6 Tips for an Outstanding Head Start Annual Report

Out of all the requirements for Head Start programs, one that is relatively standard and low stakes is the annual report. Required each year, the annual report provides an opportunity to share highlights, successes, and important information with the community, alongside required financial reporting. Below are six tips to help programs create a compliant and high-quality Head Start annual report that communicates clearly and effectively to the public.1. Ensure the report meets the requirements of the Head Start Act and Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS).Compliance with Head Start requirements is foundational for a strong Head Start annual report. Head Start annual reporting is established in HSPPS Section 1302.102(d)(2), and requires programs to include a summary of a program’s most recent community assessment and comply with the Head Start Act.The Head Start Act –  Section 644(a)(2) – describes requirements for a program’s annual report. For each most recently concluded fiscal year, programs must report information about (A) funding, (B) budget, (C) children and families served, (D) federal reviews and audits, (E) health services, (F) parent involvement, (G) preparing children for kindergarten, and (H) other relevant information. You might consider creating a checklist of required areas to make sure everything is addressed. We also encourage you to take time to discuss “other relevant information,” as this might look different from year to year.2. Provide digestible narrative and complementary images and graphics.Compared to other required reports for Head Start programs, the annual report tends to have a slightly different look and feel. It is usually concise, includes visuals, and communicates information without extensive text. This can quite different from a grant report, wage study, or even the community assessment.We recommend keeping narrative to the point, as too much text can draw the reader away from the main points. Alongside digestible narrative, consider images and graphics to illustrate key information. Perhaps you have photos enrolled children or volunteers engaged in activity, or maybe you have a pie chart that describes the budget. Explore these types of visuals as part of the storytelling within your annual report.3. Use the report as a tool to communicate program data alongside community context.In an ever-changing landscape of the early care and education field, it is important to acknowledge community factors that impact or relate to programmatic data. This helps to build a picture of the program within the broader context. For example, is the child care staffing crisis impacting your program? Is there new legislation in your state impacting child care programs? Has an expansion of public school PreK resulted in more options for families and greater challenges for Head Start enrollment? Consider what you want the reader to know so that they have a full picture of the circumstances in which your program is operating.4. Align with agency communications and program reports.As the annual report is intended to communicate with the public about your Head Start program, you might consider first describing the program alongside the agency’s mission and vision. There should also be alignment to other program reports – for example, community assessment and program goals. This is especially important since the Head Start Act requires the annual report to address areas such as findings from the community assessment and an update on preparing children for kindergarten. For example, if one the primary findings of the community assessment is that affordable housing is a substantial need among families served, and the program is serving a high number of families experiencing homelessness, this seems like an important thread between the documents. Narrative and data across reports should align and communicate consistent messages about the program.5. Remember the final touches.  We recommend ensuring your report is polished before it is distributed. Make sure the formatting is clean and clear. Consider a thorough copy edit to tighten up the language for readability as well as pick up any grammatical errors. A polished report will represent the agency well and can be a powerful tool for communication!6. Consider how and where to share your Annual Report. An annual report is one of a number of required documents to be submitted with a grant application. Recent updated instructions from the Office of Head Start specify that the annual report “include a cover page that briefly describes how the report is made available to the public.” This is an opportunity for you to consider how and where to share your annual report.Consider first whether you will make your annual report available electronically, on paper, or both. One key advantage of electronic (or PDF) is the ability to share the annual report quickly. Typically, programs upload their annual report to their website, where it can be easily accessed by the public. Programs may also share their annual report via email with the Board of Directors and key partners. Paper versions have their advantages too. They are easy to hand to a potential partner/donor as a way of introduction or an interested family at a recruiting event. Yet, the cost of printing can be a deterrent for some programs. However you choose to share your annual report, remember to make it easily accessible to the public.We encourage you to explore Foundations for Families’ Consulting Services. If your program needs assistance with its annual report, please be in touch. Our team of consultants will work with your program to determine a process, timeline, and approach that is the best fit for your needs.Thank you.Thank you for reading our blog. We encourage you to use our blog posts for thought, integration, and sharing. When using or sharing content from blog posts, please attribute the original content to Foundations for Families.