👋 Calling all Head Start and CAP agencies! Make the switch to GoEngage or Contact Sales: (800) 473-4780

👋 Calling all Head Start and CAP agencies! Make the switch to GoEngage or Contact Sales: (800) 473-4780

👋 Calling all Head Start and CAP agencies! Make the switch to GoEngage or Contact Sales: (800) 473-4780

Newsletters

GoEngage Brew: January 2026

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By

Stacy Lewis

Stacy Lewis

Stacy Lewis

Stacy Lewis

Jan 21, 2026

Jan 21, 2026

Jan 21, 2026

Jan 21, 2026

What’s brewing in January?

New Year. Clearer Systems. Stronger Readiness.

A new season is the perfect time to refresh processes, simplify documentation, and set your team up for a smooth year ahead. Whether you’re onboarding new staff, preparing for a review, or fine-tuning workflows — GoEngage is here to help you start strong.

Quick Win of the Month

Set up one automated compliance alert this week.

Small change. Big payoff.

How GoEngage helps:

  • Create Upcoming or Past Due Alerts for screenings, health events, attendance, or PIR fields

  • Choose who receives alerts and how often

  • Catch issues early — before they become findings

💡 Quick Tip: Start with your 45 or 90-Day Developmental Screening window — then expand from there. Go to the POP dashboard and click on the Bell icon.

Need help setting up your alerts?

Search for Configure Alerts in the Help Center to help you find the right guide or open a Support ticket — we’ll walk you through it.

🔎 Feature Spotlight: Quick Forms for Parent & Staff Surveys

Gather feedback without spreadsheets, paper forms, or manual data entry.

Use Quick Forms to:

  • Collect parent satisfaction surveys

  • Run staff pulse-checks

  • Gather event feedback

  • Capture compliance attestations

Why it matters:

Ongoing feedback supports Continuous Quality Improvement — not just end-of-year reporting.

💡 Did You Know?

HSPPS §1302.101 requires programs to use data to drive continuous improvement. Quick Forms turn feedback into real-time insights — ready for review at any time.

Compliance Corner: Ongoing Monitoring Made Simple

Requirement:

Programs must maintain ongoing monitoring systems — not once-a-year file reviews.

Habit:

Review one service area each week.

GoEngage Tool:

  • File Review Checklists

  • Assigned Follow-Up Tasks

  • Documentation stored directly in child & family records

Result:

✔️ No scrambling

✔️ No missing documentation

✔️ No last-minute audit stress

Customer Moment

"For the first time, we finished PIR preparation early — and felt confident going into submission."

— Head Start Director, Texas

Using the My PIR Task + Missing Required Data Reports, their team tracked fields throughout the year instead of racing the deadline.

That’s the power of continuous monitoring — not crisis reporting.

What’s New in GoEngage This Month

Small updates. Big time savings. Even stronger compliance documentation.

Stronger Family Engagement Documentation

  • Digital signature requests for Family Engagement Outcome checkpoints — request parent review and signatures directly from GoEngage

  • Staff signatures now available on checkpoints, including name, signature, and timestamp

Why it matters:

Family engagement documentation is a frequent review focus area — and now it’s easier to collect and verify.

Smarter Application & Eligibility Filtering

  • New application filters for children with an IEP, IFSP, SEP, or 504 plan

Why it matters:

Quickly identify children with existing plans to support timely services, referrals, and compliance tracking from day one.

PIR Accuracy Enhancements

  • Red hint indicators for PIR fields C.19 and C.20

    See which children from A.12 may need to count toward these questions — and who currently isn’t.

Why it matters:

Catch PIR counting issues early — not during final reviews before submission.

New Child Development Reporting

  • Count Skills Assessment Report

    Run reports on custom screening tools like Brigance III to analyze skill development trends.

Why it matters:

Supports data-driven instruction and school readiness documentation.

Report Enhancements for Daily Operations

Individual Child Health Summary

  • Hide parent/guardian name

  • Hide signature fields

  • Hide “Submitted To” field

CACFP Enrollment Status Report

  • View By Person or By Family

Why it matters:

Cleaner reports = easier sharing, clearer documentation, less manual cleanup.

Already using GoEngage?

These updates are live in your system now. Need Training on Any of These Updates?

Our Training Team can help your staff confidently adopt new features and workflows.

➡️ Request Training Information

Not using GoEngage yet?

➡️ Request a personalized demo to see how these tools support your workflows.

January Awareness Highlights

Discover how GoEngage can enhance and support your efforts.

Winter Safety in GoEngage

❄️ Winter Safety Awareness Month

What it is:

A focus on keeping children and families safe during cold weather months — from transportation and illness prevention to home heating safety.


Why it matters to Head Start:

Safety practices and active supervision are frequent federal review focus areas. Winter conditions add extra risk factors that require clear communication and documentation.


Examples of activities programs are planning:

  • Parent reminders about winter clothing and safe outdoor play

  • Illness prevention and attendance encouragement messages

  • Classroom and playground safety checks


How GoEngage supports it:

  • Send multilingual family safety reminders

  • Track health education activities

  • Assign and follow up on safety action items


HSPPS Alignment: §1302.47 Safety practices


GoEngage turns winter safety into documented readiness — not last-minute paperwork.

🎯 Family Goal-Setting Month

What it is:

The new year is a natural time for families to set goals — from employment and education to parenting and wellness.


Why it matters to Head Start:

Family Partnership Agreements require collaborative goal planning and follow-up throughout the year.


Examples of activities programs are planning:

  • Family partnership meetings

  • Updating family goal plans

  • Progress check-ins


How GoEngage supports it:

  • Create and track family goals

  • Document progress notes and follow-ups

  • Schedule reminders for future check-ins


HSPPS Alignment:

§1302.52 Family partnership services


GoEngage keeps family goals active — not forgotten in a file cabinet.

Family Goals in GoEngage
Substance Abuse tracking in GoEngage

💜 National Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Month

What it is:

January is National Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month, led by SAMHSA, to raise awareness about effective treatment options, reduce stigma, and promote recovery. The national message is clear: Treatment Works. Recovery is Possible.


Why it matters to Head Start:

Many families face substance use challenges that impact housing stability, employment, parenting, and child well-being. Head Start programs are required to identify family needs, provide support, and connect families to community resources — while maintaining respectful, nonjudgmental partnerships.


Examples of activities programs are planning:

  • Sharing community treatment and recovery resources with families

  • Hosting family education sessions on available supports

  • Training staff on trauma-informed and recovery-supportive practices

  • Strengthening partnerships with local behavioral health agencies


How GoEngage supports it:

  • Document family partnership services and referrals

  • Track follow-up and support services

  • Maintain community resource lists

  • Share multilingual resource information through Announcements


HSPPS Alignment:

§1302.52 Family partnership services

§1302.53 Community partnerships

§1302.45 Mental health services


GoEngage helps you connect families to support — and document the care behind the connection.

📚 National Mentoring Month

What it is:

A celebration of positive adult relationships that support children’s learning and confidence.


Why it matters to Head Start:

Strong relationships and family engagement improve attendance, social-emotional growth, and school readiness.


Examples of activities programs are planning:

  • Reading buddy programs

  • Volunteer classroom helpers

  • Family storytelling events


How GoEngage supports it:

  • Track volunteers and participation

  • Capture volunteer hours for In-Kind

  • Send targeted communication to families and mentors

  • Document engagement activities


HSPPS Alignment:

§1302.50 Family engagement

§1302.31 Learning environments


If you’re engaging mentors — you can track it in GoEngage.


Mentoring tracking in GoEngage

With GoEngage, Awareness Leads to Action

Each of these observances is an opportunity to support families, strengthen compliance, and enrich your monthly activities. With GoEngage, you can streamline communication, document efforts, and make every awareness campaign part of your program’s success story.


Using GoEngage & Need help?

Visit the Help Center  | Contact our Support Team  |  Request Training

You don’t have to figure it out alone.


Not Using GoEngage?

👉 Request a Demo Today or More Information


Tip: Programs can highlight these observances in monthly newsletters to families, social media posts, and classroom activities.

GoEngage Connect San Antonio Riverwalk

GoEngage Connect 2026

Only 9 weeks away!

March 24–26 • San Antonio, TX

Three days of hands-on learning, real-world workflows, and peer collaboration designed specifically for Head Start teams.

Why attend:

  • Deep dives into ERSEA, Reporting, Monitoring & more

  • Hands-on sessions — leave with completed work

  • Learn from GoEngage experts and power users

  • Connect with agencies facing the same challenges

📅 Register Now

📄 Download the justification letter for leadership

Professional development supports HSPPS §1302.92 for ongoing staff training.


TRAINING & CONSULTING

Need quick feature guidance?Training

Need help building processes & workflows?Consulting

From onboarding to federal review readiness — we meet you where you are.

➡️ Request Training or Consulting

Training Format

Best For

Custom Training (Virtual or In-person)

New users or feature rollouts

Workshops (Live or Recorded)

Deep dive topics (PIR, Governance, In-Kind, Health)

GoEngage Academy

Self-paced learning

Training vs. Consulting

If you need…

Choose…

"Show me how the feature works."

Training

"Partner with me to build the process."

Consulting

Short sessions and immediate wins

Training

A defined outcome and documented workflows

Consulting

Register for GoEngage Connect

Schedule Training

Request Consulting

Resource Drop

Want Your Team Fully Confident in GoEngage Tools?

Our Training & Consulting team can help you configure alerts, build workflows, optimize your setup, and so much more.

➡️ Request Training or Consulting

Not Using GoEngage? We'd love to show you around.

Clearer data, faster follow-ups, and less time tracking things manually — GoEngage helps your team stay focused on what matters most: serving children and families. 

📅 Request a Demo today!

💙 Closing Note

As you step into a new season, we’re grateful to partner with you in supporting children, families, and communities. GoEngage is here to simplify compliance, strengthen communication, and help your team stay focused on what matters most.

Until next time,

The GoEngage Team

Share this article:

By

Stacy Lewis

Stacy Lewis

Stacy Lewis

Stacy Lewis

Stacy Lewis: Senior Director of Business Development at Cleverex Systems

Stacy Lewis is the Senior Director of Business Development at Cleverex Systems, the creator of GoEngage. A trusted leader in the Head Start software space since 2001, Stacy brings over 24 years of experience, including key roles at ChildPlus, KinderSystems (COPA and California subsidy products), and Learning Genie, before joining GoEngage.

Throughout her career, Stacy has helped countless agencies optimize operations, enhance family engagement, and achieve compliance with federal and state standards. Her extensive industry knowledge and commitment to innovation continue to drive transformative solutions that empower Head Start programs to better serve children and families.

GoEngage is the #1 alternative to Head Start Software like ChildPlus.

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