Crossroads Youth -- Family Services Inc. recently was notified of the successful results of a federal monitoring review of its Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

A notification letter, signed by Head Start's director of quality assurance in Washington, D.C., and addressed to the chair of Crossroads' board of directors, said officials wanted to "recognize Crossroads' accomplishment in meeting performance standards."

"We are thrilled with the results of our monitoring review," said Crossroads Executive Director Lisa Winters. "We feel like we won the gold medal in the Head Start Olympics.

"To have 12 federal auditors come down and spend a week reviewing every facet of our program and visiting every site, then reward us with such glowing findings -- it is just a tremendous accomplishment. I am so proud of our staff, our parent representatives and our governing board and policy council for upholding the highest possible standards in this vital program for young children in need."

The site visit took place May 18-23 and involved an extensive review of the 24 sites in Cleveland, Comanche, Seminole and Pottawatomie counties in which Crossroads operates Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Crossroads was found in full compliance with the following sections of the 232-page Head Start Monitoring Protocol: Health and Nutrition Services; Safe Environments; Mental Health and Disabilities Services; Transportation; Education and Early Childhood Development Services; Fiscal Management; and Program Design and Management.

The monitoring review was conducted by federal officials of the Office of Head Start, the unit in charge of the Head Start/Early Head Start program for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Monitoring visits occur every three years and agencies found to be out of compliance may lose their funding. Crossroads receives more than $7 million in federal funding for Head Start/Early Head Start and is funded to serve 1,077 children per year.