The Office of Head Start (OHS) recently published a revision to the Child Outcomes Framework for Head Start originally released in 2000. The revision, renamed The Head Start Child Development and Learning Framework: Promoting Positive Outcomes in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children 3 to 5 Years Old, is available in English and Spanish on ECLKC.
As OHS Director Yvette Sanchez Fuentes explained in her announcement of the revision, the changes included in the revised Framework are designed to provide more clarity to the domains and domain elements of the original Framework. The changes to the Framework do not create new requirements for Head Start grantees.
The revised Framework is intended to be used by programs when making curriculum and assessment decisions to promote continuous program quality improvement. Programs can use the Framework to connect child assessment data to aspects of Head Start program design, including establishing school readiness goals consistent with state and local expectations. Additionally, the Framework can guide the collection of child assessment data for other early childhood reporting systems.
