Head Start is the largest federal investment in early childhood education, serving nearly one million of our nation's most vulnerable young children and their families. It is the federal government's responsibility to make sure that these children and families get the highest quality services possible. Section 641(c)(1) of the Head Start Act requires the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and implement a system for designation renewal (e.g., Designation Renewal System or DRS) to determine if a Head Start agency is delivering a high-quality and comprehensive Head Start program that meets the educational, health, nutritional, and social needs of the children and families it serves, and meets program and financial management requirements and standards described in section 641A(a)(1) of the Act. The final rule detailing the DRS was published on November 9, 2011 and was developed after consideration of public comments received in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) issued September 22, 2010, in the Federal Register [75 FR 57704]. The final rule makes structural changes in Head Start that will drive significant improvements in program quality. Specifically, for the first time in the history of Head Start, individual grantees whose programs fall short of certain standards will be required to compete with other organizations to continue receiving funding. Funds will be awarded to the organization that demonstrates it can best meet the needs of Head Start children and families.