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Quality Initiative

The NHSA Quality Initiative: Head Start Performance Excellence and Quality Recognition Program

Driven by NHSA’s mission to coalesce, inspire, and support the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education, the Quality Initiative is the premier program recognizing and supporting excellence and outstanding performance of Head Start and Early Head Start programs across the nation. The Quality Initiative is more than a one-time award. The QI designations Program of Achievement and Program of Excellence are earned only by programs that consistently demonstrate excellence in program management and service performance, and that continually support the achievement of robust outcomes for at-risk children birth to five years old, pregnant women, families, and their communities.

What the Quality Initiative Offers Participants

Participants in our program are the standard-bearers for early childhood education in the United States; they consistently exemplify best practices and develop innovative techniques for addressing vital issues in Head Start and Early Head Start. Among the many benefits of participation in NHSA’s Quality Initiative, designation as a Program of Achievement or a Program of Excellence entitles a program to:

A thorough organizational evaluation, executed by NHSA, enabling staff to identify strengths and weaknesses of existing programs and processes.

Use of the NHSA QI logo, a nationally recognized symbol of distinction in Head Start/ Early Head Start programming.

Access to NHSA marketing and promotional services, including acknowledgement on the NHSA website and conference programs.

Entrance into a community of some of the best and most innovative educational programs and professionals across the country. NHSA’s Quality Initiative provides a forum for leaders in the Head Start and Early Head Start field to share their ideas and accomplishments.

Past participants have also reported increased media attention and funding as a result of their participation in NHSA’s Quality Initiative.

Testimonial

"Outside of its legislative activity, supporting and actively promoting the Quality Initiative is the single most important thing NHSA can do for Head Start programs to support the mission of Head Start."

- Parents in Community Action, Inc.

Minneapolis, MN

Pathway to Excellence

Applicants apply for status as a Program of Achievement on the Provisional or Sustaining Level or as a Program of Excellence, a classification reserved for only the top performers and leaders in the Head Start and Early Head Start field. Provisional status is available to programs that require additional time to reach the standards required for designation at the Sustaining Level.