The Head Start Act (as amended December 12, 2007) requires Head Start State Collaboration Offices to conduct a needs assessment of Head Start and Early Head Start programs in the state that includes the 11 national priority areas: Health Care, Education (including issues related to School Readiness and Head Start -- PreK Partnership Development), Services for Children with Disabilities, Child Care, Services for Children Experiencing Homelessness, Welfare/Child Welfare, Family Literacy, Community Services, School Transitions and Alignment with K-12, Professional Development, and Early Childhood Systems Development. To support the efforts of state Head Start Collaboration Offices to conduct the survey, several State Collaboration Directors worked with federal Office of Head Start staff to develop a survey instrument. The New York State Head Start Collaboration Office sent the nationally developed needs assessment to Head Start and Early Head Start programs throughout New York State in the winter of 2012. This report summarizes the responses to the New York Head Start Collaboration Project's Needs Assessment. The survey, completed by Head Start and Early Head Start program administrators, offers a glimpse into the success and challenges for these programs at the local level. The key findings are listed by subject area. From these findings, the Head Start Collaboration Project developed a draft strategic plan to address challenges identified through the survey. Relevant aspects of the strategic plan are included at the end of each section of this report, and the plan in its entirety is included in Appendix B on page 36. The Strategic Plan aims to bring the challenges identified in this survey into focus and to clarify the role of the Head Start Collaboration Office as a partner in identifying solutions. (author abstract)