1. I am thinking of focusing my research paper on one of the following area: Head Start Outcomes or the Special Education Service Delivery process. What do you think are the current issues related to these topics?

I interviewed the Assistant Director for Children’s Services at Vistas Nuevas Head Start. The current issues that they are being faced with in the Head Start Program are of course, the outcomes and expectations of what experiences children should have in the Head Start Program. Currently we are facing an era where any compliant program can compete for a non-compliant Head Start centers and/or programs. In the state of Michigan the Department of Health Human Services of the City of Detroit which is the Grantee for the Detroit area Head Start agencies has lost the contract. Therefore, the Detroit Head Start contract is up for grabs for anyone who has a viable proposal. Another issue related to this area is that the Child Outcomes have been revised. There were originally 8 domains and 27 indicators which were revised to 11 domains with 37 indicators. One of the new domains is directed towards English Language Learners and does not affect all children the other two domains involve logic and reasoning and social studies knowledge. This has placed our agency in a dilemma because during a recent federal audit we were mandated to use the new domains as soon as possible. We complied with the directive and the grantee rejected our data and demanded that we suspend collecting the data until they directed us to do so. We are anticipating a follow up audit and do not have any guidance or clarification as to whether they will be looking for this data. I asked her about the disability services process and she referred me to the Disability Specialist for current issues in the disability content area and time did not permit me to complete and interview because she was meeting with Local Education Authority or the (LEA).

2. What other issues do you commonly encounter in your work or in discussions with colleagues?
We generally encounter salary concerns for teaching staff due to staff credentials or lack of such credentials due to changes in the requirements. Plans for professional development to assist teaching staff in meeting the 2013 mandates are in the works. We are currently offering Child Development Associate (CDA) classes to prepare candidates for testing to receive the credential. We are also assisting staff in paying for their education with Training and Technical Support (T/TA) funds. One of the areas that we are working on in our professional development trainings is conveying to teaching staff that incorporating data collection is not added or additional work but it is a natural process that assists them in knowing what children know as well as what they need to provide opportunities for children to learn.

3. What advocacy efforts are currently under way in your area of interest?
The advocacy efforts that are currently under way in Child Outcomes is the pending legislation in Congress for improving school readiness and positive, sustained Child Outcomes for not only Head Start children but on a larger scale to improve education for all children from birth to 8 years of age.

1. Some insights that I gained from this experience is that per the Assistant Director, it is very important for advocates or anyone interested in the Head Start program to go on the Head Start websites and view or listen to the webinars which clearly identify everything that she discussed with me in the interview, but goes much more in depth as to the legislation and actions being taken. In trying to understand the importance of the reauthorization of the Head Start program and its effects on at-risk children. Further, advocates should frequently email or write legislators about their concerns, feelings or complaints.
2. The interview was very informative and encouraging as I finalize my topic for my research paper because it gave me insight on the availability of information for my research. The more I asked questions, the more interested I became and thirsty for more information. Therefore, I have decided to do further investigation on the subject of Child Outcomes of Head Start children. Three related topics that I have an interest in are Child Outcomes as it relates to Special Needs Children, Child Outcomes as it relates to English Language Learners and the Special Education Service Delivery process.