NHSA

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?

Early Head Start Advocate Training
2022-07-15 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

Bold Leadership Series: Burning Up Before Burning Out
2022-07-14 14:00 (America/New_York)
Welcome to the first leadership webinar of our Bold Leadership Series!
Our everyday lives are filled with rules. We are aware of some rules; some, we abide by without knowing how much they exhaust us—leading to burnout. During this session, presented by Executive Director of Rural Utah Child Development Keri Allred, you will identify some of the rules that are tiring you and will have the chance to create a new way of living that can better sustain you in the work you do. These new rules are your own and they are waiting to be written! You too can achieve bold leadership.
Keri Newman Allred is the Executive Director of Rural Utah Child Development and has held this position for 9 years. Her bachelors degree in child development, masters degree in human and family development and a 30 year career in early childhood has been inspired by the motto ‘childhood is a journey, not a race’. This belief is the driving force behind every success RUCD has achieved. Keri believes that a positive and productive workplace is the highest goal, and that living truthfully is the best way to get there.

Webinar: El Desarrollo del Habla y del Lenguaje - Cómo Fortalecer el Apoyo de Los Niños Bilingües
2022-07-13 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
En nuestro mundo acelerado lleno de información al alcance de la mano, a menudo nos falta información útil sobre el desarrollo del habla y el lenguaje. Infórmese sobre el aprendizaje en dos idiomas y cómo mantener a nuestros pequeños estudiantes e hijos apoyados con estrategias dentro y fuera del uso de máscaras, tiempo frente a la pantalla y mucho más.
This webinar will be in Spanish.
In our fast paced world full of information at our fingertips, we are often lacking useful information about speech and language development. Become informed about dual language learning and how to keep our children supported with strategies in and out of mask-wearing, screen time, and more.
Speaker: Emily Vincent, M.S CCC-SLP, Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist
Emily Vincent, M.S. CCC-SLP is a bilingual/bicultural (Spanish-English) speech-language pathologist. She has been working with families and children for many years providing therapy, diagnostic, and consultation services through Early Intervention, public and private preschools including Head Start and Early Head Start, as well as elementary schools. She began life after college as a Head Start preschool teacher, then later as a disability specialist for Early Head Start and Head Start while attending graduate school to become a bilingual speech-language pathologist. When she is not conquering tele-therapy or google docs with her incredible and diverse caseload, she can be found hanging out with family in the mountains or the beach, in a bootcamp class, or reading a novel.

Webinar: National Head Start Association Child Tax Credit
2022-07-12 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Nearly 90% of children in the U.S. became eligible for the Child Tax Credit when it was expanded last year. Even though tax season has passed, families can still claim the full 2021 CTC – up to $3,600 per child per family – by either using the simplified filing portal – GetCTC.org, or filing a paper return.
This webinar is designed to help members of the National Head Start Association community better understand the expanded Child Tax Credit and how to help families claim this critical benefit.
You do NOT have to be a tax expert. We’ll share ready-to-use resources to help you provide information to families and connect them to tax preparation assistance, as well as discuss common concerns and questions around the CTC and things such as immigration status, public benefits impact, and much more! The webinar and accompanying multilingual resources are designed to help you easily integrate CTC outreach to families in your existing programs and communications.
Join the National Head Start Association, the Coalition on Human Needs and the Partnership for America’s Children for this training to learn more!
Speakers: Child Tax Credit Outreach Coordinators from the Coalition on Human Needs
Julia Beebe
Julia joined CHN to help launch its new Child Tax Credit outreach project, a collaborative effort with the Partnership for America’s Children. She has more than a decade of experience as a community organizer. Prior to joining CHN, she worked as Lead Organizer for the Matahari Women Workers’ Center, an affiliate of the National Domestic Workers Alliance in Massachusetts, and as a community organizer for Valley Interfaith, an affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation in Texas. She has a Master of Public Policy from Tufts University.

Aline S. da Fonseca, MSW
Aline joined the Coalition on Human Needs (CHN) at the end of 2021 and has helped to launch the CTC Outreach project run collaboratively by CHN and the Partnership for America’s Children. Prior to joining the CHN staff, Aline worked in East Harlem, NY for over 7 years helping public housing residents first as a health counselor and then as Program Director of East Harlem Aging Services with the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center. Aline is committed to work that centers the voices and needs of low income, vulnerable, and marginalized communities, and addresses their most pressing concerns.”

Webinar: Preventing Picky Eating from First Bites
2022-07-07 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Dr. Nimali Fernando will discuss feeding development is key in raising a healthy, happy eater. When parents and teachers understand how to proactively foster good feeding development they may be helping to prevent some of the common ways that kids can become picky eaters later. Dr. Fernando will share some of the free resources that help families and teachers overcome the barriers to eating well, and will how family meals shared in parallel with infants can help foster good feeding and provide a foundation of healthy eating habits.
Speaker: Nimali Fernando, MD, MPH
Dr. Nimali Fernando (aka “Dr. Yum“) is a pediatrician practicing in Fredericksburg, VA, and a founder of the website doctoryum.org and The Dr. Yum Project. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and School of Public Health with an M.D. and Masters in Public Health. She completed residency and chief residency in Pediatrics at The University of Texas Health Sciences Center Houston and served there for two years as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. She is the owner of Yum Pediatrics, a full-service general pediatrics practice with a focus on wellness and prevention through a healthy diet. Yum Pediatrics shares a large teaching kitchen and teaching garden with The Dr. Yum Project. She is also co-author of, ”Raising a Healthy Happy Eater” and “Dr. Yum’s Preschool Food Adventure.” She is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is a proud mother of two boys and enjoys cooking with her family, running, and skiing.

Webinar: Overview of the Affordable Connectivity Program
2022-06-28 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Let’s Get Connected! The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband. Access to broadband can be used for work, school, healthcare and more. Please register to learn more about how this program can assist Head Start families.
The webinar will cover:

What Is The Benefit?
Who Is Eligible?
How Can Households Apply?

Speaker: Alma Hughes
Alma Hughes is a Consumer Education & Outreach Specialist in the Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division. In her present position, she provides outreach to numerous constituencies including K-12 and older adults, educating them on the importance of telecommunications programs as well as the rules and polices that have been implemented by the Commission.

Webinar: SNAP Eligibility Policy Discussion with Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
2022-06-27 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
An opportunity for the Head Start community to hear from the nation’s leading experts on SNAP policy, the Food Research and Action Center (www.frac.org), about how to maximize the inclusion of SNAP enrolled families through the newly-created Head Start categorical eligibility pathway.
The webinar will bust myths about SNAP and raise opportunities to reduce bureaucracy for eligible families (and programs), strengthen services and outreach to food insecure children and build effective state and local partnerships.

Webinar: Human Superpower to Overcome Trauma
2022-06-22 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Early childhood teachers, staff, infants, toddlers, and parents are all exposed to increasing stress and trauma in the environment. Learn about inborn “Human SuperPowers” to ease personal trauma, provide trauma-informed care to infants and toddlers, and share trauma-sensitive support for parents. Explore strategies that can help calm the traumatized brain and create ease for everyone involved in early childhood care settings.
Speaker: Dr. Darleen Wodzenski
Dr. Darleen Claire Wodzenski, MS ESE, MA CMHC, QPPE, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, is an author, speaker, and interventionist with Orchard Human Services, Inc. and Kinder Kollege Christian School. She is also an adjunct faculty member with Nova Southeastern University. A Nationally Board Certified Licensed Professional Counselor, Dr. Darleen provides direct clinical and developmental services to individuals and families with autism, neuro-atypicality, and disorders of attachment. She and her staff also serve children and adults with mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and neuroatypicality. Dr. Darleen delivers professional training, development, and consultative services for education and mental health professionals; provides special education advocacy; and is author of “Dead Children Can’t Read” and the “Marmalade Jam” therapeutic children’s book series. Dr. Darleen holds credentials in general and special education, is a qualified professional parent educator, and is a certified trainer for early learning and child care professionals.

Webinar: Snapping our fingers for SNAP
2022-06-16 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
In early May, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that children who qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are now considered eligible for Head Start.
This webinar is a special response that significant change in eligibility that will further Head Start’s ability to prioritize services to children and families who need it most.
You will have the opportunity to hear from 2 leaders in the field, Kathy Vega and Stacey South-Corner Director, as they share their early success in implementation of the SNAP eligibility.

Speakers:

Kathy Vega, Associate Executive Director at RCMA
Kathy Vega is the Associate Executive Director for RCMA in the state of Florida. She has been employed with RCMA for 33 years and was introduced to RCMA when she was a former migrant farmworker who enrolled her children in the program. Kathy has held different capacity roles, primarily in direct services at the center level, and in the last seven years has moved into the upper management level.

Stacey South-Corner Director, Admissions & Recruitment at CAP Tulsa
Stacey South-Corner serves as the Director of Admissions & Recruitment for CAP Tulsa, a community action agency located in Tulsa, OK. Stacey has been with CAP Tulsa for 13 years and began her journey as an Administrative Assistant with the Early Childhood Program. Soon after joining the agency, she was promoted to Manager of Enrollment Services. Her experience with Head Start ranges from overseeing ERSEA, PIR, Policy Council, Quality Assurance, and the agency’s Interpretation & Translation team.

Wipfli Webinar: Exploring the Future of ERSEA (Part 2)
2022-06-15 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Curious about what Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance (ERSEA) will look like in 2022? Join NHSA and Wipfli for an online, two-day training series to explore current best practices, challenges, and solutions regarding the future of ERSEA in Head Start. We will review regulation requirements and discuss how you can improve ERSEA implementation in your program.

Webinar: COVID Impact on Infants and Toddlers
2022-06-15 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
An up-to-date medical review of the impact COVID-19 has had on infants, toddlers, and their families, including physical, mental, and developmental. We will also discuss vaccines, masking, and community resources to protect pregnant women, infants, and toddlers from the pandemic. There will be a brief presentation with plenty of time for questions.
Speakers: Dr. Danette Glassy and Dr. Hilda Loria
Dr. Danette Swanson Glassy is a primary care pediatrician and child advocate. Retired after 32 years from Mercer Island Pediatrics as a primary care pediatrician, she now concentrates her professional time with non-profit, child advocacy work locally and nationally, and is clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington. Dr. Glassy’s child advocacy work has been focused on the promotion of quality early education for all children and access to nature. She is the co-chair of the executive committee for “Caring for our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs, 3rd and 4th editions,” and is the editor of “PedFACTs: Pediatric First Aid for Caregivers and Teachers,” an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) publication.
Dr. Hilda Loria is an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. She practices as a board-certified general pediatrician and serves as the medical director of the Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence, an integrated, trauma-informed pediatric medical home for children in the child welfare system. Her clinical and advocacy work focus on the impact of childhood toxic stress on long-term health outcomes, with a special interest in the care of immigrant children and children involved with the child welfare system. Dr. Loria currently serves on the executive board of the Texas Pediatric Society and is the Texas Early Childhood Champion for the AAP Council on Early Childhood. She also serves as a community leader for the Office of Welcoming Communities and Immigrant Affairs of the City of Dallas. Dr. Loria completed medical school at Baylor College of Medicine, pediatrics residency at UT Health San Antonio, and Academic General Pediatrics fellowship at UT Southwestern. She aspires to leave a lasting impact in her community as a pediatrician, educator, and advocate for children.

Wipfli Webinar: Exploring the Future of ERSEA (Part 1)
2022-06-14 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)

Webinar: Pediatric Vaccine Success Stories from the Field
2022-06-13 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Hip, Hip, Hooray, We Are On Our Way to Under Five Year Old Vaccinations!
National Community Action Partnership (NCAP), National Head Start Association (NHSA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) are excited to prepare for approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for children six months to five years old:

CDC Vaccine Confidence and Demand Team: Learn vaccine confidence concepts and hear tips for building vaccine confidence in parents, caregivers and your community
Success Stories from the Field: Learn from sites that have been successful in promoting or partnering to provide pediatric vaccinations
Questions and Answers: Ask your burning questions! All presenters will be available to respond to questions following the presentations

Federal Funding for Child Care: A National Webinar for Home-Based Child Care Educators
2022-06-08 20:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
For the past year advocates have urged Congress to make a massive new investment to improve access to child care and compensation for child care educators. When Build Back Better stalled in December, the path forward became unclear. Now Senators Patty Murray (WA) and Tim Kaine (VA) have a new proposal to increase funding for child care, pre-k and Head Start.
This webinar for licensed Family Child Care and license-exempt Family, Friend and Neighbor providers will discuss what’s in the new proposal, how it will benefit you, and how you can support it. The hour-long webinar will be in English with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish.

Families Unite for Head Start Teachers and Staff
2022-06-08 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
NHSA is hosting a live call-in event for Head Start parents and caregivers.
Who: All Head Start Parents and Caregivers (past, present, and future!)
What: Families Unite for Head Start Teachers and Staff
When: Wednesday, June 8, 2022 | 7:00 p.m ET / 4:00 p.m PT
Where: Zoom—Register here.
57 Years of Success are on the Line
This week, we are celebrating Head Start’s 57th birthday and the millions of lives changed over the last six decades. Children and families count on Head Start to provide the care and education they need to succeed in school and in life. At the center of this success are well-qualified teachers and staff. Register today for a live call-in event for Head Start parents and caregivers to learn more about how you can raise your voice to support them.
Why Should You Be Involved?
Elected officials in our nation’s capital are drawing up plans that stand to have a profound impact on all of early childhood education—and Head Start might be left out. This call is your chance to stand up for the Head Start teachers and staff that make a difference in your child’s life every day.
Register and join hundreds of other parents on this important call to raise your voice for Head Start teachers and staff.

Webinar: Neuro-Nurturing Everyday
2022-06-08 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
The human brain is an amazing organ that allows each of us to think, feel, act, and learn. Experiences in the early years have a critical impact on the way a brain develops and affects wellbeing in life. You have the wonderful opportunity to gain greater awareness combined with confidence in the way you contribute to optimal development. This insightful session provides you with an easy to understand and fun overview of your positive influence. You will be inspired by how much more you understand about the ways you significantly impact behavior and learning for the children you care about.
Speaker: Deborah McNelis, M.Ed.
Deborah McNelis, M.Ed is an author, speaker, and creator of Neuro-Nurturing®. As an early brain development specialist and founder of Brain Insights, she has developed the unique Neuro-Nurturing Interaction Packets and the digital Brain Basics Quick Start Guide. She has also published Transitions and Balanced Stimulation development packets in collaboration with Redleaf Press. She has been seen in publications, heard on radio interviews and webinars worldwide, and receives rave reviews for her engaging and insightful presentations and keynotes for communities, schools, organizations, and companies. Her enthusiasm is said to be contagious.

Webinar: The Future of Early Learning is Relational
2022-06-01 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
What matters most in learning is not IQ, not SAT scores, and not college. The greatest predictor of lifelong success is relationships (aka love), starting in the early years of life. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently elevated early relationships as a critical way to prevent toxic stress. This session will offer a fresh look at what it takes for children to flourish from the start. It will review the body of evidence on why relationships are foundational to learning and development. It will then explore the alarming trends in relationships around our little ones, including the latest studies on how COVID-19 has affected emotional connection between babies/moms, and how cognitive and social-emotional skills in babies born during the pandemic have been dropping. Lastly, it will discuss how to improve those concerns, and frame the circles of relationships around our little learners in the FTLM framework—Families, Teachers, Little friends, and Mentors/Community.
Speaker: Isabelle C. Hau
Over the past two decades Isabelle, impact education funder, has innovated at the intersection of education, philanthropy, and impact investing, to make high-quality learning accessible and joyful for all children starting at birth. She was a founding partner at Imaginable Futures, the education venture of The Omidyar Group. Prior, she led the U.S. education initiative at Omidyar Network. Her work has directly impacted millions of learners and families. She is currently authoring a book on the future of (early) learning. She also serves on the boards of Better World Ed, EDC, Sonen Capital, and Think Equal, and is advising multiple high-impact organizations. In November 2021, she was awarded the Inclusive Leader Award in Early Childhood Education by Global MindED. Isabelle was also honored as one of “100 inspiring women” as part of the 50th year anniversary of women at Harvard Business School. Another of her proud moments is a feature with Grover of Sesame Street on early childhood innovation.

How to Respond to Uvalde: Trauma and Young Children with Ellen Galinsky
2022-05-26 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
The world can be a confusing, frightening place to young children. More than ever, the Head Start community needs accurate information and practical guidance for helping children and families through this difficult time. Join NHSA and Ellen Galinsky, author of Mind in the Making and Chief Science Officer of the Bezos Family Foundation, for a discussion about trauma and young children. We will discuss:

What trauma is, what causes it, and its potential effects on the brain and learning
How children and families might be thinking and feeling?
Why your relationships with children and families are critical to promoting healing
How to care for your own wellbeing

We mourn deeply for Uvalde, which has heartbreakingly been added to the list alongside Buffalo, Parkland, Newtown, and far too many other tragedies. It is our profound hope the outpouring of outrage and support brings both strength to the survivors and desperately needed change to our country.
