National Head Start Association

NHSA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE AND CALL TO ACTION

Week of October 16, 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

Yvette Sanchez-Fuentes Appointed as New Director of the Office of Head Start

NHSA is delighted that Yvette Sanchez-Fuentes has been appointed as the new Director of the Office of Head Start at HHS. Yvette Sanchez-Fuentes has served as the Executive Director of the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association as well as an Early Childhood Development Consultant for the Education Development Center, Inc., Washington DC International Education Systems Division. NHSA congratulates Yvette and we look forward to a wonderful working relationship with her and the Office of Head Start on important Head Start issues. For more information and a full press release, please go to: http://www.nhsa.org/news_release_1022009

NHSA UPDATE

NHSA Meetings with Administration Leadership

Last week, leadership of NHSA met with Heather Higginbottom, Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, who affirmed that Early Head Start/Head Start and child care are among President Obama's strong priorities.  In coalition, NHSA leadership also met with HHS Secretary Sebelius last week. While both meetings confirmed that upcoming FY budgets will be tight, NHSA and other Head Start advocates will continue to work hard to ensure that children and families living in poverty will continue to be served by our programs.

October is Head Start Awareness Month

Twenty-seven years ago on October 22, 1982, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October as Head Start Awareness Month. His inspiring words help to remind us to celebrate the commitment provided by of parents, volunteers, Head Start staff, and the community which, "have been instrumental in creating a quality program that truly provides young children with a "head start" in life." To read more about different ways to celebrate and additional resources, please visit: http://www.nhsa.org/Head_Start_Awareness_Month

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

Save the date and register today: the 26^th 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: http://www.nhsa.org/?e=events.detail&event_id=39

Head Start 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 of Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP who leads the Head Start Legal Advisory Service 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.

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/.

Head Start Legal Advisory Service Webinar: Head Start Monitoring Part 2-- Program Design and Management from a Lawyer's Perspective

Continuing our look at Head Start Monitoring, Ted Waters will turn his focus to key elements of the Program Design and Management section of the OHS Monitoring Protocol. He will review actual questions in the new tool and provide tips. Executive Directors and your Management Teams are invited to join this webinar on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 3 pm eastern time, to:

• Review actual questions in the new tool and what OHS is looking for;
• Provide ideas about documentation to "prove up" your compliance; and
• Work through specific approaches to some sample problems.

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

Focus Group Invitation

We need your advice!  If you plan to attend the upcoming NAEYC conference in DC and are available at 12:00 PM on Thursday November 19^th, 2009, for a lunch and focus group-type conversation on a new idea we have for a NHSA membership benefit, please let Tommy Sheridan (tsheridan@nhsa.org) know ASAP.     Tommy will be able to provide you with more specific details.    Thank you in advance for your participation!

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

FY 2010 Appropriations

We stand in the same position regarding FY 2010 Appropriations that we did a couple of weeks ago. As you may recall, the House 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.
• Continuing Head Start and Early Head Start expansion funding in FY 2011 is critical to communities across America. In the current economic environment, many more children and families need Head Start and Early Head Start services than in years past. The number of children under age 6 living in poverty has grown by over one million since 2001.   Let's ensure that we can serve as many of these children as possible helping them to be healthy and ready for school.
• 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. 

ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

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.