Audubon Area Community Services’ Head Start program has exceeded federal quality benchmarks in all three domains of a national classroom review, an achievement reached by fewer than 20% of programs nationwide.
The results came from the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) review conducted by the federal Office of Head Start. The assessment evaluates the quality of teacher-child interactions in classrooms and is required as part of the agency’s five-year grant cycle to maintain federal funding.
Brad Wright, director of early childhood services for Audubon Area Community Services, said the review is a significant milestone for the program.
“These results tell a powerful story about what happens when children are surrounded by caring adults who truly understand how young learners grow,” Wright said. “High-quality early education doesn’t just prepare children for kindergarten — it helps shape their confidence, curiosity, and love of learning. Exceeding these benchmarks shows that our classrooms are places where children are building skills that will serve them for a lifetime.”
The CLASS assessment measures interactions between teachers and children across three domains: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support. AACS Head Start scored above the federal quality threshold in all three categories, earning scores of 6.2690 for emotional support, 6.1957 for classroom organization, and 3.1014 for instructional support.
Wright said the review process was extensive and required video observations from classrooms across the region.
“In this particular review, we had a cycle of 46 classrooms where we had to submit hour-long recordings of classroom observations to the Office of Head Start for scoring,” Wright said. “They score the child-teacher interactions across three domains, and we scored higher than the quality thresholds in all three. It’s a pretty big accomplishment — fewer than 20% of programs in the country score that well in all three domains.”
The review took place over a four-and-a-half-week period and included classrooms across the agency’s service area in Western Kentucky.
Audubon Area Community Services operates Head Start programs in 16 counties, including Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, and Muhlenberg counties, among others. Wright said the agency serves more than 1,700 children overall, including more than 1,300 preschoolers ages 3 and 4.
Many Head Start classrooms are located in partnership with local public school systems, Wright said.
“We have about 60 different sites, and some of those sites are actually in the county schools,” Wright said. “So we collaborate with those districts and their teaching staff. Some of the success can definitely be attributed to those partnerships and their teachers as well.”
The program primarily serves children from families considered at risk, typically those living at or below the federal poverty level. Wright said about 80% of enrolled children qualify through categories such as receiving SNAP benefits, Supplemental Security Income, experiencing homelessness, or being in foster care.
Stephanie Millay, childhood development team manager for AACS, said the organization’s education specialists work closely with teachers to support instruction and classroom practices.
“Our education team is made up of eight education specialists who work directly with teachers in their assigned areas,” Millay said. “Our job is to support them. We coach them and help them improve in areas where they want to grow, but at the end of the day, it’s the teachers who really rocked this review.”
Millay said the program’s strong scores reflect daily interactions that help young students build confidence and curiosity.
“When children feel supported and encouraged, they’re more willing to ask questions, try new things, and believe in themselves,” Millay said. “These scores reflect the daily moments where our teachers are helping children discover their potential and prepare for future success.”
Millay said the results also highlight the educational focus of Head Start programs.
“A lot of times, Head Start is compared to childcare,” she said. “But the CLASS scores reflect that we are much more than simply making sure children are safe and cared for. We have intentional teaching practices happening in our classrooms, and those scores reflect that.”
Federal CLASS reviews are considered one of the most important components of the Office of Head Start’s evaluation process, Wright said, and poor scores can result in programs having to compete again for their own federal grant funding.
Because of that, Wright said the results provide strong validation for the work being done across classrooms throughout Western Kentucky.
“The scores just prove that we have very successful programs,” Wright said. “It reflects the dedication of our teachers, our education team, and our community partners who all work together to support these children.”
