Accepted means a child or pregnant woman has met the eligibility criteria and has completed the enrollment process.

Children with disabilities means children with mental retardation, hearing impairments including deafness, speech or language impairments, visual impairments including blindness, serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments or specific learning disabilities who, by reason thereof need special education and related services. The term “children with disabilities” for children aged three to five, inclusive, may, at a state's discretion, include children experiencing developmental delays, as defined by the state and as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures, in one or more of the following areas: physical development, cognitive development, communication development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development; and who, by reason thereof, need special education and related services.

Enrolled means a child has been accepted and attended at least one class, has received at least one home visit, or has received at least one direct service while pending completion of necessary documentation for attendance in a center, based on state and local licensing requirements. For Early Head Start, enrollment includes all pregnant women that have been accepted and received at least one direct service.

Enrollment means the number of participants in an Early Head Start, a Head Start, a Migrant or Seasonal, or an American Indian Alaska Native Head Start program.

Enrollment opportunities mean vacancies that exist at the beginning of the enrollment year, or during the year because of children who leave the program, that must be filled for a program to achieve and maintain its funded enrollment.

Enrollment year means the period of time, not to exceed twelve months, during which a Head Start program provides center or home-based services to a group of children and their families.

Family, for a child, means all persons living in the same household who are:

(1) Supported by the child's parent(s)' or guardian(s)' income; and

(2) Related to the child's parent(s) or guardian(s) by blood, marriage, or adoption; or

(3) The child's authorized caregiver or legally responsible party.

Family, for a pregnant woman, means all persons who financially support the pregnant woman.

Foster care means 24-hour substitute care for children placed away from their parents or guardians and for whom the state agency has placement and care responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, placements in foster family homes, foster homes of relatives, group homes, emergency shelters, residential facilities, child care institutions, and pre-adoptive homes. A child is in foster care in accordance with this definition regardless of whether the foster care facility is licensed and payments are made by the state or local agency for the care of the child, whether adoption subsidy payments are being made prior to the finalization of an adoption, or whether there is Federal matching of any payments that are made.

Funded enrollment means the number of children which the Head Start grantee is expected to serve, as indicated on the grant award.

Head Start eligible means a child or pregnant woman who meets the requirements for age and family income or categorical eligibility or, if applicable, the requirements established by a grantee under section 645(a)(2) of the Head Start Act or by a Head Start program operated by an Indian tribe under 45 CFR 1305.4(e). Unless otherwise noted, references to Head Start eligible include Early Head Start and Migrant or Seasonal Head Start programs.

Head Start program means a Head Start grantee or its delegate agency(ies).

Homeless children means the same as homeless children and youths in section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act at 42 U.S.C. 11434a(2). The definition in this regulation also applies to Migrant or Seasonal Head Start programs.

Income means gross cash income and includes earned income, military income (including pay and allowances), veterans' benefits, Social Security benefits, unemployment compensation, and public assistance benefits. Additional examples of gross cash income are listed in the definition of “income” which appears in U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P-60-185.

Income guidelines means the poverty line specified in section 637(19) of the Act (42 U.S.C. 9832).

Indian Tribe means any tribe, band, nation, pueblo, or other organized group or community of Indians, including any Native village described in section 3(c) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602(c)) or established pursuant to such Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq. ), that is recognized as eligible for special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians.

Low-income family means a family whose total income before taxes is equal to, or less than, the income guidelines.

Migrant family means, for purposes of Head Start eligibility, a family with children under the age of compulsory school attendance who changed their residence by moving from one geographic location to another, either intrastate or interstate, within the preceding two years for the purpose of engaging in agricultural work that involves the production and harvesting of tree and field crops and whose family income comes primarily from this activity.

Migrant or Seasonal Head Start Program means:

(1) With respect to services for migrant farmworkers, a Head Start program that serves families who are engaged in agricultural labor and who have changed their residence from one geographic location to another in the preceding 2-year period; and

(2) With respect to services for seasonal farmworkers, a Head Start program that serves families who are engaged primarily in seasonal agricultural labor and who have not changed their residence to another geographic location in the preceding 2-year period.

Participant means a pregnant woman or a child who is enrolled in and receives services from a Head Start, an Early Head Start, a Migrant Seasonal Head Start, or an American Indian Alaska Native Head Start program.

Recruitment means the systematic ways in which a Head Start program identifies families whose children are eligible for Head Start services, informs them of the services available, and encourages them to apply for enrollment in the program.

Recruitment area means that geographic locality within which a Head Start program seeks to enroll Head Start children and families. The recruitment area can be the same as the service area or it can be a smaller area or areas within the service area.

Relevant time period means:

(1) The 12 months preceding the month in which the application is submitted; or

(2) During the calendar year preceding the calendar year in which the application is submitted, whichever more accurately reflects the needs of the family at the time of application.

Responsible HHS official means the official of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services having authority to make Head Start grant awards, or his or her designee.

Selection means the systematic process used to review all applications for Head Start services and to identify those children and families that are to be enrolled in the program.

Service area means the geographic area identified in an approved grant application within which a grantee may provide Head Start services.

Vacancy means an unfilled enrollment opportunity for a child and family in the Head Start program.

Verify or any variance of the word means to check or determine the correctness or truth by investigation or by reference.