NHSA

Program of Excellence Informational Webinar
2022-12-06 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
NHSA’s Program of Excellence Accreditation recognizes and supports the outstanding performance of Head Start grant recipients across the country. This designation is earned by programs that consistently demonstrate excellence in program management and service performance and continually support the achievement of robust outcomes for children birth to five years old, pregnant people, families, and the communities where they live.
This informational webinar will allow potential Program of Excellence (PoE) candidates an opportunity to learn more about the program, ask questions, and hear from past awardees to make sure their program is ready for the commitment of completing the application process.
Applications for the 2023 Program of Excellence Accreditation will open in December 2022 and the cohort will begin in February 2023. Join the waitlist here.

Moderator:
Kristina Ellis is The Academy at NHSA Manager. Her background includes nonprofit management, early childhood development, support services, quality improvement, and strategic partnerships. She holds a BA from the University of Central Oklahoma and an MPA from the University of Oklahoma. As a Head Start alum, Kristina’s interest in early childhood stems from a rich background in social services work and her commitment to early childhood education and family engagement. Before NHSA, Kristina worked for CAP Tulsa, one of the largest anti-poverty nonprofits in Oklahoma and a nationally recognized provider of research-based, high-quality early childhood education for low-income children.

Panelists:
Toni Noma Andrews, Child Development Director with Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency for over 15 years, serving as the administrator of two grants in central New York: Oneida and Herkimer Counties operating Head Start and Early Head Start which offers both center base and home base for 753 children and their families and the Head Start program for Madison County, serving 119 children and their families.

LaVonne Maplhus-Nelson, MS, is the Manager of Family, and Community Engagement, and Program Governance and Administration for the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners Head Start/Early Head Start program. With over 20 years of experience in Public Sector Administration and Head Start Management Systems, LaVonne’s background includes Human Services Administration, Case Management, Compliance Management, Quality Assurance Systems, and Strategic Planning. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry and a Master’s Degree in Organization Management and Leadership. She is driven by her passion for children, families, and community and is encouraged by inclusive cultures and environments which ensure progress for all. Her focus is on providing high-quality services for all children and their families.

Early Head Start Advocate Training
2022-11-17 13:00 - 14:00, 2022-10-14 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Only 1 in 10 income-eligible families are able to access Early Head Start. Together, we can change this and NHSA’s Early Head Start Rising campaign is here to help! This research-based 1-hour advocacy training is designed to help you hone your ability to effectively educate and advocate for Early Head Start in your daily interactions and with policymakers and community leaders. This training will also give you an opportunity to become familiar with NHSA’s Early Head Start Rising Advocacy Toolkit. We hope you can join with other Head Start leaders passionate about supporting pregnant women, infants, toddlers and their families at this important training!
Moderated by NHSA Staff

Webinar: Paving the Way to Your CDA!
2022-11-16 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
Earning a CDA® credential demonstrates educators’ knowledge, skills, and abilities in the early childhood education field as well as their commitment to professional development. Designed for working Head Start and Early Head Start professionals, The Academy’s CDA® Training Pathways program gives learners the flexibility and support they need to achieve their goals.
Join us as we share how NHSA is making the CDA credential a smooth process for professionals. Together, we will explore the CDA pathways to determine which path and learning experience is just right for YOU!
We are here to support you as you achieve your goals. To do so, we have created a comprehensive curriculum that includes all of the materials you will need. In this webinar you will get to hear from the course author, 2 graduates, a program leader, and a CDA coach. Please join us to learn how you can pave your way to your CDA!
Moderator: Zuly Vazquez

Zuly is the Manager of Early Head Start Professional Learning Programs at NHSA. She has worked with Head Start, and Early Head Start programs for over a decade, specializing in training, mentoring, coaching, facilitation, curriculum implementation, and management. She worked for several years in the classroom, providing high-quality education to children from different cultures, traditions, and ethnicities. She is a former EHS/HS parent. She has vast experience supporting and providing technical assistance to teachers, family child care providers, education specialists, and families in large EHS/HS programs in Florida and Georgia. Over her career, she designed a supplemental Christian early childhood curriculum, bilingual online lessons, and classroom observation tools and has facilitated early childhood education courses in English and Spanish at the college level. As an active early childhood advocate, she is a board member of her local NAEYC affiliate and Family Child Care Home Alliance of Georgia. She is a senior advisor of Latinas United for the Children of America.

Post-Election Debrief & Discussion
2022-11-10 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
NHSA will host a post-election webinar with our three outside government affairs consultants, Marc Lampkin, Michael Higdon, and Lee Foley, who will discuss the results of the 2022 midterm elections. Each consultant will speak briefly on what they see as the big talking points coming out of the elections, how those issues will impact Head Start, and who they see as the emerging Congressional leaders for Head Start on key committees and in the incoming freshman class.
This informative, post-election webinar is open to the entire Head Start field.
More information TBA.

The Future of ERSEA in Head Start
2022-11-09 14:00 - 16:00 UTC
With our partners at Wipfli, NHSA is hosting online, two-day training series on current best practices with your professional peers and exploring challenges and solutions regarding the future of ERSEA in Head Start.
Learning Objectives:

Review regulation requirements from the HS Act and for 45 CFR Part 1302, Subpart A (ERSEA).
Share best practices in implementing ERSEA in the program.
Explore future challenges and solutions regarding ERSEA in Head Start.

Description:
Head Start/Early Head Start programs have a specific set of requirements to assist program leaders in identifying, recruiting, and selecting those children and families with the most need in their communities. This training will focus on all of the eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance requirements, best known by the initials ERSEA, including adjusted guidelines and areas of Determining community strengths Documentation Recruitment options Attendance Fees, And more!
Presenter:
Tammy Jelinek, Principal
Tammy has spent more than 20 years working in and with grant-funded and fee-for-services nonprofit organizations. She engages with leadership teams to strategically align their goals to grow, expand, and meet their mission. Tammy has trained nationally in the areas of OMB Uniform Guidance, Head Start/Early Head Start Act and program regulations, parent/volunteer involvement, organizational development, human resources, leadership, and management. In helping clients make changes to impact their communities, she has engaged in organizational development and culture initiatives, process design and implementation, financial analysis, and change management (including coaching). Tammy holds a B.S. in business management (psychology minor) and an M.B.A. (emphasis in organizational development) from Upper Iowa University. She answers questions for the My Wipfli Annual Membership.
Certificate of completion is good for two months.
Regular Rate: $350
NHSA Member Rate: $300

Early Childhood Innovation Summit
2022-10-19 09:00 - 2022-10-21 12:00 (America/New_York)
Who is going to teach the next generation of learners?
The early childhood education sector is facing both reduced capacity and raised expectations, with long-term ramifications for staffing. It’s vitally important that we stay agile but also stay in the conversation, experimenting, and learning from one another and from some giants of innovations that make the world a better place. The promise of exploring new ideas is a key reason we’re looking forward to the Early Childhood Innovation Summit, but it’s not the only one. What we mostly look forward to is bringing people together-curriculum developers, practitioners, innovative researchers, and funders.
We have seen experimentation, learning, and adaptation happening faster than ever before in the early childhood space. We will carry that spirit of innovation into this year’s summit.

Mental Fitness Challenge: Depression and Burnout
2022-10-18 19:00 - 20:00 UTC
The impacts of the pandemic and its variants have created a massive strain on members. According to recent polls, 70% of people are struggling with burnout, yet do not have the time and energy to care for themselves. Chief Science Officer and founder of Starling Minds, Dr. Andrew Miki is hosting a 6-week Mental Fitness Challenge to help Head Start staff members prevent and combat burnout and depression.
The Mental Fitness Challenge includes:
– Guided support and training around Starling Mental Fitness program– Weekly live session with Dr. Andrew Miki that includes a Q&A period– Weekly homework exercises to put learning into action
The webinar series topics include:

Session 1: What is Burnout 101?
Session 2: Managing stress, anxiety, and depression
Session 3: Finding emotional regulation skills that work for you
Session 4: Making effective plans and assertive goals to move forward
Session 5: Managing your thoughts when you’re down
Session 6: How to manage burnout and your work

Speaker: Dr. Andrew Miki
Dr. Andrew Miki is the founder and Chief Science Officer of Starling. Andrew founded Starling with the mission to improve access to effective mental healthcare. Andrew leads Starling’s research, strategy, and solutions to address mental health requirements and create validation frameworks to measure and report each digital program’s efficacy. With a background in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience, Andrew has expertise in neuropsychological assessments and the treatment of Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, and Traumatic Brain Injuries. He continues to practice as a registered psychologist and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for individuals with depression, anxiety, stress, and trauma to help them feel stronger, more confident and resilient. Andrew holds a BSc in Psychology from Queen’s University, an MA in Behavioral Neuroscience from Wilfrid Laurier and an MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from York University.
FAQs
The Starling Mental Fitness program personalizes mental health support and training to help each member better manage their stress, anxiety, and burnout. It will help Head Start staff to:

Learn how to raise their awareness of stressors and reactions
Discover strategies to help them relax and recharge
Learn how to see the “small wins” in their day-to-day life
Learn how to have more balanced, objective, and realistic thoughts

The Mental Fitness Challenge will help members build the skills they need to cope with burnout.
What is required to participate?
To participate in the Mental Fitness Challenge with Dr. Andrew Miki, members need to:

Register for the webinar series “6-Week Mental Fitness Challenge Series with Dr. Andrew Miki”
Register for a Starling Minds Mental Fitness program with access code
Take a check-up before the 1st interactive session
Attend and participate in the various interactive activities throughout the challenge

Is it free?
Yes, it’s free for all staff (and their family members) who work in an NHSA member program.
Is it confidential?
Starling Minds’ members’ privacy and confidentiality are of the utmost importance. All of your personal information, answers, and interactions with Starling Minds information is kept private and anonymous.

Introducing Starling's Mental Fitness Program
2022-10-17 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
This highly interactive presentation will focus on stress, worry, and anxiety and how these can be challenged in achieving or maintaining a work-life balance. The webinar will answer the following questions:

What is Starling Minds and how can the platform support our mental health?
How can we recognize and deal with our triggers?
What strategies can we use to set limits that allow us to better manage our mental health?

Speaker: Dr. Andrew Miki
Dr. Andrew Miki is the founder and Chief Science Officer of Starling. Andrew founded Starling with the mission to improve access to effective mental healthcare. Andrew leads Starling’s research, strategy, and solutions to address mental health requirements and create validation frameworks to measure and report each digital program’s efficacy. With a background in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience, Andrew has expertise in neuropsychological assessments and the treatment of Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, and Traumatic Brain Injuries. He continues to practice as a registered psychologist and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for individuals with depression, anxiety, stress, and trauma to help them feel stronger, more confident and resilient. Andrew holds a BSc in Psychology from Queen’s University, an MA in Behavioral Neuroscience from Wilfrid Laurier and an MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from York University.

Parent Advocacy Engagement Call
2022-10-12 19:00 - 19:45 (America/New_York)
Families Unite for Head Start: Parent Advocacy Engagement Call
Parent engagement is one of our top priorities!
Join the nationwide community of Head Start parents and caregivers. This is a space for parents to receive the latest Head Start updates and advocacy resources from the National Head Start Association as well as connect with Head Start families from across the country.
As parents and caregivers, you are your child’s biggest advocate. The National Head Start Association is looking to empower, support, and inform Head Start families interested in the healthy development and education of children.
Sign up now to join us for our quarterly parent advocacy engagement calls!
Upcoming engagement call opportunities for 2022: The first Wednesday of the month

October 12th, 2022 (rescheduled from the 5th in observance of Yom Kippur)
December 7th, 2022
Special in-person meet-up during the week of Parent and Family Engagement Conference (December 12th – 15th)

Fall GroMoreGood Gardening Webinar
2022-10-12 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Discover the many ways gardening activities can be used to promote the health and wellness of young children and their families with our fall gardening webinar!
KidsGardening will offer garden inspiration, instruction and expertise and share additional resources to help programs prepare their applications and begin their garden planning. Past grantees will provide first-hand experiences with the application process and managing the grant.
Gardening activities can be used to promote the health and wellness of young children and their families. Focusing on gardens in the early childhood setting, speakers present on a wide variety of tips for best practices for planning, planting, and sustaining a food garden along with important safety procedures to consider when preparing and consuming your harvest. In the Fall gardening webinar, you will also hear first-hand stories from successful programs about garden-based nutrition education program.
Presenters:
Sarah Pounders, while working toward her master’s degree in Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University, Sarah Pounders served as a school garden coordinator and conducted research on the benefits of using school garden programs to teach nutrition. She went on to work at various botanical gardens and for Cooperative Extension in Virginia and Texas. Since 2005, Sarah has been an education specialist at KidsGardening, coordinating numerous children’s gardens and writing curricula and activities for youth of all ages. Sarah enjoys gardening at home with her two children and serves as the volunteer garden coordinator at her son’s elementary school.
GroMoreGood Garden Grantee Representatives

Sponsors:

Want even more? Check out our Gardening with Kids Basics course provided by The Academy at NHSA and the GroMoreGood Garden Grants.

Supporting Your Staff's Mental Fitness with Starling Minds
2022-10-11 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Discover the power of digital mental health and how like physical health, we improve our mental health by strengthening our minds through short training and exercises. In this 45-minute webinar, you will learn:
– A detailed demonstration & overview of the Starling Minds program– How Starling Minds will be working with you to help promote the program– Next steps
The session will be followed by a live Q&A session.
Speaker: Dr. Andrew Miki
Dr. Andrew Miki is the founder and Chief Science Officer of Starling. Andrew founded Starling with the mission to improve access to effective mental healthcare. Andrew leads Starling’s research, strategy, and solutions to address mental health requirements and create validation frameworks to measure and report each digital program’s efficacy. With a background in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience, Andrew has expertise in neuropsychological assessments and the treatment of Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, and Traumatic Brain Injuries. He continues to practice as a registered psychologist and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for individuals with depression, anxiety, stress, and trauma to help them feel stronger, more confident and resilient. Andrew holds a BSc in Psychology from Queen’s University, an MA in Behavioral Neuroscience from Wilfrid Laurier and an MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from York University.

Fall Garden Storytime
2022-10-05 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Share the joy of gardening AND storytime with your Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms! Our storytellers are gardeners, and in these LIVE storytime sessions they will read wonderful garden-themed books to the children, and “show and tell” about interesting plants. Both teachers and students will love this interactive learning session!
Presenters:
Noel Nicholas (she/her) is the Educational Content Manager for KidsGardening, where she co-develops original educational materials designed to help kids play, learn and grow through gardening. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from University of Southern California, where she developed a passion for informal education while teaching poetry at 32nd Street School/USC Magnet. Prior to joining KidsGardening, Noel worked as a Museum Educator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, developing and delivering educational programs for diverse, multi-generational audiences, and managing the museum’s Storytime Live program. In her spare time she teaches in the school garden at Third Street Elementary in Los Angeles.
Sarah Pounders, while working toward her master’s degree in Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University, Sarah Pounders served as a school garden coordinator and conducted research on the benefits of using school garden programs to teach nutrition. She went on to work at various botanical gardens and for Cooperative Extension in Virginia and Texas. Since 2005, Sarah has been an education specialist at KidsGardening, coordinating numerous children’s gardens and writing curricula and activities for youth of all ages. Sarah enjoys gardening at home with her two children and serves as the volunteer garden coordinator at her son’s elementary school.
Sponsor:

Want even more? Check out our Gardening with Kids Basics course provided by The Academy.

Family Partnership Process Practitioner Highlights (3)
2022-09-29 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Practitioner Highlights #3: Sherry Day, LEADS Inc., OH
Head Start programs across the country are using Parent Gauge to advance child development, improve their engagement with families, and demonstrate their use of data during their monitoring reviews.
Come hear from Sherry Day, an expert director about how her program implements Parent Gauge and what benefits it brings.
Presenter: Sherry Day
I am the Family Partnership Manager for the LEADS HS/EHS programs, and I oversee the ERSEA and Social Service Component Areas along with Policy Council. I am a proud Head Start Alumni, child graduate from the LEADS program from 1969-1971. I am also a proud past Head Start parent. My son David was also enrolled in the LEADS program in 1991, at the age of 4.
I have been an employee of LEADS serving in many different positions from Substitute Teacher to Management through my 31year tenure, since September 3, 1991. I earned my Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Development Technology during my time as a Teacher and Home Visitor in Head Start. I earned my Bachelor of Social Work degree while holding the positions of Family Service Worker and Center Administrator. At the same time, I earned my LSW (Licensed Social Worker) credential from the State of Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, Marriage & Family Therapist Board.
I am honored to be a part of the Head Start Community for so many years, giving back what was given to my family. My grandchildren will never be a part of Head Start but will live with the values and culture that Head Start brings to all of our lives. Head Start Works!!

Webinar: Setting the Record Straight
2022-09-28 14:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York)
Setting the Record Straight on OHS Procedures and Timelines
As we listen to local leadership, we are hearing lots of concerns about inconsistencies and a lack of transparency related to critical procedures and timelines. We heard you!
Now, we have created the opportunity for OHS to set the record straight. Please join NHSA as we host an important discussion with Heather Wanderski, Program Operations Division Director, and Stephanie Gordon, Director of School Readiness Grants, who oversee all Head Start/Early Head Start program and fiscal operations.
The goal of this webinar is to equip attendees with the most accurate and updated information about program and fiscal policies, procedures and timelines.
Presenters:
Heather Wanderski is the Program Operations Division Director for the Office of Head Start. Her division provides leadership and support to Regional Offices and is responsible for planning work, implementing administration priorities and developing strategies to carry out legislative initiatives and national goals to improve the effectiveness of Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Since 2004, Heather has served in multiple roles within the Office of Head Start including Program Specialist, Supervisory Program Specialist and Regional Program Manager.

Stefanie Gordon is the Director of the School Readiness portfolio of grants for the Office of Grants Management (OGM.) Her portfolio directly administers, manages, provides financial stewardship, and technical guidance to the Office of Head Start and Preschool Development Birth to Five grants. OHS has the largest real property portfolio in ACF, and the School Readiness portfolio is responsible for managing encumbrances and calculating Federal interest. Since 2007, Stefanie has served in multiple roles and regions within the Office of Grants Management including Grants Management Specialist, Lead Grants Management Specialist and Grants Management Officer in Regions 2, 6, 9 and Disaster Assistance.
Moderator:
Ann Linehan, recently retired from her position as the Deputy Director of Office of Head Start (OHS). Ann served as Deputy Director since 2011 and prior to the Deputy position, she held senior management positions in OHS for 15 years overseeing Program Development, Quality Assurance and Program Operations. Ann’s leadership has been instrumental to improving program performance and increasing federal and local accountability. Ann began her federal career in 1992 in Region I as the Head Start Regional Program Manager responsible for Head Start programs in New England. Before joining the federal government, she was the Executive Director of a non-profit agency for nearly a decade that provided Head Start and Child Care services in eight communities in Massachusetts. Ann began her career as a special needs teacher for medically fragile children. She holds a BS in Sociology and Psychology and a Masters in Education from Boston State.

Mental Health 101: Paving Way to Better Self Care for Head Start Staff
2022-09-27 15:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York)
According to recent studies, 86% of ECEs reported feeling depressed with 10% reporting being severely depressed. It is higher than any other professions within education, and yet more than 60% do not seek help.
Join this interactive 45-min webinar session to demystify mental health and overcome feelings of self-doubt, isolation, and fear to pave the way to better self-care.
In the webinar, you will learn:
– The Key to Mental Health: Self-awareness
– Demystifying Mental Health: Common Myths
– Warning Signs: Anxiety and Depression
– Hero Stories: Taking Control of My Life Again

Family Partnership Process Practitioner Highlights (2)
2022-09-15 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Practitioner Highlights #2: Liz Bender, Youth in Need, MO
Head Start programs across the country are using Parent Gauge to advance child development, improve their engagement with families, and demonstrate their use of data during their monitoring reviews. Come hear from Liz Bender, an expert director about how her program implements Parent Gauge and what benefits it brings.
Presenter:
Liz Bender, LMSW is the Family and Community Engagement Director at Youth in Need in St. Louis, MO. She started working in Head Start as a home visitor in 2010. She spent a few years in between as the operations manager of a nonprofit community center and earned her Masters in Social Work from St. Louis University. She has also been a professor at St. Louis University teaching macro social work to undergraduate students.

Webinar: Tackling Challenging Behaviors
2022-09-14 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
In this webinar, we will share three innovative approaches to the classroom environment. These strategies not only mitigate challenging behaviors, they significantly increase delightful interactions!
Join our experts as they share how to make transitions a meaningful part of your day; how to use movement to increase focus; and how to inspire the desire to behave well.
Presenters
Dr. Deborah Bergeron, served as director of the Office of Head Start from 2018-21. From 2019-21 she broadened her leadership as director of the Office of Early Childhood Development in the Administration for Children and Families. Known as “Dr. B” to former students and teachers, she spent three decades in pre-K–12 public education as a classroom teacher and school administrator. She currently serves as deputy director for Community Engagement and Innovation at the National Head Start Association.

Hayes Greenfield founder of Creative Sound Play and the Greenfield Method (TGM), is a professional musician and teaching artist who has been teaching young people since 93. He’s taught TGM in Detroit with the PNC Bank Grow Up Great Initiative, consulted at Bank Street Head Start, has led professional development workshops and created programs for special needs high school students and teachers for the New York City Dept of Ed. Hayes has taught Applied Saxophone at Teacher’s College, Improv Camp at Lehman College, and has performed internationally with his interactive Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz, music/performance/workshop program. He has been recognized by New York University with their 2005 Jazz Educators Award, and his family CDs “Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz” and “Music for a Green Planet” have received critical acclaim and many awards.
Nick Young has been sharing the joy and enrichment of interactive music and movement with children for over 30 years. Nick began his career as a preschool teacher. After witnessing the social, emotional, and educational benefits of interactive music in early childhood, Nick created The Young Music Company—a mobile music school for preschoolers that brings music into the lives of thousands of children every year. Nick has presented his dynamic music and movement workshops at hundreds of conferences, conventions, and institutions. In 2016, Nick created the PlayMotion Music, music and movement curriculum and teacher training program to empower teachers to bring the magic of music and movement into their classrooms.

Sponsored By

Family Partnership Process Practitioner Highlights (1)
2022-09-08 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
NHSA is pleased to present “Practitioner Highlights” with Suzanne Prescott, Butler County, OH

Head Start programs across the country are using Parent Gauge to advance child development, improve their engagement with families, and demonstrate their use of data during their monitoring reviews. Come hear from Suzanne Prescott, an expert director about how her program implements Parent Gauge and what benefits it brings.

Presenter:
Suzanne Prescott, the Early Childhood Program Director, Butler County Educational Service Center. Her roles have always included program management and she has been responsible for building prenatal to three programs countywide from a staff of 1 to over 50. She transitioned into the current position at BCESC as the Early Childhood Program Director in August of 2011, which included Head Start and Early Head Start. As such, she is responsible for Early Head Start, Early Intervention, Help Me Grow Home Visiting, and Head Start programs in two counties, Butler and Preble, as well as Central Coordination (Ohio’s regional Intake service for all state funded prenatal to three programs) for a 9 county region. Ms. Prescott’s career began in child welfare. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Miami University in Political Science a minor in Social Work and a Master’s degree from Xavier University in Agency and
Community Counseling. Her initial professional practice with Head Start was as the Interagency
Manager for the Therapeutic Preschool Program in the mid 1990’s. Recognizing the impact of
early childhood development and being committed to her own professional growth, she has taken
additional courses in early childhood education at both Xavier University and the University of
Cincinnati. Lastly, Ms. Prescott is a Licensed Social Worker in the State of Ohio. Suzanne
believes that children only have one early childhood, so we have to help them and their families
make it the best possible!

Parent Gauge Informational Webinar
2022-08-23 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Parent Gauge is opening up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to measuring family engagement in Head Start, and the proof is in the pudding: Head Start programs across the country are using Parent Gauge to advance child development, improve their engagement with families, and demonstrate their use of data during their monitoring reviews.
Come learn about the Parent Gauge tool, what it can teach you about the children and families in your program, and how you can improve your programming tomorrow, next week, and next year!
Presenters:
Bob Manning, senior advisor for Community Engagement at NHSA, helps programs evaluate whether Parent Gauge is right for them. Contact Bob to review your specific program needs and challenges and decide how to best measure and grow your Parent, Family, and Community Engagement efforts.

Bold Leadership Series: Head Start on Housing
2022-08-11 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Welcome to the Bold Leadership Series!
A Head Start on Housing for America’s Families
Like all states, Connecticut’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs are required to aggressively seek out and prioritize homeless children for enrollment so that children can thrive in the classroom despite their family’s challenges. Although nearly 4 percent of enrolled children are precariously housed, agencies rarely have resources to address housing problems.
The National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW) worked with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood’s Head Start State Collaboration Office to attack these housing problems head-on. Beginning in the fall of 2021, NCHCW began convening state leaders to establish a partnership between the Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) and the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) to gain access to permanent housing subsidies and roll-out a “Head Start on Housing” landlord recruitment campaign in February 2022.
This pilot program armed three agencies within Connecticut’s sophisticated network of Head Start and Early Head Start programs with immediate access to the housing resources they need to help families escape homelessness. On June 13, 2022, Gov. Lamont announced a statewide expansion of this “on demand” Housing Choice Voucher program for Head Start households. This presentation will offer insight on how this extraordinary pilot program was established and offer tips on how to bring this innovation to your state.
Strengthening America’s families through affordable housing. Head Start on Housing Press Conference news articles:

New Haven Independent
WFSB
Patch
FOX 61
WNPR
News 12

Speaker: Ruth Anne White
Ruth White is co-founder and executive director of the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare and former director of Housing and Homelessness for CWLA. Ruth works closely with professionals and people personally impacted by social programs to improve public policy to ease access to economic resources and to reduce government intervention into peoples’ lives. Since beginning her work to expand housing and self-sufficiency resources for families and youth involved with child welfare and early childhood education programming, Ruth has successfully advocated for over $300 million in funding for new housing subsidies and services.
In 2020, Ruth partnered with Connecticut Head Start Association to create the Early Childhood Housing Outreach team and successfully opened a conduit to immediate access for Housing Choice Vouchers for Head Start and Early Head Start Families. In 2018, Ruth partnered with current and former foster youth from ACTION Ohio to design and deliver the youth-written Fostering Stable Housing Opportunity proposal directly to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The HUD Leadership Team adopted the on-demand, synchronized, and revolutionary distribution mechanism for housing choice vouchers as the basis for the Foster Youth to Independence Initiative in 2019. Ruth is a certified Assisted Housing Manager and holds a master’s degree in social administration from Case Western Reserve University and a bachelor’s degree in social work from The Ohio State University. She is currently a doctoral candidate and professor at the Catholic University of America.

Financial Wellness Thursdays
2022-08-11 13:00 - 13:30 UTC
Join NHSA for Financial Wellness Thursdays with The Beans (a financial wellness company founded by a former educator and a Head Start alumna!) to learn how you can help your team stress less about money.
Financial stress is the most common and persistent form of stress we face. Financial stress impacts our physical and mental health, the health of our communities, and our satisfaction in our work.
August 11 at 1:00 – 1:30 p.m. ET
August 25 at 1:00 – 1:30 p.m. ET
We will explore evidence-based principles of money + life balance. You can use these tips to talk to your team about financial wellness.
Promoting Financial Wellness Presenters:
Melissa Pancoast, CEO & FOUNDER
Melissa Pancoast is the founder and CEO of The Beans, a financial care company changing the way hard working Americans relate to their finances. She started her career as a teacher, where she saw the impact of financial stress firsthand in her community. After completing graduate work at the University of Oxford, she served as a researcher in the University of Oxford’s Center for Evidence-Based Interventions. Her work, a series of “Economic Strengthening” workshops has been shared with 300 million people worldwide as a pillar in the global emergency response to COVID-19. Melissa has a MS in Evidence-Based Social Intervention from the University of Oxford and a BS in Political Science from Stetson University.
Alex Orozco, FOUNDING DESIGNER + HEAD OF PRODUCT DESIGN
Alex Orozco is the founding Designer and Head of Product Design at The Beans. As a Head Start alumna, she knows the power of Head Start first hand. In college, she taught English to teachers in Mexico and recruited educators. She earned her MSEd in Teaching English as a Second Language and started her career as a 5th grade ESL math teacher. Additionally, Orozco also coached basketball and chess to help pay down nearly 90k in student loans. She is responsible for the design and user experience of the app, The Beans brand, and the Customer Success team.

Salary CAP: Exploring Compensation and COLA for the Head Start Workforce in Community Action Programs
2022-08-08 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
The average salary of Community Action Agency jobs varies according to location, department, and job description as well as experience, skills, and education. All CAAs across the country work to foster pay equity and manage compensation costs, but how does this impact Head Start and Early Head Start staff–especially when they receive an administrative Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) or substantial increases in pay and other CAA staff do not? Join us to explore CAA compensation and benefits structure, current and future workforce needs, and what CAA and Head Start and Early Head Start leadership can do to attract and retain the most qualified employees.
Host
Ryan Gelman, Project Director, Public Policy and Advocacy, National Community Action Partnership
Mr. Gelman provides analysis on anti-poverty policies that affect the Community Action Network, including the Community Services Block Grant, nutrition assistance, affordable housing, early childhood education, and tax issues. He also advises and trains Community Action organizations on effective advocacy strategies and customer empowerment through civic engagement. Before his current role, Mr. Gelman completed a criminal justice fellowship in the United States Senate. He also served as a Legislative Director in the Massachusetts State Senate, where he focused on health care, immigration, and consumer protection legislation. Mr. Gelman is a graduate of Emerson College and Northeastern University School of Law.
Panelists

Veronica Zhang, Deputy Director and Senior Counsel, CAPLAW
Ms. Zhang advises community action agencies nationwide on strategic, operational, and legal matters, including tax-exempt law, employment law, Head Start and other government grant compliance, and corporate governance. Prior to joining CAPLAW, Ms. Zhang was a business law associate at Goodwin Procter, where she represented public and private companies in mergers and acquisitions and other strategic collaborations. She also helped nonprofit organizations operate and maintain tax-exempt status. Ms. Zhang is a graduate of Yale University and Boston University School of Law.
Caroline Santilli, Staff Attorney, CAPLAW
Ms. Santilli advises community action agencies on legal issues related to governance, strategic collaborations, federal grant compliance, tax-exempt law, employment, and other matters. Prior to joining CAPLAW, she was a corporate law associate in the Boston office of Ropes and Gray where she worked on leveraged acquisitions and debt refinancing transactions. She also represented pro bono clients in connection with their applications for asylum in the United States. Ms. Santilli is a graduate of New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and Northeastern University School of Law.
Arlene Dobison, Chief Executive Officer, The Agricultural and Labor Program
Ms. Dobison manages a budget over $41 Million, with programs that provide a full spectrum of services to improve the quality of life for Children and Families. She brings over 29 years of experience in the non-Profit arena, primarily community action, and has served as Human Resources Director, Finance Director, and Executive Director of Lowcountry Community Action Agency in Walterboro, SC. Employed by South Carolina’s Office of the Governor, as Senior Manager of Fiscal Services, served as a Federal Reviewer for the United States Government. Ms. Dobison earned a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.
Jennifer Godfrey, Chief Executive Officer, Utah Community Action
Ms. Godfrey is a longtime advocate for children and families and oversees one of Utah’s largest nonprofit agencies, consisting of six distinctive core programs with a total agency budget of nearly $50 million. She has worked as a preschool teacher, school guidance counselor and as a clinical mental health counselor. She is an active member of the American Counseling Association and is an alumni of Alpha Chi Omega at the University of Utah. Mrs. Godfrey has a Bachelor of Science in Family and Child Development, a Master’s degree in Education and a Master’s degree in Counseling.
Stacy Weight, Chief Administrative Officer, Utah Community Action
Ms. Weight oversees corporate integrity, legal, policy oversight, risk management, human resources, information technology, finance, and accounting for the Utah Community Action, Utah’s largest Head Start program serving approximately 2,100 children and their families. Prior to being with Head Start, Ms. Weight was a senior innovator for the Children’s Miracle Network. She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Utah Valley State College and a Masters of Business Administration from Westminster College She earned her CPA in 2009.

This program is co-sponsored by:

Bold Leadership Series: Leading In Challenging Times
2022-08-04 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Welcome to the Bold Leadership Series!
Leading In Challenging Times
To borrow a phrase from the military, we live in a VUCA World, a volatile, uncertain, complex, and
ambiguous world. Such a world requires agility to quickly respond to opportunities and challenges. Rigid and siloed organizations of the past do not do well in a VUCA environment. Leadership needs to
understand the strategies and approaches to successfully lead in today’s world. In this session, Ray
McNulty will describe the changes we need to overcome and the types of performance and strategic
systems needed to survive and thrive in a VUCA world.
Speaker:
Raymond J. McNulty, President, Successful Practices Network
Raymond J. McNulty is the President of the National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC), and the Successful Practices Network SPN). Prior to that, Ray was Dean for the School of Education at Southern New Hampshire University which Fast Company magazine named the 12th most innovative organization in the world in its World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies. Ray has served as the President of the International Center for Leadership in Education and was also the Chief Learning Officer for Penn Foster a global leader in online education.
Ray has been a Program Director and Senior Fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he worked with leading educators on improving our nation’s high schools. On an international level, he serves as a senior member of the Aspirations Academy Trust in London England. The Trust operates 15 Academy schools in Southern England focused on 21st-century skills and learner success in the global world. Ray is a past president of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and author of It’s Not Us Against Them — Creating the Schools We Need, published in 2009 by the International Center.
An educator since 1973, Ray has been a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and superintendent. From 2001-03, he served as Vermont’s education commissioner. During his tenure, Ray focused on aligning the Department of Education’s work on three key issues: early education, educator quality, and secondary school reform.
Ray is a presenter at the state, national, and international levels on the need for school systems to accept the challenges that lie ahead. He is committed to raising performance standards for both teachers and students and to building solid connections between schools and their communities. Ray believes strongly that education systems cannot wait for the children and challenges to arrive at school; rather, schools need to reach out and help forge solutions.

Parent Advocacy Engagement Call
2022-08-03 19:00 - 19:45 (America/New_York)
Families Unite for Head Start: Parent Advocacy Engagement Call
Parent engagement is one of our top priorities!
Join the nationwide community of Head Start parents and caregivers. This is a space for parents to receive the latest Head Start updates and advocacy resources from the National Head Start Association as well as connect with Head Start families from across the country.
As parents and caregivers, you are your child’s biggest advocate. The National Head Start Association is looking to empower, support, and inform Head Start families interested in the healthy development and education of children.
Sign up now to join us for our quarterly parent advocacy engagement calls!
Upcoming calls for 2022: The first Wednesday of every other month

October 5th, 2022
December 7th, 2022
Special in-person meet-up during the week of Parent and Family Engagement Conference (December 12th – 15th)

Sleep Workshop Series by Starling Minds
2022-08-02 19:00 - 20:00 UTC
Starling Minds four-week interactive Sleep Workshop with Mental Fitness Coach, Tara Achkar to help you restore your healthy, natural sleep and feel more rested and energized for the day.
Weekly on Tuesdays in August:

Session 1: August 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT
Session 2: August 9 at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT
Session 3: August 16 at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT
Session 4: August 23 at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT

In this four-week series, you will learn proven strategies to reverse poor habits, strengthen your natural system, break down obstacles to healthy sleep, and restore the sleep you need to feel more rested to live your best life.
This series is available exclusively to NHSA Members. Not a member? Sign up now.

Bold Leadership Series: Leadership Matters
2022-07-28 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Welcome to the Bold Leadership Series!
How Bold Leadership Leads to Bold Partnerships
Successful Head Start programs hinge on successful collaboration and partnerships in the communities they serve. Paula Margraf, retired Head Start Director from Community Services for Children in Allentown, PA, spent her career building partnerships and watching those partnerships inspire phenomenal outcomes for her program’s children and families. Come grab some perspective from the ground and leave with some new ways you can approach building long lasting, effective partnerships in your community. You too can become a bold leader!
Speaker:
Paula J. Margraf, Retired CEO/President Community Services for Children
Paula Margraf was first introduced to the challenges facing low-income families, as a nursing student at Georgetown University, working in a community health center serving Head Start children. She has continued her commitment, working on behalf of low-income women, children and their families for over 35 years in public health, and later as an Early Head Start, and then Head Start leader. She retired in March 2022 as the CEO/President of Community Services for Children, a $370 M dollar not for profit organization with 460 employees whose mission is to prepare young children and families for success in school and in life through comprehensive, innovative leading edge services. As a strategic leader, she initiated the only therapeutic Early Head Start program of its kind, serving drug impacted infants, and saw the agency through multiple expansions, growing CSCs’ reach and services.
CSC provides high quality Early Childhood education through Head Start, Early Head Start and Pre-K Counts, with specialization in STEM learning, 21st Century Innovative practices as well as therapeutic services to infants to over 1700 low income children in the Valley. CSC’s Head Start program was designated as a Program of Excellence and Innovation by the National Head Start Association, and works in partnership with 12 school districts. In addition, CSC operates the State of PA’s Early Learning Resource Center programming in 17 counties, connecting over 20,000 families to child care, and providing referrals to over 5000 families for early childhood, health, and social resources. At the same time CSC’s Early Learning Resource Centers support continuous quality improvements through the operation of the Keystone Stars program, a quality rating program for early learning entities – together impacting directly on the lives of families and 2000 child care providers.
In addition to serving as the CEO for the past six years, Paula is past president of the PA Head Start Association, past member of the National Head Start Association (NHSA) Board of Directors, and graduate of UCLA’s Head Start Executive Management program. She is past President of Lehigh County Office of Children and Youth Advisory Board, a member of United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley – “Lehigh Valley Reads” Steering Committee, and a collaborating partner for the 21st Century Allentown program, ensuring that Early Childhood and Family programming is integral to the revitalization of the City of Allentown. Paula has co-authored numerous articles on child development, home visitation and family services. She has served on various state and national task groups advocating on behalf of families, and most recently on the NHSA task group, worked to bring about legislation that will assist families affected by the Opioid crisis. She has been recognized by The Morning Call Top Workplaces survey with the Top Leadership Award, among 500 participating corporations and as a Woman of Influence by the Lehigh Valley Business Organization.

Wellness Wednesdays with Starling Minds
2022-07-27 19:30 - 20:00 UTC
Mental health and wellness is a top priority for NHSA. This 30-minute live program is hosted biweekly by Tara Achkar from Starling Minds. Head Start staff (and their families) will gain a deeper understanding of how breathwork and meditation can be used as a powerful tool to balance your energy and ground yourself.

Relax your nervous system and calm yourself.
Boost your energy and become more alert.
Improve your concentration and mental focus.

Mental Fitness Mondays by Starling Minds
2022-07-25 19:30 - 20:00 UTC
Mental fitness is a key priority of NHSA. Learn how to identify and recognize key patterns impacting your mental health and how to better manage it.
Join our Starling Minds live training sessions hosted by Dr. Andrew Miki to help you:

Assess where your mental health is at along the mental health continuum
Understand your tendencies and patterns when things are going well or not well
Improve your confidence to make the changes you need in your life
Normalize what you are experiencing throughout the school year with member stories

Presenter: Dr. Andrew Miki, Chief Science Officer & Founder
Dr. Andrew Miki is the founder and Chief Science Officer of Starling. Andrew founded Starling with the mission to improve access to effective mental healthcare. Andrew leads Starling’s research, strategy, and solutions to address mental health requirements and create validation frameworks to measure and report each digital program’s efficacy. With a background in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience, Andrew has expertise in neuropsychological assessments and the treatment of Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, and Traumatic Brain Injuries. He continues to practice as a registered psychologist and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for individuals with depression, anxiety, stress, and trauma to help them feel stronger, more confident and resilient. Andrew holds a BSc in Psychology from Queen’s University, an MA in Behavioral Neuroscience from Wilfrid Laurier and an MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from York University.

Introducing Starling's Mental Fitness Program
2022-07-21 14:00 - 14:45 (America/New_York)
This highly interactive presentation will focus on stress, worry and anxiety and how these can be challenged in achieving or maintaining a work-life balance.
The webinar will answer the following questions:
1. What is Starling Minds and how can the platform support our mental health?
2. How can we recognize and deal with our triggers?
3. What strategies can we use to set limits that allow us to better manage our mental health?
