News You Can Use Week of November 9 2012
 | ||
|
Head Start Post-Election Assessment and Lame Duck Congress Strategy Call NHSA congratulates President Obama on winning re-election!While he will have four more years to move this nation forward, with the 113th Congress divided and fiscal issues and a stagnant economy looming, we have critical work to do to ensure each and every elected official understands the effectiveness of Head Start and Early Head Start. During these next few days, make an effort to congratulate officials who won re-election and welcome those who will be new to Washington, your state capitol or city council in January. On Tuesday, November 13th at 3:30 PM EST join NHSA for a post-election assessment call and preliminary appraisal of what to expect during the lame duck session of Congress. At this time, we'll pose suggested actions for the weeks leading to the Winter Leadership Institute in January in preparation for Head Start’s first contact with the 113th Congress. Together, we educated the 112th Congress about the local impact of Head Start and prevented the funding reductions proposed in HR 1 (Full-Year Continuing Appropriations, 2011). Let's do it again! To join the call dial (805) 399-1000 and enter code 417237.
NHSA Disaster Relief Fund for Victims of Hurricane Sandy Word is coming in slowly from places like Far Rockaway, New York (pictured, Community Parents, Inc. Head Start), and Atlantic City, New Jersey. The devastation is unimaginable and has affected Head Start programs, their families, children and staff along the East Coast. Despite this tragedy, NHSA hopes to help. We have a disaster relief fund that can provide assistance to programs affected by Hurricane Sandy. If your program was impacted, or if you know of a program affected by the storm, please go here to apply for assistance. If your program was not affected, please make a donation to the NHSA disaster relief fund today. Every dollar donated to the fund will go directly to Head Start and Early Head Start programs, staff, and families devastated by the hurricane. Given the extent of the destruction, we will surely empty the fund quickly, so your help is badly needed now. Office of Head Start Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Resources The Office of Head Start has compiled information and tools Head Start programs and parents will need to support children and families in neighborhoods disrupted by Hurricane Sandy. Head Start programs play a critical role in providing stability, safety, nurturing, and access to resources. OHS has released two Information Memoranda concerning disaster relief: ACF-IM-HS-12-06 and ACF-IM-HS-12-07 They provide additional information on the Office of Head Start's recovery efforts. Coming Up on November 14th: Monitoring of Governance and Management Systems, (New for the FY 2013 Protocol) from 3-5 pm EST. A Head Start Legal Advisory Service Webinar Ready your program for monitoring reviews. Attend the Head Start Legal Advisory Service’s upcoming webinar on Monitoring of Governance and Management Systems, led by Zoë Beckerman of Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP, to learn about this year’s key indicators for on-site monitoring reviews and pitfalls to avoid on Wednesday, November 14th from 3-5 pm EST. The monitoring review process is now linked to recompetition, so be sure to sign up for this webinar! At the end of this webinar, you will be able to:
Please note this webinar only covers governance and management systems questions. Please see our other Monitoring webinars for other key parts of the Monitoring Protocol. Who Should Attend: Executive Directors, Head Start Directors, CFOs and Fiscal Staff, but all are welcome to attend. Coming Up on Wednesday, November 28th: Fiscal Monitoring (New for the FY 2013 Protocol) from 3-5 pm EST. A Head Start Legal Advisory Service Webinar The fiscal monitoring section looks different than before. Attend the Head Start Legal Advisory Service’s upcoming webinar on Fiscal Monitoring, led by Ted Waters of Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP, to learn about this year’s key indicators for on-site monitoring reviews and pitfalls to avoid on Wednesday, November 28th from 3-5 pm EST. The monitoring review process is now linked to recompetition, so be sure to sign up for this webinar! At the end of this webinar, you will be able to:
Please note this webinar only covers fiscal questions. Please see our other Monitoring webinars for other key parts of the Monitoring Protocol. Who Should Attend: Executive Directors, Head Start Directors, CFOs and Fiscal Staff, but all are welcome to attend. The Head Start Legal Advisory Service is a collaboration between the law firm of Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP and the National Head Start Association. Click here for the full schedule of Head Start Legal Advisory Service webinars, to learn about our new reduced pricing, and to register for either or both webinars. NHSA Academy Basic Family Services Credential Designed specifically for Head Start family service providers, the Academy Basic Family Services Credential program is a distance education, self-study course that offers an opportunity for family services staff to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in 12 competency areas based on the Head Start Program Performance Standards. Family service workers and coordinators will reflect on their professional practice and gain insight into the ways Head Start services can be enhanced. Additionally, Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be offered to candidates who successfully complete the credential. Candidates can work at their own pace and are given a full six months to complete the course. There are no registration timelines; this means registration is open year-round! For more information visit the NHSA Academy page or contact Carleen Kinlock at cwallingtonkinlock@nhsa.org or 703-299-7513. Family Services Institute This engaging day-and-a-half Family Services Institute (FSI) will be held during the 29th Annual Head Start Parent Conference and Family Engagement Institutes on December 3rd & 4th, 2012. Presented by the Office of Head Start’s National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement, FSI will offer three three-hour interactive, relationship-based workshops on a variety of topics, including:
 Register Today! Introducing the NHSA/CapLaw Webinar Series CAPLAW (Community Action Program Legal Services, Inc.) has partnered with NHSA to deliver timely training and resources on a wide variety of legal, governance and management topics of importance to NHSA members. (CAPLAW is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to providing the legal, governance and management resources necessary to sustain and strengthen the national Community Action Agency network.) Perfecting the Roles and Responsibilities of a Head Start Board December 13, 2012, 2 – 3 p.m. Eastern Time An engaged and active governing body is essential to ensuring a high performing, legally compliant Head Start program. In this session we will review the statutory responsibilities of a Head Start board as they relate to the board’s role in overseeing the Head Start program and managing the risks associated with it. We will also briefly discuss the conflict of interest requirements applicable to Head Start boards along with the policies and procedures boards should have in place to ensure legal compliance. For more information, click here. To register, login to NHSA's member-only site here. The Webinar is free for members! Mark your calendars for these upcoming NHSA/CAPLAW Webinars:
Procurement Fundamentals
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s safety rules for your baby’s sleep environment
| ||
|
|
Bare is Best for your baby’s sleep environment! With any crib, bassinet or play yard, you can follow a few simple rules from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to keep your child sleeping safely. For additional resources on Safe Sleep visit CPSC’s Crib Information Center at