Nurturing the Promise: Multimedia Materials for the Revised Head Start Program Performance Standards

by E. Dollie Wolverton

The revised Head Start Program Performance Standards will take effect on January 1, 1998. To help members of the Head Start community gain a better understanding of the standards, the Head Start Bureau has produced a set of multimedia materials entitled "Nurturing the Promise". These materials consist of a video, a brochure, a wall chart, a set of transparencies, and a user's guide.

As grantees and delegate agencies begin their plans for implementing the revised Program Performance Standards, the Head Start Bureau encourages communities to use the standards as the basis for planning, developing, and implementing quality services for low-income children and their families. "The Nurturing the Promise" materials have been designed to help programs achieve this goal.

The specific objectives of the "Nurturing the Promise" materials are to: (1) acknowledge and honor the history and culture of Head Start; (2) build awareness of the skills needed in the implementation of the Head Start Program Performance Standards to provide quality services to children and families; and (3) create an environment in which other community-based agencies can see themselves, along with Head Start staff and families, working as a team. The "Nurturing the Promise" materials offer an opportunity to confirm our commitment to high-quality services that enhance the strengths of each Head Start child within the context of his or her family and community.

The "Nurturing the Promise" Materials

Video--The "Nurturing the Promise" video presents four stories of Head Start children, families, staff, and communities working together. The video is designed to illustrate the comprehensiveness of Head Start, to promote discussion of the challenges and opportunities presented by the Program Performance Standards, and to motivate different audiences to identify ways to work together to consistently provide the highest level of service to children and families.

Brochure--The brochure is designed for a broad audience and provides an overview of Head Start, its program philosophy, and the process through which the Program Performance Standards were revised. In addition, contact information is provided for all of the Regional Offices, the American Indian Programs, and the Migrant Programs.

Wall Chart--The wall chart serves as a quick reference to the Program Performance Standards. It contains a table of contents of the standards, highlights key changes and new terms, and provides a list of resources available to support training on the implementation of the Program Performance Standards.

Transparencies--A set of 48 transparencies is available for use during training for the implementation of the Program Performance Standards. The transparencies include a brief introduction to the standards, a table of contents for the transparency' package, an overview of the major topics included in each section, and relevant cross-references.

User's Guide--The User's Guide is designed to assist individuals in using the "Nurturing the Promise" materials effectively with a variety of audiences. The guide provides general information and discussion points for training, as well as suggestions on how to use the materials to develop or expand collaborative partnerships with public and private agencies in the community and at the state and national levels. Also included is a listing of other training resources available to Head Start grantee and delegate agencies.

The "Nurturing the Promise" materials, along with other relevant resource materials, will be available from the Head Start Publications Management Center, F: 703-683-5769, E-mail: puborder@headstartinfo.org. Additional information is available on the Head Start Home Page: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb.

E. Dollie Wolverton is Chief of the Education Services Branch at the Head Start Bureau