The Head Start Act requires TXHSCO to conduct an annual needs assessment and develop a strategic plan to assist Head Start and Early Head Start grantees.
As amended on December 12, 2007, the Head Start Act requires Head Start Collaboration Offices to conduct an annual needs assessment of Head Start programs in the state, including the national priority areas noted in the Needs Assessment. The Head Start Act also requires Head Start Collaboration Offices to use the results of the needs assessment to develop a strategic plan outlining how they will assist and support Head Start and Early Head Start grantees in meeting the requirements of the Head Start Act for coordination, collaboration, transition to elementary school, and alignment with K-12 education. Head Start Collaboration Offices must also annually update the needs assessment and strategic plan, and make the results of those assessments and the strategic plan available to the general public.
Texas Early Learning Council
Appointed by Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Early Learning Council serves as Texas’ state advisory council as required by the federal Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007. Housed at the Texas Education Agency, the Council leverages its broad stakeholder representation to increase coordination and collaboration among state agencies and local program and service providers to improve the quality and access to early childhood services across Texas. In 2019, the Council led a statewide birth-to-five needs assessment and strategic plan as part of Texas’s Preschool Development Grant project.