The Fiscal Assistant Project (FA)

The Fiscal Assistant is a premier on-line information database for information regarding the administration and management of Head Start funds. Far more than a compendium of Federal laws and regulations, the Head Start Fiscal Assistant is an interactive, searchable, user-friendly high-tech tool that allows the Head Start program's increasingly busy administrative staff to locate and make use of vital information quickly and efficiently. The system's on-line availability ensures accurate and up-to-date information, and the CD-ROM version brings the tools included in the Fiscal Assistant to anyone with a CD-ROM drive.

The Head Start Fiscal Assistant can be accessed for free through the Office of Head Start's ECLKC website. The site is continually updated with new information and publications as they come out, and also provides a question function where specific inquiries not addressed by the Fiscal Assistant can be forwarded to the appropriate staff within the Office of Head Start.

Within the first 6 months of its first release, The Fiscal Assistant became the most hit section after to the grantee directory in the entire OHS' website.

The Fiscal Assistant contains all the statutes, regulations and policies related to the fiscal management of Head Start grants. It also contains selected narratives, with easy-to-read explanations of fiscal regulations. Using this tool, users can quickly locate, sort through, and appropriately interpret large amounts of information related to Head Start grants administration and financial management. The system includes:

• The Head Start Act
• Information Memoranda
• "Plain Language" Narratives
• Head Start Program Regulations
• The Uniform Administrative Requirements (45 CFR Parts 74 and 92)
• Appeals Board Decisions
• OMB Circulars
• Glossary and Definitions

While the focus of the Fiscal Assistant is financial management, the database includes all Head Start regulations, including the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

Special features of the Fiscal Assistant include:

• Options for locating information fast, such as Quick Search, and Advanced Search;
• A Library feature, to peruse all documents within the system;
• A Browse feature, to look for information by viewing topics or subtopics of interest;
• Frequently Asked Questions, to provide quick answers to common questions;
• A Standard Forms section, for easy access to federal forms;
• Cross-referenced information, with links to relevant text found in other documents within the database; and
• Print and E-mail features, which allow information displayed on screen to be printed or e-mailed.

In addition to basic information, the system contains written narratives on topics of particular interest to grantees. New topics will continue to be added over time. These narratives are helpful plain language guides for understanding and implementing Head Start's Federal fiscal requirements. Each narrative provides an overview of the topic, relevant definitions, and related citations. Program Instructions, Information Memorandums, Departmental Appeals Board decisions, common PRISM findings related to that topic, and Frequently Asked Questions are also provided on each topic.