National Head Start Association

NHSA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE AND CALL TO ACTION

Week of October 2, 2009

Dear Friends:

Please read this email and share it with others in your network. It contains Administration News, an NHSA Update, a Legislative Update, and a Call to Action.

ADMINISTRATION NEWS

Carmen Nazario Confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced that the Senate unanimously confirmed Carmen Nazario as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families. In this role, she oversees the Administration for Children and Families ("ACF") within HHS. Prior to her recent confirmation, Carmen Nazario was an Assistant Professor at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, where she taught social policy and coordinated the Social Work Practicum at the School of Social Work. NHSA congratulates Assistant Secretary Nazario and we look forward to working with her on issues of importance to the Head Start community.

Stay tuned for Assistant Secretary Nazario's announcement for the Director of the Office of Head Start (this position does not need to undergo Senate confirmation), so we expect this to happen in the near future.

NHSA UPDATE

Mark Your Calendar for the 26th Annual Parent Training Conference!

Save the date and register today: the 26th Annual Parent Training Conference is December 4-8 in San Jose, California. Our Parent Training Conference is designed to help parents and those who work with or on behalf of parents and their children to advance their knowledge, skills, and abilities. This conference provides a valuable opportunity to gain a better understanding of developmentally appropriate practices, learn critical new skills, broaden awareness, and acquire resources that will enable participants to help Head Start children and their families reach new heights!

Click here to register now.

NHSA September 2009 Leadership Institute in Washington, DC an Overwhelming Success!

We would like to thank everyone who made the trip to our nation's capitol to participate in last week's NHSA Leadership Institute. We had record breaking attendance as hundreds of people attended! For those of you who were unable to join us, a few noteworthy items:

Joan Lombardi, Deputy Assistant Secretary and Inter-Departmental Liaison for Early Childhood Development, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, discussed several topics of importance to the Head Start community. Lombardi said that the Office of Head Start ("OHS") is poised to move forward on a variety of policy issues including revising the Head Start Program Performance Standards, reviewing the Head Start training and technical assistance system, and working on the re-designation of Head Start grantees. Lombardi also noted that the Head Start Impact Study final report will be released in late fall 2009. We look forward to continuing our relationship with OHS and are excited about future efforts to work together.

Cindy Mann, Director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations ("CMSO"), part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS"), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, also joined us. She noted interest in collaborating with the Head Start community and heard NHSA's request to include Head Start representatives on an Early and Periodic, Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment ("EPSDT") work group that she has formed. NHSA would like to thank Cindy Mann and all of our guests for joining us at last week's Leadership Institute!

Don't miss out on our next Leadership Institute on January 25-28, 2010 in Arlington, Virginia! For hotel information and soon to come registration information, visit http://www.nhsa.org/?e=events.detail&event_id=51

Legal Advisory Service Webinar: Head Start Governance

Governance in Head Start has always been very important to programmatic compliance. With the 2007 reauthorization of the Head Start Act, governing bodies have more requirements and additional information they need to know. Invite your Board and Policy Council members, as well as your senior staff, to join Ted Waters of Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP, who leads the Head Start Legal Advisory Service, on Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 3pm eastern time to learn:

• The unique roles and responsibilities of the Governing Board and Policy Council;
• How to handle Conflicts of Interest;
• Composition requirements; and 
• What you need to do for your program to be in compliance.

To learn about NHSA-member discount pricing for both this webinar and the one below and to sign up today, please go to http://www2.eventsvc.com/FTLF/fths/.

Legal Advisory Service Webinar: Head Start Monitoring

At least once every three years, Head Start programs undergo on-site monitoring. Before too long, the monitoring review process will be linked to re-competition. Don't let your senior staff miss out on the opportunity to learn the nuts and bolts of the monitoring process and some important tips to ensure your review goes smoothly! Join Ted Waters on Monday, October 19, 2009 at 3pm eastern time when he'll explain:

• The basics of the monitoring review process;
• The legal ramifications of timelines in the process; and
• Best practices and tips for ensuring your monitoring review goes smoothly.

Don't miss out! Please click on the link above to register.

Quality Rating Systems

During the past two years, most states have established, explored, or designed Quality Rating Systems ("QRS"), otherwise known as Quality Rating and Improvement Systems ("QRIS"). QRSs help policymakers and families evaluate the level of quality of early childhood programs within a state. Because of the high quality of Head Start programs, it is important for Head Start programs to be rated highly in a statewide QRS. NHSA is a member of the Advisory Board of the QRIS National Learning Network and will work on the national level. We also encourage the Head Start community within each state to become involved in the development and functioning of a QRS so that policymakers and parents know that Head Start programs are of high quality. To learn more about QRIS systems, we encourage you to join the QRIS National Learning Network by logging in at http://qrisnetwork.org/

Send Us Your Links

If you or your program receives a write-up or interview in local media outlets about your proposed or actual uses of ARRA funding, please let us know. Or, if you've had a great news story about something special your program is doing, let us know that too. Send your links to Gregg Porter at NHSA at gporter@nhsa.org. We'd like to post them to our website and help spread the word!

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Paul Kirk Receives Senate Appointment

Last week, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick appointed Paul Kirk, Jr., a former Democratic National Committee chairman and close friend of the late Senator Kennedy, to serve as a temporary replacement for the Kennedy seat until a special election is held in January, 2010. Without this seat, Senate Democrats would no longer have the 60 votes needed to prevent filibusters. A request to put a temporary hold on Kirk's swearing in was denied by a state court, and he was officially sworn in last Friday. President Obama praised the choice of Paul Kirk in a statement saying, "Paul Kirk is a distinguished leader whose long collaboration with Sen. Kennedy makes him an excellent interim choice to carry on his work until the voters make their choice in January." (see http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/60295-dems-reach-60-gop-cries-foul). We look forward to working with Senator Kirk.

Early Learning Challenge Fund Legislation

As you know, we've been keeping you posted on one of President Obama's educational priorities: to establish an Early Learning Challenge Grant program to provide funds to states to increase the quality of early learning efforts. On September 17, 2009 the House passed the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (H.R. 3221) which includes a section (Title IV) to authorize an Early Learning Challenge Fund ("ELCF"). The ELCF would provide $8 billion over 8 years in the form of competitive grants to states to build a comprehensive, high quality early learning system for children ages birth to five and would establish quality standards. The Senate is expected to introduce companion legislation very soon. NHSA supports the ELCF.

FY 2010 Appropriations

As we've mentioned in prior NHSA Legislative Updates, the House has already voted on the FY 2010 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill and while Senator Harkin's Appropriations Subcommittee has completed work on the Senate bill, the full Senate has not yet voted on the bill or many other appropriations bills. Because the Senate was not able to complete work on the appropriations bills in time for them to be reconciled with the House versions prior to the end of the fiscal year, to ensure federal funds keep flowing, both the House and Senate have passed a Continuing Resolution to continue funding at FY 2009 levels through October 31, 2009. For more information, please see http://appropriations.senate.gov/ or http://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app10.html and stay tuned!

CALL TO ACTION

Please call your Senators and Representatives and let them know the following:

• Thank you for your strong and continued support of Head Start and Early Head Start (collectively "Head Start"), the nation's premier early childhood education and care programs providing comprehensive school readiness, education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children ages birth to five and their families.
• Continuation of ARRA expansion funding for Head Start and Early Head Start will be important to their community. We don't want to let Head Start children and families fall off the ARRA funding cliff when the ARRA funds are finished!
• I also understand the need for Early Learning Challenge Fund legislation and I support it.

To contact your Senators and Representatives, call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or if you'd like to email them, go to: www.senate.gov and click on your Senator's website or www.house.gov and click on your Representative's website. On each website, there is a contact or feedback form which will allow you to email him/her directly.

DOLLAR PER CHILD

Thanks to all of you who donated to the Dollar per Child Campaign ("DPC") this year. All the work that NHSA did on the ARRA and is doing on other current legislative efforts is paid for by Dollar Per Child funds. With a difficult budget situation in the coming year, the struggle to maintain the gains of ARRA will arguably be even more arduous. That is why we need you to continue to support the Dollar Per Child Campaign and to get everyone in your program and your community to support DPC. Without a robust source of funds, NHSA can't lead the way in our advocacy efforts that benefit all Head Start programs. It is through these dollars that we can advocate for you and with you on your behalf. Don't wait!!! Please send your contributions, whatever amount you can afford, whether it is $1 per child, $5 per child, or $10 per child. You can even easily donate online on our new, improved website at: https://www.nhsa.org/get_involved/donate.

A special thank you to the parents of the NINOS Head Start in Brownsville, TX! 100% of them contributed to the Dollar Per Child. And thank you to all of the NINOS staff who demonstrated for us a rousing DPC cheer and who generously support the DPC campaign.

Dollar Per Child funds will ensure that NHSA can continue to lead the way in all of the future advocacy efforts coming up - from regulatory issues with the Office of Head Start, to additional fiscal year appropriations, to the next Head Start Act reauthorization, which is not far off. Remember, raise you hand! Use your words! Together we can make a difference.

Please know that NHSA continues to work for you and with you on your behalf on matters of importance to the Head Start community.

This Legislative E-Update has been sent to Head Start Directors, the NHSA Board, Head Start State and Regional Association Presidents, Executive Directors, and Parents. Please share it with others in your network.