Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute 2025
- Start: January 14, 2025 7:30 am
- End: January 15, 2025 4:30 pm
The ever-popular Annual Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute returns to Charleston, South Carolina, for 2025! Make sure that your Head Start or Early Head Start program understands fiscal management requirements by attending this special Institute on January 14-15.
Head Start fiscal management requirements continue to evolve, and the 2025 Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute will have a special focus on recent changes and the new post-pandemic operating environment. At the heart of this year’s conference will be the Office of Management and Budget’s update to the Uniform Grants Guidance and the effect of that update on the fiscal and general grants management rules for Head Start and Early Head Start agencies. When you attend, you will also learn about indirect cost recovery, audit preparation, and answers to your frequent accounting questions. Our “deep dive” topic for 2025 will be procurement. In addition, the conference will feature special sessions examining risk management, internal controls, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), in connection with financial management. After attending this exclusive two-day training, you will have the information to keep your agency in compliance with current 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 14 through 15, 2025.
TOPICS
The Annual Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute has an updated agenda for 2025 that focuses on recent changes to grants management requirements for Head Start and Early Head Start programs. By attending this special training, you will learn how to meet current fiscal integrity requirements while also avoiding the most common Head Start fiscal management findings. During two full-days in Charleston, you will explore the following topics:
- Important fiscal integrity requirements for Head Start and Early Head Start.
- Updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance and application to Head Start.
- Maintaining an adequate financial management system.
- Identifying risks and implementing effective internal controls.
- Using Artificial Intelligence to automate fiscal management.
- Distinguishing between direct and indirect costs.
- Fundamentals of maximizing indirect cost recovery.
- Procurement requirements for purchasing goods and services.
- Preparing your agency for successful Single Audit Act audits.
- Common fiscal management red flags and how to avoid them.
- Answers to frequently asked questions about Head Start financial management.
However, these are just some of the topics that you will learn about during the Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute 2025. In addition to the planned agenda, our presenters will also be happy to answer your individual fiscal management questions. You will have the opportunity to ask questions throughout both days of the conference.
AGENDA
The Annual Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute will be held in Charleston, South Carolina, at the Charleston Marriott from January 14-15, 2025. (Given these dates, the Institute has a special cancellation deadline, which is 5:00 pm EST on December 13, 2024. Please review our cancellation policy for more details.) The planned agenda for each day is as follows:
Day One (Tuesday, January 14, 2025)
Complete your onsite check-in for the conference and enjoy a light breakfast before starting the conference.
Financial management rules continue to change with recent revisions to the Uniform Guidance. During this double session, attorney Brian Tipton will discuss the major fiscal management requirements for Head Start and Early Head Start programs. You will learn about requirements under both the Head Start Program Performance Standards and the Uniform Guidance (as adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services). The discussion will include the recent updates to the Uniform Guidance and their impact on Head Start agencies. After attending this session, you will be able to identify the current fiscal management requirements that apply to Head Start and Early Head Start agencies.
Note: This is the first part of an extended, two-part session.
Enjoy a fifteen (15) minute morning coffee break between sessions.
Financial management rules continue to change with recent revisions to the Uniform Guidance. During this double session, attorney Brian Tipton will discuss the major fiscal management requirements for Head Start and Early Head Start programs. You will learn about requirements under both the Head Start Program Performance Standards and the Uniform Guidance (as adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services). The discussion will include the recent updates to the Uniform Guidance and their impact on Head Start agencies. After attending this session, you will be able to identify the current fiscal management requirements that apply to Head Start and Early Head Start agencies.
Note: This is the second part of an extended, two-part session.
Take a ninety (90) minute break to sample the lunch scene in charming Charleston, South Carolina. Note: Attendees are "on your own" for lunch.
Learn about the fundamentals of indirect cost from accountant and auditor Keith Hundley during this informative discussion. Indirect cost is an important concept for Federal financial assistance, and understanding this concept is a major factor in the ability to properly budget and manage Head Start and Early Head Start programs. This session will explain the basic ideas and issues associated with indirect cost and cost recovery When you attend this session, you will learn about the rules for indirect cost as well as common problem areas that can result in noncompliance and potential cost disallowances. Following this session, you will be able to distinguish direct and indirect costs, identify different types of indirect cost rates, and outline the steps in preparing an indirect cost rate proposal.
Enjoy a fifteen (15) minute break between our afternoon sessions.
The OMB's recent updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance were not the only changes affecting Single Audits. In addition to revising the audit standards, the OMB released a new Compliance Supplement containing its own important updates. Find out what has changed as CPA Keith Hundley explains the current Single Audit Act process. Keith will share an auditor's tips for having a successful audit, including advice for selecting the audit firm as well as preparing for, conducting, and responding to the audit itself. You will also learn about the most common audit findings and how to avoid them. Following this session, you will be able to outline 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 14, 202.
Complete your conference check-in while enjoying a light breakfast. Please note that you do not need to check-in with the registration desk if you completed check-in on Day One.
Join attorney and risk management expert Melanie Lockwood Herman for this overview of Enterprise Risk Management (or ERM). The session introduces ERM and explores its relevance to grant-funded entities, including Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Enterprise Risk Management is an approach to risk management that can help grants management professionals achieve a "bird’s eye view" of risk and uncertainty. The ultimate goal of ERM is risk-aware decision-making, a capability that all organizations need in a world full of uncertainty. This workshop explores ERM fundamentals and opportunities to fashion ERM concepts to best meet the needs of your organization.
By attending this session, you will:
- Learn key concepts in ERM and their relevance to grant-funded entities;
- Discover how ERM can be adapted and implemented without causing an undue burden on an organization; and,
- Learn ERM fundamentals relevant to fiscal management of Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
Enjoy a fifteen (15) minute coffee break between the morning sessions.
Head Start and Early Head Start agencies are required to implement effective internal controls, but how does an organization actually satisfy this important requirement? Join Melanie Herman, attorney and veteran risk management professional, as she discusses the essentials of internal controls. During this session, you will learn about effective internal control structures, areas of internal control posing the greatest risks, and ways to minimize risks while strengthening key controls. After attending this session, you will be able to identify common risks (and potential internal control weaknesses) for Head Start and Early Head Start programs as well as describe effective internal control strategies to address those risks.
Take a ninety (90) minute break to sample the lunch scene in charming Charleston, South Carolina. Note: Attendees are "on your own" for lunch.
Artificial Intelligence or AI promises great benefits to many industries, including accounting. However, use of AI in connection with financial management also presents significant risks. During this workshop, you will learn about risks of AI and automating financial management for Head Start and Early Head Start programs as well as the potential benefits and use scenarios for AI. Patent lawyer and AI expert Dr. Caroline Coker Coursey will lead this exploration of Artificial Intelligence and fiscal management. Following the session, you will be able to list the primary risks and potential use cases for AI in accounting and financial management.
Enjoy a fifteen (15) minute break between our afternoon sessions.
Learn the proper way to purchase goods and services using Head Start and Early Head Start funds. This session will discuss the requirements found in the Uniform Guidance's procurement standards as adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services. Join attorney Brian Tipton for this detailed discussion of procurement rules and best practices. This session will also explain recent changes to the procurement standards. Following this session, you will be able to identify the current procurement requirements for Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
The Annual Head Start Fiscal Management Institute will adjourn at 4:30 pm on January 15, 2025.
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 changes to grants management rules and how these will affect your agency. After attending the Institute, you will be able to:
- List fiscal management requirements for Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
- Identify recent changes to Federal grants management rules.
- List at least five common Head Start fiscal integrity issues.
- Describe the principles of Enterprise Risk Management.
- Identify requirements for effective internal controls.
- List the features of an adequate fiscal management system.
- Outline the Single Audit Act process for Head Start and Early Head Start agencies.
- Distinguish between direct and indirect costs.
- Identify procurement standards for Head Start and Early Head Start.
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
Dr. Caroline Coker Coursey brings over two decades of invaluable experience at the intersection of law, technology, and innovation to the table. With a rich background as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, she seamlessly transitioned into pivotal roles within prestigious law firms, corporate entities, and an esteemed university research program.
Armed with a robust academic foundation, Caroline has continually gravitated towards intricate technical realms throughout her illustrious career. In addition to a Ph.D. and a J.D., she has degrees in computer science and electrical engineering. A practicing attorney, Caroline is admitted to practice law in Alabama and Georgia as well as being a member of the United States Patent Bar. Her expertise spans across a spectrum of intellectual property and corporate law, with a keen focus on navigating the complexities of emerging technologies.
Caroline’s professional repertoire boasts negotiations with industry titans and spearheading agreements with some of the globe’s leading technology conglomerates. Notably, she has been a guiding force in advising on cutting-edge domains such as artificial intelligence, while demonstrating her acute understanding of both legal intricacies and technological advancements.
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 metro 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 Head Start Fiscal Integrity Institute 2025 will be held at the Charleston, Marriott. Rooms are available for special conference rates starting at just $172 per night (plus tax), which is less than the Federal per diem. These special conference rates are available for check-in as early as January 10, 2025, and for check-out as late as January 19, 2025, subject to hotel availability. Reservations can be made by calling the hotel directly at 1-843-723-3000. Please ask for the special group rate for the “Head Start Training Institute” to receive the discounted hotel rates. However, the easiest way to make reservations is on-line by clicking here for the hotel reservations page. If making room reservations online, please note that the default date range is January 10 through 19 and may include dates that have sold out; please adjust the date range to find the dates that you need. The hotel reservations cut-off date is December 13, 2024 (or until the block is full). Because of the limited number of rooms available, we advise you to make your reservations as soon as possible.
Please note that the cancellation deadline for the conference is 5:00 p.m. EST on December 13, 2024.