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Committed to Children's Success: Head Start and CLASS®

Since its founding, Teachstone has partnered with the Office of Head Start and Head Start programs nationwide to strengthen meaningful interactions between educators and children. These interactions are the foundation of school readiness, educator effectiveness, and long-term outcomes for children and families.
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The Head Start and Teachstone Partnership

Teachstone has proudly partnered with the Office of Head Start (OHS) and Head Start programs across the country, sharing a commitment to helping every child thrive with powerful, effective interactions.

In 2007, Congress directed OHS to use a reliable and valid tool that assesses teacher–child interactions as part of its program monitoring process. The federal office of Administration of Children and Families (ACF), the parent office of OHS, consulted with leading early childhood assessment experts, agreeing that CLASS was the instrument that best met the statutory requirement—because it has been validated by over 10 years of research in educational settings.

As the authors of CLASS®, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System®, we honor the relationships we’ve built with Head Start programs to measure and improve the quality of interactions that matter most for children’s development, learning, and future success.

How CLASS is used in Head Start Programs
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New! Custom Events for Head Start

Our new Custom Events sessions for Head Start are designed to meet leaders, coaches, and educators where they are today. Each session is 45 minutes long and delivered virtually, making it easy to fit into busy schedules.

These sessions translate CLASS data, observations, and daily practice into clear, actionable strategies that support continuous quality improvement, reduce educator stress, and strengthen program-wide alignment, empowering teams to focus less on preparation and more on the interactions that matter most.

Topics include:

  • Preparing Your Head Start Team for CLASS Observations
  • Turning Observation Results into Program Decisions
  • You’re Already Doing It! Recognizing CLASS in Your Daily Routine
Sign up for customized sessions

Partnership for Every Role at Every Level

Strong educator-child interactions support the building blocks of school readiness including language and literacy development, social-emotional growth, self-regulation, and engagement in learning. See how CLASS applies to every level of your program development.

For Head Start directors

While you ensure all Head Start program mandates and standards for excellence are met on a daily basis, you're supported with the same proven system to sustain quality. Get the essential guide to effectively implement CLASS for your program.
Get the CLASS Overview
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For Education Coordinators and Managers

As you coordinate all aspects of the classroom design, curriculum implementation, supervision and monitoring, CLASS provides support to ease the implementation. Learn more about the research behind the development.
Access the free reference manual

For Professional Development Coordinators

As you collaborate with Head Start leadership and staff to identify areas of need for workshops and trainings, use CLASS to access specific and actionable data insights that can effectively be used to drive coaching and improvement efforts. See how coaching practice can develop to improve outcomes.
See effective coaching growth strategies

For Family Engagement Coordinators

We're here to partner with you in extending meaningful interactions beyond the classroom. While you remain focused on Head Start Family Engagement policies and requirements, feel supported in helping families turn everyday moments into opportunities for learning with family engagement workshops.
Learn more about family workshops

With an assessment tool like CLASS, we’ve found a missing piece of the puzzle. A tool that helps assess the quality of teacher–child interactions can help strengthen the qualities of our programs by focusing on something that we know is so important to a young child’s life—supportive relationships built on quality interactions.

—Amanda Bryans, Division Director, Office of Head Start 

Aligned to the Head Start Framework

We aligned the CLASS dimensions with the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF). Head Start programs align their classroom practices with the ELOF, which outlines he developmental domains and learning objectives expected for children in Head Start. CLASS monitors how well these objectives are being addressed through teacher interactions.

  • OHS offers helpful crosswalk that connects preschool teaching practices in the Effective Practice Guides with the CLASS® domains and dimensions. Head Start grantees can use this tool to plan professional development and focus coaching efforts.

Here are additional resources to understand how CLASS is aligned with Head Start

Learn More

Resources from Teachstone

Head Start programs like yours help children reach their full potential by measuring and improving the interactions that matter most. These resources help you focus continuous quality improvement on interactions, along with support from National and Regional TTA Centers, who are dedicated to supporting grantees through targeted efforts to improve classroom quality. We encourage Head Start program grantees to connect with their TTA resources to see what CLASS supports are already available to you.

CLASS 2nd Edition Intro to Interactions for Educators

A great option for preservice. Educators can navigate this course as a self-paced option or facilitated (in-person or virtual). The training helps educators apply effective strategies in their settings and build a shared understanding of the power of interactions.
Get Your Team Started
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Pre-K Interaction Essentials for Educators

A self-paced online training designed to help Head Start Pre-K educators improve their interactions with every child by learning how to apply CLASS principles into daily practices. Educators gain a deep understanding of each CLASS dimension, equipping them to improve their interactions with every child.
Develop your essential skills

Custom Events - Head Start Sessions

Each session is 45 minutes long and is designed to meet leaders, coaches, and educators where they are today. These sessions translate CLASS data, observations, and daily practice into clear, actionable strategies that support continuous quality improvement, reduce educator stress, and strengthen program-wide alignment.
Sign up for custom events
Coach with teachers around table discussing support strategies

CLASS Interactions Essentials for Trainers Program

Your Head Start Professional Development Coordinator can develop CLASS expertise within your program with this program. Build capacity at your organization to lead interaction-focused professional development across Infant-Toddler and pre-K-3rd age groups.
Develop CLASS for your program