As part of the Head Start approach to serving children and families, programs provide comprehensive services to promote health, behavioral health, and safety. Strategic management of these health services affect the health and safety of the program’s children, families, staff, and the broader community at large. This chapter addresses essential systems and collaboration that support the health manager and other program leadership to ensure effective health services management.

Health Services Competencies

A combination of the right knowledge, skills, and attitudes is fundamental to managing health services. The Head Start Health Services Competencies is a valuable resource for assessing the skills of those working to support health services. It seeks to build the capacity of staff members as well as the organization to provide high-quality early childhood health services and help children and families achieve positive health outcomes. The competencies are organized into four categories. The first category includes a set of crosscutting competencies that are relevant to all health services. The other three categories address different aspects of Head Start health services.

1. Overarching (O)
2. Child and Family Health (CFH)
3. Engaging Families (EF)
4. Leadership (L)

While all the competencies are essential, those listed in the Overarching and Leadership sections are most related to the function and success of health services managers.

The Head Start Health Services Competencies Professional Development Assessment can be used as a resource to provide a baseline of the competency level of health manager’s attitudes, knowledge, and skills of Head Start health services. Completing this assessment and then developing a professional development plan to address the areas of lowest competency level may strengthen the health managers effectiveness to implement high-quality health services. Interactive learning modules are available to provide more information about selected health and leadership competencies.

HSPPS Related to Health Services Management

• Health Program Services, 45 CFR §1302 Subpart D
• Services to Enrolled Pregnant Women, 45 CFR §1302 Subpart H
• Personnel policies, 45 CFR §1302.90
• Staff qualifications and competency requirements, 45 CFR §1302.91(d)(1)
• Training and professional development, 45 CFR §1302.92(a–b)
• Staff health and wellness, 45 CFR §1302.93
• Management system, 45 CFR §1302.101
• Achieving program goals, 45 CFR §1302.102

Caring for Our Children

Some important CFOC standards that support health services management include:

• 1.6.0.1 Child Care Health Consultants
• 1.6.0.3 Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants
• 1.8.2.4 Observation of Staff
• 10.3.4.3 Support for Consultants to Provide Technical Assistance to Facilities
• 10.5.0.1 State and Local Health Department Role

Last Updated: May 30, 2023