An 11-month feasibility study across six western states indicated that the HPP concept is technically, economically, and organizationally viable. The feasibility study also revealed that the participants in this project are similar in terms of client base, services provided, and information needs. These participants included four states (Wyoming, North Dakota, Nevada, and Idaho) and seven programs (WIC, Immunization, EPSDT, Maternal and Child Health, Head Start, Indian Health Services, and other Medicaid Services).

In addition, four Head Start programs participated in teh final feasibility study of the HPP project and are expected to provide the sites for the field demonstration. These programs are: Bismarck Early Childhood Education Program (BECEP)/Head Start in Bismarck, North Dakota; Nevada International Head Start in Reno/Sparks, Nevada, Laramie County Head Start in Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Twin Falls County Head Start in Twin Falls, Idaho.

The design and development phase of the HPP demonstration project is scheduled to begin in August 1997, and the deployment phase is expected to begin by April 1998. The evaluation phase of the project will begin in the summer of 1999, after 18 months of operation. The Urban Institute, a private, non-profit, policy research and education organization, will conduct the evaluation of the HPP demonstration project.

Kenneth Akwuole is a 1996-97 National Head Start Fellow. For more information on Smart Card, contact Bill Wilson at the Head Start Bureau. Telephone: 202-205-8913.

The Head Start and Child Care Bureaus are sponsoring an initiative at the national, regional, state, and community levels to support high-quality early childhood services and enable parents to work and to prepare for employment. The goal of this initiative is to assist the Head Start and Child Care Bureaus in developing policies and practices that foster grantees' abilities to maximize the benefits of collaboration for young children and families.

A work group has been formed to address issues in the following areas:

• What are the key Federal policies, regulations, and management practices that support local Head Start child care partnerships?
• Are there Federal policies, regulations, and management practices that unnecessarily hinder or complicate the efforts of local early childhood agencies to share resources and work together?
• What changes and improvements in Federal policies and practices would assist local program in providing more high quality services that support parents' needs for education, training, and work?

For more information, contact Tom Schultz, Special Assistant to the Associate Commissioner, at the Head Start Bureau E-mail: tschultz@acf.dhhs.gov.

0livia Golden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), has identified the following priority areas for FY1997:

1. Welfare reform: Assume accountability for moving families to work.
2. Child Support: Ensure financial support for children from both parents.
3. Child Care: Create access to affordable child care for low-income working families.
4. Infants and Toddlers: Reach children earlier to promote full development (e.g., through Head Start, Early Head Start, and child care)
5. Head Start: Enroll I million children in quality Head Start by 2002 and prepare them to be ready to learn.
6. Child Welfare: Provide safety, permanency, and well-being for children and double the number of adoptions from the public child welfare system.
7. ACF Reinvention: Build capacity to meet partners' needs.