Complying with the New Head Start Program Performance Standards in 2024

October 4, 2024

On August 21, 2024, the federal Office of Head Start (OHS) released extensive regulatory changes to the Head Start Program Performance Standards. These changes (the “New HSPPS”) address a wide swath of topics, including staff wages and benefits, child safety, the integration of mental health into program services, and additional supports to pregnant people. While the effective date of the New HSPPS is August 21, 2024, the actual compliance date for many of the new requirements is October 21, 2024, with a subset not taking effect until months, or even years, after that. In this article, CAPLAW created a list of the requirements with compliance dates in 2024 to assist Community Action Agencies (CAAs) with understanding the New HSPPS. Future publications will address other requirements, such as wages, as their compliance dates draw near.