Thu, 04/19/2018
by Yasmina Vinci, Executive Director, NHSA Enrollment in state-funded preschool programs has more than doubled in the past 15 years, but an annual report released today by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) reveals that one of the defining aspects of Head Start — high-quality standards — is missing from many state-funded preschool programs. What’s more, many of those that are succeeding are doing so in part because of their strong collaboration with Head Start programs and/or because they have aligned their standards with the Head Start Program Performance Standards. Read between the lines and the message is clear: Head Start is leading the way in demonstrating how to provide consistently high-quality pre-K that improves outcomes for children in kindergarten and beyond. 2017 - National Institute for Early Education Research The State of Preschool 2017 annual report, based on 2016-17 academic year data, finds states heeding the demand for…nieer.org A Sought-After Partner Even though Head Start is fundamentally a federal-to-local program in terms of funding, state leaders have sought to partner with Head Start programs within their states in order to increase both the quality of their preschool initiatives and the number of three- and four-year old children they can reach. In fact, one of the states highlighted...Categories: General, Our Voice Tags: head start, National Head Start, NHSA, Pre-K, Quality
Tue, 10/31/2017
We are fortunate to have many small minority enterprises in Silicon Valley, enriching our downtowns and neighborhood business districts. These small businesses employ thousands of workers—many at lower wages. Programs such as Social Security and Medicare benefit these small businesses: Helping families to stay healthy allows mom-and-pop to tend shop, keep their businesses thriving and provide a livelihood for others. Read more at the San Jose Mercury News Continue ReadingCategories: General
Mon, 10/23/2017
A heads-up for the community: Head Start helps keep kids, parents healthy article was published on Saturday, October 21, 2017 in the Bakersfield Californian. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE Continue ReadingCategories: General Tags: Bakersfield, Community, head start, Health
Wed, 09/27/2017
Head Start boosts the economy as well as kids Head Start boosts the economy as well as kids. Recently published in the Sacramento Bee (9.26.17). Sacramento's Greater Economic Council president and CEO and Region 9 Head Start Association executive director offer a compelling points about the critical role Head Start plays in the local economy - assisting parents and employers. Click here to read the on-line version Continue ReadingCategories: General Tags: Employers, Parents, Sacramento
Fri, 09/8/2017
By Tameka Henry, Regional 9 Head Start Association Parliamentarian Wherever you are standing—you need to lead. That has been a guiding principle for me—especially from the time my now teenage daughter was enrolled in Head Start 10 years ago and as a young parent I realized the challenge of being the best parent I could be. As I grew into my own power as an adult, I discovered leadership begins at home—by being a good parent. The first and most important job of any advocate is to lead your family—to teach and learn the skills of open and honest communication. From what I learned through Head Start, I helped my children to be problem solvers, innovators and cheerleaders of the peers. For me—as much as for them—I said to always speak truth and never let the power of others define your beliefs. But folks need to do more: The obvious opportunity is in your school or in your community. For me, that place was Head Start where my two daughters were enrolled. I realized that as a participant, I and my children were consumers of Head Start’s services—and to support them, to improve them—to preserve them, I needed to act. Region 9 Head Start Association’s Ed Condon recently said it well: “We are faced with the reality of not only having to be educators—but being cheerleaders as well to survive—to lead the charge.” I have learned not...Categories: General Tags: Action, Funding, head start, National Head Start
Wed, 09/6/2017
08/10/2017 02:06 pm ET Effective use of federal funding is imperative to meet the needs of America’s most vulnerable early learners. To ensure those precious public resources are efficiently spent, Congressional leaders regularly (and rightly) ask about potential fragmentation, overlap and duplication of the various federal programs providing early care and education. Last month, Congress’ oversight arm, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), examined these questions and reported back to lawmakers, revealing some very encouraging and promising findings. Although the report identified 44 federal programs that make funds available for early childhood needs, only nine of them have an explicit early learning or child care purpose. Of those nine, just two of them — Head Start and the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) — comprise about 90% of the $15 billion annual federal investment in early care and education. The other 10% includes more targeted populations (children with disabilities, parents in college) or have very specific purposes (welfare reform, nutritious meals). A large majority of the 44 funding sources that were identified do not even require that funds are spent on early childhood programs. So, is this federal investment fragmented? Yes, the report says it is fragmented, meaning multiple government...Categories: General Tags: National Head Start
Mon, 08/7/2017
By Edward Condon Executive Director, Region 9 Head Start Association Like many Americans these days—and certainly among educators—the notion of good leadership presents itself regularly: Our national leaders—whose job it is to set policy and make choices for all of us—are casting a critical look at domestic spending, with cuts in mind for community programs like Head Start. Some in Washington, D.C. are now in favor of resurrecting a proposal to turn the Head Start program into a block grant for each state—thus threatening the structure of what makes Head Start successful—how it transforms children and parents’ lives through the emphasis on education, health and overall well-being. So right now with this threat on the horizon, Head Start in America needs more advocates—its own leaders and followers—to continue spreading the good word about the Head Start advantage. Current headlines notwithstanding, there is much to celebrate in our land—in particular that rising generation of young people...Categories: General Tags: advocate, call to action, followers, head start, head start advantage, leaders
Thu, 07/6/2017
Recently, National Head Start Association Chairman Damon Carson wrote a commentary for the Region 9 Head Start Association about a vivid documentary that detailed how Head Start formed the early lives of the leaders of the Girl Scouts of America, the Ford Foundation and the NAACP. What came zinging through their stories was how much as young people they cherished their Head Start experience and, later, the memories of that experience. We all know how impressionable children are. Early positive and fun experiences are relished for a lifetime. That’s why from all across the country, educators, doctors, lawyers, military personnel, artists, engineers, religious and civic leaders, and scientists—and even members of Congress—remember Head Start as the place where, at an early age, they acquired a life-long love of learning. So—if children remember their positive experiences, they will also remember the negative ones, as well. And that’s what I want to write about this month: The need to keep our Head Start classrooms joyful places to learn—and a subtlety that threatens this. New research from the Yale Child Study Center finds that when pre-school teachers expect disruptive behavior from children, they look at the child’s race. Basically, the research showed that the teachers in the study expect black boys to act worse in...Categories: General Tags: Implicit Bias, National Head Start, Research
Fri, 06/2/2017
A rocket scientist, the head of the NAACP and the leader of the Ford Foundation: These folks are all Head Start alumni and “stars” of a new 18-minute-long documentary that details the Head Start advantage—what happens when children from birth to age 5 are entered into a program that develops their language, motor and social skills, and does much more. The film introduces us to rocket scientist Sylvia Acevedo, who is now the interim CEO of the Girl Scouts of America; William Brooks, the president of the NAACP; and Darren Walker, CEO of the Ford Foundation. As the film program notes state, “Collectively, they paint a moving picture of Head Start’s enormous impact as an investment in our nation’s greatest resource: our children.” My own personal success springs from the same place—I entered a Head Start program in 1974, and I share the same wonderful story that Acevedo, Brooks and Walker tell. Beyond these stories of success are hard facts: Research over...Categories: General
Thu, 04/27/2017
There’s a motto among sailors that when difficulty arises—especially such as a large storm—that until it’s decided what actions need taking, that you should “maintain course and speed.” That’s a pretty good way to view current events happening in our nation’s capital and how they affect Head Start programs. The storm brewing looks immense with headwinds and waves threatening to swamp us. But we have weathered these kinds of tempests before. More importantly, we all know the advantage that Head Start provides children and their parents—and that confidence should give us great reassurance for the future. Nevertheless, it pays to be vigilant and ready to act quickly: Knowledge is power, and so let’s review the current “sea state” of national politics—what is happening in Washington D.C. and how that translates into likely actions we can take. It’s obvious the new administration is pushing an agenda—to change everything that the former administration put in place. And the majority-led Republican Congress is, for the most part, not opposing the president. Topping the agenda is dismantling the Affordable Care Act, tax reform and new draconian measures to reduce immigration. Getting much less publicity is the push to change how Head Start funding is handled—to make it block grants to the states. (HR 1921, Head Start...Categories: General Tags: BLOCK GRANTS, National Head Start
All children, regardless of their circumstance at birth, deserve a full and prosperous life.
1225 8th Street, Suite 342
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-259-0971
headstartr9@region9hsa.org
Connect with a Region 9 State Association
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada
© Region 9 Head Start Association | All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy
Site Created by KC Web Specialists, LLC