National Head Start Association

Renowned Plenary Speaker at Fall Leadership Institute: Dr. Preston Green! As a #HeadStartAlum, Dr. Preston Green is the John and Maria Neag professor of urban education and professor of educational leadership and law at the University of Connecticut (UConn). ✨ He is a nationally recognized expert on legal issues related to charter schools, school vouchers, student rights, school desegregation, and school finance. ✨ We are so excited that he will share his research, experience & insights with us! ❤️ 💙 💜 https://lnkd.in/dKmQPgZX #HeadStartAdvantage #FLI24 #HeadStartAlum #HeadStart #ProfessionalDevelopment #Advocacy

It's Back-to-School Time! 🎉 Proven to boost young children's academic, social and emotional learning Early Head Start is an amazing option for children from birth to age 3, and for expecting parents! Learn more in this fun 30-second video and enroll today! Find your local Early Head Start and Head Start programs here: https://lnkd.in/g2p5JWuR #HeadStartWorks #earlyheadstart #earlyheadstartworks #headstart

Congrats to Head Start Alum Nathan Acuna, a first-generation college graduate, who just earned his Master's Degree from Cal State University Fullerton and will soon enroll to get his Doctorate! Head Start California California State University, Fullerton Region 9 Head Start Association #HeadStartWorks #headstart #earlyheadstart #preschool #daycare #classof2024 #EarlyChildhoodEducation #everychilddeservesaheadstart #ramonaheadstart #Congrats to Head #NLMUSDPreschoolProgram

Congratulations to Head Start alum Bianca Gonzalez on her graduation from Cal State University Los Angeles! She’s the first in her family to earn a college degree, making her achievement even more inspiring. #NLMUSDPreschool Head Start California California State University, Los Angeles Region 9 Head Start Association #HeadStartWorks #headstart #earlyheadstart #preschool #daycare #classof2024 #earlychildhoodeducation #everychilddeservesaheadstart #ramonaheadstart

Honored to speak at the closing session of the 9th Early Childhood Innovation Summit today with an amazing group of Head Start teachers, administrators and early childhood advocates. Also proud to have attended 8 out of the past 9 convenings, and be supporting children born in poverty learn and thrive starting from the early years. Head Start has always been one of the most innovative learning environments, striving for equity and excellence. This year, I spoke about the “five things early childhood educators should know about artificial intelligence.” This led to a highly generative (no punt intended) discussion with educators in the room on the multiple uses cases that are emerging to address the “invisible labor” burden, support children with novel assessments, engage parents, and drive personalized solutions for children with learning differences or non-native English speakers. My conclusion was that we need relational (human) intelligence beyond artificial intelligence at a time of greater social isolation for children and adults. Thank you to Malkia P., Yasmina Vinci , Tim Oppenheim , and Courtney Boland for the leadership and continued impact for children and families.

It was a surprise full-circle moment at the HeadStarter Network's Early Childhood Innovation Summit reconnecting with my first-ever boss in the field of education, Becca Patton! We met supporting preschoolers in the Pepperdine University Jumpstart program, so it is only fitting that the Early Childhood Innovation Summit reunited us this week! 🌈👶📚 Amazing that 15 years later we are both still working towards advancing educational equity for all children! I was delighted to be invited to talk with early childhood educators at #ECIS24 about Candle USC's research. We looked at how humans are incredibly adaptive as a species and our development is dependent on our social, emotional, cultural, physical, and biological contexts. 🧠 Therefore, pedagogy plays a powerful role in shaping how children develop through their engagement with academic ideas. 📚 Special thanks to everyone at HeadStarter Network and the National Head Start Association for organizing this innovative space for education folks to tackle the most pressing issues our country's young children are facing!

In every Head Start program, teachers and staff partner with parents, providing resources that help children build strong school and social skills for kindergarten and beyond. For example, at Greater Bergen Community Action's Head Start, wellness classes included a “Let’s Get Moving” interactive exercise, and a unit on respiratory health which featured a book reading about a young girl who explains her asthma condition (a condition affecting a growing number of children under age 5), and a hands-on classroom activity about managing asthma in partnership with their on-site health assistance program. And Head Start supports parents as well! As Neena, a Head Start Alum parent said, when her child was in Head Start, “…many ups and downs happened. I was about to leave my studies and my job, but I got support from my Head Start people.” Photo credits: Greater Bergen Community Action, Inc. The Children's Home Society of NJ #HeadStartWorks #headstart #earlyheadstart #preschool #earlychildhoodeducation New Jersey Head Start Association #region2headstart

Congrats to Julio Moreno who graduated with Honors from Gahr High School in Cerritos, California and was awarded 2 California State Seals for Biliteracy and Civic Engagement! (Head Start, from its inception 59 years ago, has been a national early childhood education model for dual language learners, so we are especially proud of Julio for his achievement in biliteracy!) He plans to continue his education at Whittier College. Felicidades, Julio! #NLMUSDPreschool Head Start California Gahr High School Region 9 Head Start Association #HeadStartWorks #headstart #earlyheadstart #preschool #daycare #classof2024 #earlychildhoodeducation #everychilddeservesaheadstart #ramonaheadstart

Congrats to Head Start Alum Jacob Hoke, who earned an associate degree of applied science in professional crafts-jewelry from Haywood Community College in Clyde, North Carolina. This field of study complements his first degree, in welding, from Wilkes Community College, also in North Carolina. Jacob's jewelry is on display in several shops and galleries throughout the state. His aspirations include opening a jewelry studio. @Head-Starts-of-Avery-County #region4headstart #HeadStartWorks #headstart #earlyheadstart #preschool #daycare #classof2024 #NorthCarolinaHeadStartAssociation #earlychildhoodeducation #everychilddeservesaheadstart

Congratulations to Head Start Alum Christopher Cooper, who graduated with honors from La Mirada High School in La Mirada, California. He plans to attend Long Beach City College in California, where he'll pursue the teacher preparation program. Long Beach City College Head Start California Region 9 Head Start Association #HeadStartWorks #headstart #earlyheadstart #Preschool #daycare #NLMUSDPreschoolProgram #earlychildhoodeducation #classof2024 #everychilddeservesaheadstart