Government Affairs Update - Week of September 3
Date Posted: 09/04/2010
Dear Friends,
As many Head Start and Early Head Start programs across the country gear up for another successful school year, we at NHSA are hard at work in Washington, DC preparing for all the exciting events and efforts we have in store for you this Fall. With Senators and Representatives in their home districts until September 14th, our Nation’s Capitol has very little Congressional and Administrative news to report to you this week. Nevertheless, we want to send you a quick and easy, but EXTREMELY IMPORTANT Call to Action, a brief update on our Dollar Per Child Campaign, and highlights about our upcoming September Leadership Institute.
Once our federal lawmakers return to Capitol Hill, we will resume our usual, full-length Government Affairs Update. In the meantime, we want to wish those returning to the classroom a great start for what we are sure will be a healthy, happy, and enriching school year!
Call to Action: WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!
As you all know, the Head Start community is facing a tough road to the FY 2011 appropriation, specifically about the inclusion of funds to replace ARRA expansion funds. These funds are needed to prevent cuts to staff and the denial of Head Start and Early Head Start services to more than 60,000 children and their families. We simply can’t leave any stone unturned or miss any opportunity in this effort.
To this end, NHSA, in partnership with State Head Start Associations, is creating fact sheets that describe the impacts of the expansion funds across the country. The data we have been collecting are good; however, we need additional persuasive information to aid our collective advocacy efforts.
This is where you come in. In fact sheets about each state, we want to include a Head Start success story, something that you were able to do specifically because of the ARRA expansion funds. These stories could include a parent who became employed after their child was able to enroll in Head Start or a staff member who otherwise would not have a job or the astounding growth of a particular child. All of these stories will strongly add to our existing data.
Please forward any story you have to your State Head Start Association Director and/or to Tommy Sheridan at NHSA (tsheridan@nhsa.org). Thank you!!!
UPDATE: Dollar Per Child Campaign
First and foremost, a big thank you to everyone who made last year’s Dollar per Child campaign a success, with contributions totaling over $269,000. Thanks to your efforts, NHSA has been able to make a significant investment into advocacy work specifically fighting for the FY 2011 appropriation. Thank you again!
The DPC campaign for the 2010-2011fiscal year has already begun to receive contributions from across the country. Thank you to the Nebraska Head Start Association and the attendees at the 20th Northwest Indian Head Start Coalition Conference for their generous donations and early work kick-starting this year’s campaign.
For information on NHSA’s Dollar Per Child (DPC) Campaign including how to get involved with it, click here.
Leadership Institute
With a theme of "Mission Possible: Accessing Opportunities on Head Start's Horizon" the NHSA Leadership Institute is fast approaching! Join us on September 20-23, 2010 at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC to learn about and discuss hot Head Start topics, such as program quality, accountability, appropriations, immigration, and parent engagement amongst many other pressing and important topics. And if that isn’t enough to entice you, we will be hosting Enhanced Hill Visits to strongly push Head Start’s appropriation in FY 2011.
As part of the Leadership Institute, we invite you to join us for a breakfast on the Hill honoring the tremendous careers of Senator Christopher J. Dodd and Senator George V. Voinovich by presenting each of them with the Lady Bird Johnson Head Start Hero’s Award. Both Senator Dodd and Senator Voinovich are retiring from the Senate this winter after years of incredible support for Head Start and early childhood education. You will not want to miss this breakfast!
In addition, you will have an opportunity to attend the Head Start 45th Anniversary Celebration the evening of September 22. This celebration will be a wonderful event honoring Head Start pioneers, parents, staff and alumni. We hope to see you there!
This year's Institute is sponsored by Ashford University.
To register for the Leadership Institute and/or the 45th Anniversary Celebration, please click here.
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© National Head Start Association, 2010. All rights reserved.
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