After being alerted three years ago to weaknesses in its oversight of local agencies operating federal Head Start preschool programs, the Administration for Children and Families has still not conducted a comprehensive review of how it manages those programs, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office .
The watchdog congressional agency says that while improvements are being made—such as the new law that allows for more competition for Head Start grants—the children and families administration remains limited in how it uses data to improve the performance of local providers.
The GAO is recommending that the federal agency, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, make better and more cost-effective use of its annual survey of grantees and devise “clear criteria” for which grantees might need a closer look, perhaps through on-site reviews.