must. Two years teaching experience in the Pre-school level.

ACS Salary Scale. Free Health Benefits. Free Pension Plan.

If Interested, Send Resume to: Brenda Perez, Director, Trabajamos Community Head Start

940 East 156th Street, Bronx, NY 10455

Administrative Director

Masters in Early Childhood Education. New York State Permanent Certification/Professional Certification preferred.

Five years paid experience Administrator/Supervisor in education, social services, or related field.

Submit resume to zarribalzaga@midbronx.org, Mid-Bronx CCRP Early Childhood Center Inc.

1125 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10452

Assistant Director

Head Start Social Services - crucial

MA degree with at least one-year paid related experience. Experience working with families in Social Service capacity with

two-years paid related experience. OR Bachelor’s degree from accredited college, plus three-years paid related experience.

Bi-lingual (Spanish) a must. Writing and translation skills important (English/Spanish). Ability to work independently and

with others. Ability to interact with parents and staff.

Attn: Tolu Oluwole - Seventh Avenue Center for Family Services - 1646 Montgomery Avenue, Bronx, NY 10453

718-901-0140 (phone), 718-901-0145 (fax), www.7thavenuecenter.org

Group Teacher

West Harlem Community Organization, Inc. Head Start Pre-School Program

NYS Certification in Early Childhood Education; may apply with a BA or Masters degree in Early Childhood Education cur-

rently working towards permanent certification; at least two years experience working in classroom; good oral and written com-

munication skills.

Attn: Andrea Hayes, Education Director, arhwhhs@aol.com 121 West 128th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10027

212-665-7798 (fax)

Group Teacher

Paul T. Matson Head Start

MA Degree in Early Childhood, New York State Teachers’ Certification or currently working towards obtaining it.

(Will consider applicants who are actively pursuing their Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education may also apply.)

Two years or more working with pre-school aged children. Bilingual a plus but not necessary. Salary ranges, salaries set by

ACS. If interested, send your updated resume and copy of college transcript to:

Attn: Ms. Mildred Rivera, Paul T. Matson Head Start, 1984-86 Crotona Avenue, Bronx, NY 10457

Page 7 Newsletter T i t le Volume 1, I ssue 1

Like any other organization,

Head Start stores data on

computers, but also stores

information in enough file

cabinets that would probably

go around the globe two or

three times if we lined them up

side-by-side. Hart Singh of

OpCenter, presented Cloud

Computing at the Region II

Conference.

Cloud Computing is web-based

processing, whereby shared

resources, software, and infor-

mation are provided to

computers and other devices

(such as smart-phones) on

demand over the internet.

Cloud computing is a natural

evolution of the widespread

adoption of virtualization, Ser-

vice-oriented architecture and

utility computing. Details are

abstracted from consumers,

who no longer have need for

expertise in, or control over,

the technology infrastructure

“in the cloud” that supports

them.

Cloud Computing describes an

new supplement, consumption,

and delivery model for IT

services based on the Internet,

and typically involves over-the-

Internet provision of dynami-

cally scalable and often virtual-

ized resources. It is a

by-product and consequence

of the ease-of-access to remote

computing sites provided by

the Internet. This frequently

takes the form of web-based

tools or application that users

can access and use through a

web browser as if it were a

program installed locally on

their own computer.

The term “cloud” is used as a

metaphor for the Internet,

based on the fact that an

infinite amount of data can be

stored “in the cloud” without

any limitations.

Most cloud computing I

infrastructures consist of

services delivered through

common centers and built on

servers. Clouds often appears

as single points of access for

consumers’ computing needs.

For example, it was explained

that an agency can store it’s

employee info and all of the

children’s records “in the

cloud” and all information

would remain confidential and

secure ( what about wiki leaks).

Currently, the major cloud

service providers include

Salesforce, Amazon and

Google. Some of the larger IT

firms that are actively involved

in cloud computing are Fujitsu,

Microsoft, Hewlett Packard.

Welcome to the new world of

paperless-ness (if that’s even a

word).

New Technology - Does It Save Time, Money or Both

Page 8 Newsletter T i t le Volume 1, I ssue 1

ERISA or Non-ERISA, That Is The Question

New 403b Regulations Effective January 1, 2009 Effective January 1, 2009, all non-ERISA 403b investment contracts must comply with new 403b regulations. Under previous regulations, em-

ployers had no fiduciary responsibility other than to deduct employee salary deferrals and remit them to the provider(s) in a timely fashion. The intent of the new regulations is for employers to become more involved and to make the responsibility of 403b contracts similar to that of a 401k Plan. 403b contracts will now become plans and have the option of doing so in accordance with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and all subsequent legislation thus becoming an ERISA Plan or remaining a Non-ERISA 403b Plan. What does this mean?

It means the following:

All 403b plans will be required to adopt a plan document and operate just like an ERISA qualified retirement plan. According to the Depart-ment of Labor adopting a plan document does not automatically make a plan an ERISA plan. Churches are exempt from ERISA requirements. Any organization considering itself a church or being exempt from ERISA because it believes it falls under a church plan should consult with their legal counsel. However, regardless, the plan document is drafted in accordance with current IRS and Department of Labor regulations and allows for only the inclusion or exclusion of the Loan Provision, Hardship Withdrawal Provision and the Involuntary Distribution Provision (Disbursement Small Account Balances at Termination of Employment) even for church plans. All current and previous 403b vendors must be named in the plan docu-ment if contributions were remitted after 2004.

ERISA 403b Plans are required to issue Summary Plan Description Booklets all Eligible Participants

*Non-ERISA 403b Plans are exempt from this requirement

IRS Form 5500’s Must Be Filed Annually

* Non-ERISA 403b Plans are exempt from this requirement

ERISA Audits Are Required for Employers with 100 or more Eligible Employees

* Non-ERISA 403b Plans are exempt from this requirement

A Notice of Universal Availability Must Be Given to All Eligible but Non-participating Employees Annually by the Employer

* Non-ERISA 403b Plans are exempt from this requirement

Information Sharing Agreements Between the Employer and the 403b Providers Must Be Signed If Contributions Have Been Re-ceived After 2004.

* Required regardless of ERISA or Non-ERISA 403b Plan

Spousal Waivers Will Be Required for Lump Sum Withdrawals and Plan Loan Requests beginning January 1, 2009.

* Non-ERISA Plans exempt from this requirement

*Non-ERISA 403b Plans must offer more than one 403b provider, unless it is a Church Plan, and are exempt from many of the above requirements, however, based on recent IRS/DOL guidance the 403b vendors must administer and coordinate the following:

Monitor plan loans

Approve hardship withdrawals

Approve Qualified Domestic Relations Orders

Approve Disability Claims

Coordinate and Approve Involuntary Distributions

Coordinate and approve minimum distribution disbursements among

Approve distributions from the plan due to termination of employment or retirement

For non-ERISA plans, your 403b vendors may charge a fee for providing these services.

For many tax exempt organizations the deciding factor between becoming an ERISA 403b Plan or maintaining the current Non-ERISA status is a financial one when comparing the administrative costs of having more than one vendor under a Non-ERISA Plan or the costs of the annual ERISA audit for an ERISA 403b Plan. Regardless of which option is chosen the IRS will no longer rely on self-certification by plan participants and there-fore either the employer must make certain decisions under an ERISA plan or delegate this responsibility to a third-party such as the 403b vendors under a Non-ERISA plan.

Page 9 Newsletter T i t le Volume 1, I ssue 1

Open Letter -- What Head Start Needs

In these difficult, economic times, parents are stretching their dollars as far as they

can and the last thing they want to worry about is childcare. As a parent, you want to

know that when you are working, going to school or job hunting, your child is in a safe

environment, thriving, nurtured and cared for. It is the job of Head Start to make sure

that these services are in place and academically, offer a program where children are

ready and prepared for school.

Head Start was launched in 1965 as a comprehensive child development program.

Over the past 45 years, it has provided a beacon of hope and support to millions of

low-income children and their families across the United States and in territories out-

side of the United States and remains the model for early education programs. Head

Start has remained strong in the face of changing political and fiscal climates over the

past 45 years because it has continually improved the services it delivers to children

and families and responded to the changing needs of local communities.

Head Start is the most important social and educational investment in children,

families, and communities that the United States has ever undertaken. Head Start is a

high quality program that provides sustenance to the entire families. By the time our

children are finished in a Head Start program, they are school-ready and their parents

have benefitted by becoming confident care-givers who have strengthened their

family units.

Your support of Head Start is imperative to make sure that we continue to provide

these necessary services to our children and families. We are asking that you take

our fight forward to give the 19,311 children enrolled in Head Start in NYC, the

opportunities to be prepared by having quality programs, teachers, and staff. We

must be vigilant in our quest to close the achievement gap and give children a solid

academic foundation. It takes funding and we ask that you support our request for:

$1 billion in Head Start funding

$1 billion for Child Care and Development Block Grant

$300 million for the Early Learning Challenge Fund

Thank you,

Gwendolyn McEvilley

Director

45 Main Street

Suite 712

Brooklyn, NY 11201

We’re on the Web

www.headstartsbc.org

Special Thanks to Jacque’s Catering

Phone: 718-858-7575

Fax 718-858-6765

Head Start Is the Best Start!

HSSBC

Jacque’s Catering

Services for All Occasions

In your facility or in your

home– hall rentals also

available.

Buffet * Dinner *

Luncheons * Brunch

Birthdays * Weddings

Sweet 16’s *

Holiday Parties

Fundraisers

Etc.

(718) 276-6975

Rosedale, NY 11422

www.jacquescatering.net

Holiday Dinner Packages to Go.