Directors: The Grant Belongs to the Agency—But the Accountability Falls on You

Federal Reviews Shouldn’t Feel Like Fire Drills

But for many programs, they do.

We've analyzed over 110 Focus Area 1 (FA1), Focus Area 2 (FA2), Risk Assessment Notification (RAN), Special, CLASS, and Follow-up reviews, and the patterns are clear: most findings are predictable—and entirely preventable—when agencies have the right infrastructure.

That’s why GoEngage was built specifically for Head Start leadership. To give you a system that doesn’t just store data—but makes sure your team is doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, with proof.

Most Common Findings—And How GoEngage Helps You Stay Ahead

Below is a breakdown of the most common findings and how GoEngage helps your team prevent them—before they result in an Area of Concern (AOC), Area of Noncompliance (ANC) or Deficiency.

Unsupervised or Mistreated Children

What reviewers found:

Children left unattended on buses, in classrooms, on playgrounds, or during transitions. In some cases, allegations of mistreatment went unreported or untrained staff failed to respond appropriately.

How GoEngage helps:

• Distribute written safety policies to all staff and require acknowledgment signatures directly from GoEngage. Each one is signed with a date and time stamp to hold staff accountable

  • Create a Staff Quick Form with your policy and include the Staff Signature element at the bottom

• Assign, track, and document supervision and safety training

  • Set expiration dates for each type of training that is required more than once

• Conduct real-time child tracking for transitions and classroom counts using our Child Location Tracking

  • Learn more about our real-time tracking for active supervision in this article: Real-Time Child Tracking from Bus to Classroom and Beyond: Supporting Active Supervision with GoEngage

Missing Background and Sex Offender Checks

What reviewers found:

Staff were hired and already working without completing one or more of the required checks, or the documentation couldn’t be located during reviews.

How GoEngage helps:

• Create new hire checklists that must be completed before staff can start

  • Track date-stamped background checks, fingerprinting, sex offender checks, other clearances, and more

  • If items have to be renewed or rechecked, GoEngage can track and monitor that too

• Monitor and alert for incomplete staff onboarding tasks

• Filter by staff status to quickly identify anyone missing a requirement

Late or Missing Oral Health Determinations

What reviewers found:

Programs failed to obtain initial oral health or EPSDT-based documents within the required 90-day window.

How GoEngage helps:

• Track each child’s health record, including medical and oral health assessments

• Set requirement deadlines from enrollment

• Receive alerts when children are coming due or are past due

Inaccurate or Late Federal Financial Reports (FFRs)

What reviewers found:

FFRs were submitted late, lacked required information, or didn’t align with fiscal records.

How GoEngage helps:

• Build fiscal workflows with assigned responsibilities and due dates

• Require supporting documentation uploads at each step

• Provide audit logs and documentation for all fiscal reports

Lack of Policy Training and Acknowledgment

What reviewers found:

Staff were unaware of policies, or couldn’t demonstrate they’d been trained on key procedures like discipline, transportation, or reporting abuse. Some had no record of policy acknowledgment.

How GoEngage helps:

• Upload your policies

• Collect and require digital signatures and track completion status to ****maintain an audit trail

• Create and log recurring training cycles (e.g., annual refreshers)

Directors and Leadership: It’s not about Micromanagement or Doing It All

Federal reviewers don’t just look at paperwork. They look at leadership. While the grant is awarded to your agency, it’s your systems, decisions, and oversight as Director that determine whether the program succeeds—or ends up with findings.

You're responsible for making sure your program meets community needs, stays aligned with Head Start Performance Standards, and spends every dollar with intention and compliance. When something slips through the cracks—missed health screenings, late financial reports, or incomplete background checks—it’s your team (and often you personally) who must answer for it.

Too often, these oversights aren’t caused by bad intentions or lack of effort—they’re caused by unaware staff.

It’s About Knowing What’s Getting Done & Having the Right Tools

You can’t personally check every screening or background check—but your system should be able to.

With GoEngage, you can see the big picture and the details—whether it’s overdue screenings, missing staff documents, or who still hasn’t completed the latest policy training.

So if you’re still relying on sticky notes, binders, or duct-taped tech to run a federally funded program, ask yourself: Does your system really have your back?

With GoEngage, you gain:

• Dashboards that show staff and child-level compliance in real time

• Automated reminders before tasks fall overdue

• Reports tailored for federal reviewers, not just internal tracking

• A living system that evolves with federal standards

Because OHS won’t just ask what was done—they’ll ask how you know.

Know the Status. Prove the Work. Pass the Review.

When your program uses GoEngage, you don’t rely on assumptions or paper trails. You have evidence.

With one login, you can:

• View compliance by site, classroom, or child

• Spot risks early, not after it’s too late

• Empower your team to stay accountable, organized, and proactive

Let’s Make Sure You’re Ready

If your current data management solution can’t proactively track compliance, it’s time to switch—before your next review reveals the gaps. Contact the GoEngage team today for a quick consultation and see how we help leaders lead with confidence.

Already Using GoEngage

If you’re not using features like child health tracking, onboarding workflows, or digital policy signatures—you’re leaving value on the table. Reach out to our support team for a quick tune-up or schedule some training.

👉 Request Training Information

Custom Virtual or In Person Training Options | Workshops | Self-Paced Learning with GoEngage Academy

Not using GoEngage

Let’s fix that. Schedule a free consultation and learn how GoEngage can protect your program—and your peace of mind.

👉 Talk to a GoEngage Advisor