Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute 2023
- Start: January 31, 2023 8:00 am
- End: February 1, 2023 4:30 pm
Our popular Annual Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute returns to an in-person format for 2023! Make sure that your Head Start or Early Head Start program understands fiscal management requirements by attending the Institute in charming Charleston, South Carolina, from January 31-February 1, 2023.
Careful fiscal management remains just as important for Head Start and Early Head Start programs today as it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the rapid changes and increased funding that accompanied the pandemic have made compliance with fiscal integrity requirements even more challenging. During the 2023 edition of the Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute, you will learn how to meet these important requirements and how to address today’s fiscal management issues. You will learn about fiscal management requirements under the Head Start Act, Head Start Program Performance Standards, and the Uniform Grants Guidance (adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services as 45 C.F.R. pt. 75). However, when you attend this exclusive two-day training, you will learn about more than just the key rules for Head Start fiscal integrity. You will also learn about the fiscal monitoring process and avoiding common compliance red flags as well as preventing and detecting fraud, understanding insurance coverage and important policy terms, implementing effective internal controls, and successfully navigating the audit process. After attending, you will have the information to keep your agency in compliance with Head Start fiscal integrity requirements and expectations. Register today to join your Head Start and Early Head Start colleagues in Charleston, South Carolina, for the Annual Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute on January 31 through February 1, 2023.
TOPICS
The Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute 2023 features an updated and expanded curriculum to address current fiscal management requirements and issues within Head Start and Early Head Start. By attending this special training, you will learn how to meet the fundamental requirements for fiscal integrity and avoid Head Start fiscal management red flags in addition to learning how your agency can better manage risks and achieve single audit success. During two full-days, you will explore the following topics:
- Important fiscal integrity requirements for Head Start and Early Head Start.
- Complying with fiscal management requirements under the Head Start Act.
- Complying with fiscal integrity requirements under the Program Performance Standards.
- Application of the Uniform Grants Guidance (HHS Part 75) to Head Start.
- Maintaining an adequate financial management system.
- Allowable direct and indirect costs for Head Start and Early Head Start.
- Meeting Head Start’s non-Federal cost-sharing (matching) requirements.
- Recognizing and avoiding common fiscal management red flags.
- Preventing and detecting fraud within your Head Start or Early Head Start program.
- Understanding insurance coverages and important policy provisions.
- Implementing effective internal controls throughout your agency.
- Preparing your Head Start program for successful Single Audit Act audits.
- Answers to frequently asked questions about Head Start financial management.
However, these are just some of the topics that you will learn about during this year’s edition of the Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute. In addition, our presenters will be fielding your individual fiscal management questions. You will have the opportunity to ask questions throughout the training.
AGENDA
The Annual Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute will be held in Charleston, South Carolina, at the Francis Marion Hotel from January 31-February 1, 2023. (Given these dates, the Institute has a special cancellation deadline, which is 5:00 pm EST on December 23, 2022. Please review our cancellation policy for more details.) The planned agenda for each day is as follows:
Day One (Tuesday, January 31, 2023)
Complete your onsite check-in for the conference and enjoy a light breakfast.
This session will present an overview of fiscal management requirements for Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Attorney Brian Tipton will explain the fundamentals of fiscal integrity. You will learn about key requirements of the Head Start Act, the Head Start Program Performance Standards, and HHS Part 75, as they apply to fiscal integrity. This opening session will set the stage for the rest of the Institute. After attending this session, will will be able to identify and outline the most important fiscal management requirements for Head Start agencies.
Enjoy a fifteen (15) minute morning coffee break between sessions.
Fiscal integrity is a major component of the Head Start and Early Head Start monitoring process. This session builds upon our opening session and discusses fiscal monitoring red flags. By learning about the most frequently encountered fiscal integrity problems, your agency will be better prepared to prevent them. Attorney Brian Tipton will explain the Head Start fiscal monitoring process, describe common findings related to financial management, and discuss how agencies can avoid these issues. After attending the workshop, you will be able to spot the most frequently seen Head Start fiscal management red flags and identify strategies to remain in compliance with the corresponding requirements.
Take a ninety (90) minute break to sample the Savannah lunch scene. Note: Attendees are "on your own" for lunch.
Head Start and Early Head Start agencies are required to implement effective internal controls, but how do agencies ensure that they have met this requirement? Join accountant and auditor Keith Hundley for a detailed discussion of internal controls for Head Start programs. During this session, you will learn about effective internal control structures, areas of internal control posing the greatest risks, and ways to strengthen your agency's controls. After attending this session, you will be able to describe common internal controls that agencies should consider adopting and identify the most frequently encountered internal control weaknesses to be avoided.
Enjoy a fifteen (15) minute break between our afternoon sessions.
What do auditors want Head Start agencies to know about having a successful single audit? Find out as Keith Hundley, CPA, explains the Single Audit Act process and shares tips for a successful audit from the auditor's perspective. You will learn about selecting the audit firm, preparing for the audit, conducting the audit, and responding to the audit. You will also learn about the most common audit findings so that your agency can avoid them. After attending this session, you will be able to describe the single audit process for Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
The first day of the Annual Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute will adjourn at 4:30 pm on January 31, 2023.
Complete your daily conference check-in while enjoying a light breakfast.
Every agency is vulnerable to fraud perpetrated by insiders and outsiders. This workshop begins with an overview of three fraud types and an introduction to dangerous but common fraud myths and misconceptions. The session continues with practical tips and strategies to reduce the likelihood of fraud and quickly detect fraud schemes you are unable to prevent. Leave this workshop with the confidence you need to deter and detect fraud, before fraudsters compromise your agency’s mission, reputation, and financial assets. Learn how to fortify your agency and reduce the risk that your agency will be victimized by a fraudster.
By attending this session, you will:
- Learn myths and misconceptions about fraud in organizations.
- Discover steps you can and should take to reduce the likelihood of fraud.
- Find out how to detect and stop fraud before it causes permanent reputation damage.
Enjoy a fifteen (15) minute coffee break between the morning sessions.
Diving into the details of commercial property and casualty insurance is a task few leaders relish! But as is true with any contract, the "devil" in an insurance policy is "in the details." This session begins with a gentle, guided tour of the insurance industry. You will learn who does what, why the pricing of insurance products can be volatile despite a clean claims history, and how to tap into resources available from your insurance advisors and carriers. The session continues with a review of policy nuances that matter when it is time to purchase or renew coverage for your organization. Learn how to approach the management of an insurance portfolio with confidence and curiosity!
During this session, you will:
- Learn about the key players in the insurance industry and why that knowledge is key to purchasing the coverage you organization needs.
- Discover how to read and understand what a policy covers. (Hint: don’t read the policy in page order!)
- Find out how to reduce the burdens and frustrations associated with renewing coverage for your agency.
Take a ninety (90) minute break to sample the Savannah lunch scene. Note: Attendees are "on your own" for lunch.
Head Start and Early Head Start programs must follow specific procurement standards when purchasing goods and services. Failure to follow these standards can lead to costly disallowances, and some (former) agencies have even had their Head Start grants terminated because of repeated failures to follow procurement requirements. Unfortunately, the procurement standards are some of the most complex requirements that Head Start agencies face.
In this two-part session, attorney Brian Tipton will explain and simplify the requirements for procurement using Head Start funds. Real world examples will help illustrate the procurement standards. Following the workshop, you will be able to outline the right way to make purchases for your Head Start or Early Head Start program.
Enjoy a fifteen (15) minute break between our afternoon sessions.
Head Start and Early Head Start programs must follow specific procurement standards when purchasing goods and services. Failure to follow these standards can lead to costly disallowances, and some (former) agencies have even had their Head Start grants terminated because of repeated failures to follow procurement requirements. Unfortunately, the procurement standards are some of the most complex requirements that Head Start agencies face.
In this two-part session, attorney Brian Tipton will explain and simplify the requirements for procurement using Head Start funds. Real world examples will help illustrate the procurement standards. Following the workshop, you will be able to outline the right way to make purchases for your Head Start or Early Head Start program.
The Annual Head Start Fiscal Management Institute will adjourn at 4:30 pm on February 1, 2023.
At the Annual Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute, you will learn about the major financial management requirements and expectations for Head Start and Early Head Start programs and how to keep your program in compliance. You will also learn about important risk management principles and how to apply them within your agency. After attending the Institute, you will be able to:
- Outline fiscal management requirements for Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
- Identify common Head Start fiscal integrity issues.
- Describe the Head Start fiscal monitoring process.
- List the features of a sufficient fiscal management system.
- List at least five internal controls that your agency should consider implementing.
- Outline the Single Audit Act process for Head Start and Early Head Start agencies.
- Identify at least three steps that your Head Start agency can take to reduce the risk of fraud.
- Distinguish common types of commercial insurance products.
- Identify the components of a compliant procurement process.
AUDIENCE AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
This training is intended for all members of the Head Start and Early Head Start community. You will benefit from attending the Institute as an Executive Director, Fiscal Officer, Head Start or Early Head Start Director, Governing Board or Policy Council member, Procurement or Contracting Officer, or as a fiscal or program staff member. Attendees can earn up to 14 hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit in the field of specialized knowledge. (However, please remember that state boards of accountancy have the final authority on acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit.) The experience level for this training is overview. No advance preparation and no prerequisites are required for attendance.
SPEAKERS
Melanie Lockwood Herman, Esq., has served as Executive Director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center since 1996 and has held senior management positions in the nonprofit sector since 1987. Melanie is the principal author of more than 20 books on various risk management topics; Melanie’s most recent book was published in Fall 2017: “World-Class Risk Management for Nonprofits.” She is an eleven-time member of The NonProfit Times “Power and Influence Top 50.” In one NPT announcement Melanie was described as “one of the most prolific writers and lecturers on the topic of nonprofit risk,” and “the architect of the risk plans of some of the nation’s largest’ nonprofits.”
Melanie earned a BA in Urban Affairs from American University (Washington, DC), and a JD from George Mason University School of Law (Arlington, VA). She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association and currently serves on three national nonprofit boards (American Foundation for the Blind, Camp Fire, and the National Human Services Assembly).
Keith Hundley is a CPA and partner with Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC (CRI), and has a combined twenty years of experience in private industry and public accounting. Keith is a part of the firm’s governmental services and nonprofit practice recognized throughout the South for its knowledge of auditing standards and business practices. Keith specializes in providing audit, tax and consulting services to nonprofits, as well as federal, state and local governments. Keith regularly serves as a continuing education leader for CRI as well as a certified facilitator in the CRI Leadership Academy. Keith is an active member in the American Institute of Certified Accountants (AICPA) and the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants (ASCPA), and is a 2011 inductee to the Troy University Accounting Hall of Honor.
R. Brian Tipton, Esq., is a practicing attorney with more than two decades' worth of experience working with nonprofits, governmental units, and other grant-funded organizations across the United States. Currently, Brian is Managing Director with Tipton KPCL in Atlanta, where he heads the firm's tax-exempt and grant-funded solutions practice. He is a summa cum laude graduate of the Louisiana State University and the Cumberland School of Law of Samford University. Brian regularly represents Head Start agencies and other grant-funded entities of all types in the areas of regulatory compliance, audits, funding source disputes, administrative appeals, and litigation. Brian also consults with organizations on governance, human resources, programmatic, and corporate matters, and develops and presents training programs for nonprofits and grant-funded organizations.
The Annual Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute 2023 will be held in Charleston, South Carolina, at the Francis Marion Hotel. The conference hotel is a Charleston landmark located in the heart of the historic city on Marion Square. Rooms are available for special conference rates starting at $162 per night (plus tax), which is less than the government per diem. These special conference rates are available for January 30 (check-in) through February 2 (check-out), and may be offered for additional nights subject to hotel availability. Hotel reservations can be made by calling 1-877-756-2121 (toll free) or 1-843-722-0600 (local). Please ask for the special rate for the “Kirk Private Client Law” group to receive the discounted rates. The hotel reservation cut-off is 5:00 pm EST on December 30, 2022 (or until the block is full). Because of the limited number of rooms available, we advise making your reservations as soon as possible.
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