The revised Head Start Program Performance Standards, published in November 1996, went into effect on January 1, 1998. The first set of Head Start Performance Standards, published more than 20 years ago, focused only on the provision of services to preschool children. The revised Standards cover the provision of services for pregnant women and children from birth to five years of age. While the Performance Standards define the scope of services that programs must offer to children and families served through Early Head Start and Head Start programs, the Performance Standards do not prescribe how these services must be carried out. Hence, programs are able to design services to meet the needs of those being served in their local communities.

The revised Standards have been reorganized into three areas, namely Early Childhood Development and Health Services, Family and Community Partnerships, and Program Design and Management. The section on Early Childhood Development focuses on the importance of providing comprehensive child development services designed to support the social, emotional, cognitive/linguistic, and physical development of children from birth to age five. The section focusing on Family and Community Partnerships addresses the importance of working in partnerships with families and local community agencies in order to provide comprehensive services to families.

The section of the Performance Standards that focuses on Program Design and Management differs from the previous sections in that it addresses the role of program governance and management systems in supporting the delivery of high-quality services. Program governance refers to the structure that dictates how parents are actively involved in the decision-making process of program operations. Parent involvement in this capacity has long been a hallmark of Head Start programs. Beyond effective parent participation, programs must also have in place the management/administrative systems to successfully provide high quality services to families. These systems include program planning, communications, record keeping, reporting, and self-assessment activities.