1305.2—Definitions.
(a)
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 3 to 5, 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.
(b)
Enrollment means the official acceptance of a family by a Head Start program and the completion of all procedures necessary for a child and family to begin receiving services.
(c)
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.
(d)
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.
(1)
Supported by the income of the parent(s) or guardian(s) of the child enrolling or participating in the program, and (2) related to the parent(s) or guardian(s) by blood, marriage, or adoption.
(f)
Funded enrollment means the number of children which the Head Start grantee is to serve, as indicated on the grant award.
(g)
Head Start eligible means a child that meets the requirements for age and family income as established in this regulation or, if applicable, as established by grantees that meet the requirements of section 645(a)(2) of the Head Start Act. Up to ten percent of the children enrolled may be from families that exceed the low-income guidelines. Indian Tribes meeting the conditions specified in 45 CFR 1305.4(b)(3) are excepted from this limitation.
(i)
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.
(j)
Income guidelines means the official poverty line specified in section 652 of the Head Start Act.
(k)
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.
(l)
Low-income family means a family whose total annual income before taxes is equal to, or less than, the income guidelines. For the purpose of eligibility, a child from a family that is receiving public assistance or a child in foster care is eligible even if the family income exceeds the income guidelines.
(m)
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.
(n)
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.
(o)
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.
(p)
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.
(q)
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.
(r)
Service area means the geographic area identified in an approved grant application within which a grantee may provide Head Start services.
(s)
Vacancy means an unfilled enrollment opportunity for a child and family in the Head Start program.
[57 FR 46725, Oct. 9, 1992, as amended at 58 FR 5518, Jan. 21, 1993; 63 FR 12657, Mar. 16, 1998]