News You Can Use Week Of October 28, 2011
NHSA At Work For You - Desired MOU Language included in ESEA
Last week, the Senate HELP committee approved a draft bill to amend and reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (currently known as No Child Left Behind). After a tense period of back and forth negotiations, this draft bill now includes a provision for which we fought that requires Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to enter into MOUs with Head Start agencies. As you know, the 2007 Head Start Act requires agencies to have signed MOUs with LEAs, but LEAs have not been required to comply. Not only will this make life easier for Head Start programs across the nation, but it will ultimately enable more meaningful collaborations between Head Start and the K-12 Public School system. It is unclear when this bill will be voted on by the full Senate. Read Yasmina Vinci's statement on the bill here.
Window of Opportunity Campaign Update
The Window of Opportunity Project is gathering video testimonials from Head Start alumni, families and staff answering the question "How has Head Start been a Window of Opportunity for me and/or my family?" The videos are on our YouTube page. If Head Start has been important in your life, post your own video! Find out how here. If you missed it, you can watch our Webinar to find out more about making your own videos.
Also, our petition asking the White House to continue support of Head Start is going strong! We have more than 1,000 signatures -- but we need 25,000 by 11/11/11! Please be sure to distribute the link to your friends, family and community -- Head Start needs their support, and yours.
At the NHSA Parent Conference in New Orleans - Rich Content for Directors, too
Given the imminent arrival of the redesignation regulation, NHSA, in a departure from usual practice, is organizing for the upcoming Parent Conference in December, a significant number of sessions for directors and senior managers. These will address redesignation and a number of other emergent issues, including - getting ready for recompetition, 360 reviews and others. The new National Resource Centers will also be offering Health and Family Engagement institutes during the conference. Zoe Beckerman and Ted Waters will be conducting pre-conference sessions on various legal matters, as well as sessions during the conference. And, of course, hearing T. Berry Brazelton is always a treat, as we open the conference in a very New Orleans-style celebration... Find out more and get registered here.
Get Parents Trained for Advocacy with Abriendo Puertas!
Abriendo Puertas is the nation's first evidence-based leadership and advocacy training program for Latino parents with children 0-5 years of age. The program was developed in Spanish and provides a linguistically and culturally relevant curriculum. The curriculum is centered on the cultural values, strengths, and experiences of Latino families and uses popular education and folk wisdom. This approach engages parents at a very personal level and results in transformative learning. Through a unique "train-the-trainer" program, Abriendo Puertas fully prepares local community leaders to become facilitators in delivering the program to parents in their neighborhood. With funding from an anonymous donor, NHSA is pleased to offer these important training opportunities at no cost at the Parent Conference. See details here.
Share your expertise with the Head Start and Early Head Start community!
The National Head Start Association is currently seeking engaging presentations for the upcoming 39th Annual Head Start Conference & Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee, April 16-21. We are seeking presentations in a wide variety of formats, offered as 90-minute workshops or 1- or 2-day Special Tracks. The annual conference targets senior management staff in all content areas, site managers, classroom and family service staff, policy council and governing body members, community collaborators, research, policy and allied partners who work to ensure all vulnerable children and families have what they need to succeed.
Click Here to submit a Presenter Application. Click here to find out more about the conference.
We look forward to seeing you in Nashville, Tennessee!
Part C Regulations Available
The early childhood special education community received welcome news last month that the U.S. Department of Education had finalized regulations for IDEA's Infant and Toddlers with Disabilities Program, known as Part C. To help early childhood practitioners in their monumental task of implementing the updated regulations, the Division for Early Childhood (DEC), the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), and the IDEA Infant Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA) have released a side-by-side comparison of the 2011 final Part C regulations to Part C regulations from 1999. View the comparison here.
YourCDA Makes Renewal More Convenient
The Council for Professional Recognition is pleased to announce that Candidates for the Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential can now apply online for their initial CDA or renewal. YourCDA, the Council's brand-new online application system allows Candidates to:
- Check their status at any time
- Pay online
- Have their Director and CDA Advisor submit statements electronically
- Receive email notifications and reminders about next steps
- See useful application tips
- Chat directly with Council staff
Here is what one recent Candidate had to say about her YourCDA renewal:
"I just want to say that this is the coolest and most efficient way for CDA candidates to handle their renewal process! I love this new set up. It is easy and so fun to keep up with the process of my CDA. Thanks." - Sandra Lattimore
Please visit www.cdacouncil.org/yourcda to learn more.
Advocacy & Engagement Shout Out: Campagna Center
On October 13th, the Campagna Center's Tiny Titans Head Start & Early Head Start program in Alexandria, VA welcomed to their First Day celebration Dr. Jacqueline Jones, Senior Advisor on Early Learning to the Secretary of Education. Community partners, board members, and parents were also in attendance for the event. Building relationships like these are critical, and we applaud the work of the Campagna staff!
Apply for the 2012-2013 National Head Start Fellowships Program
The Office of Head Start (OHS) is pleased to announce that applications for the 2012-2013 National Head Start Fellowships program are now being accepted. Information about the Fellowships and access to the online application are available on the Head Start Fellowships Program page of the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC). The deadline to submit applications is January 15, 2012. The 12-month Fellowships will commence September 1, 2012 and will end on August 31, 2013. Visit the ECLKC to learn more.
The National Survey of Early Care and Education
The National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) will be conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago between late October, 2011 and May, 2012. If you are selected for the NSECE sample, we urge you to participate. You may be contacted by email, mail, phone, or in-person. Your response is very important in ensuring accurate survey results. This study will provide the first comprehensive portrait of the availability of early care and education in our country in over 20 years. It is sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation within the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NHSA endorses the NSECE because it will provide a foundation in building state and federal knowledge of critical considerations families face in finding care and a source of accurate, timely data to inform policymaking.
Stay in Touch with the Department of Education!
The Department of Education (ED) has launched a new email service that will keep the public better informed about the work of the Department and Secretary Duncan. By visiting ed.gov/emailupdates, users can sign up for general news updates from ED, and can also subscribe to receive information regarding over 20 different education-related topics. In addition, users can also sign up to receive these updates from Secretary Duncan and ED by clicking on the red envelope on the right-hand side of the www.ed.gov homepage.
Upcoming Legal Advisory Service Trainings on HS Monitoring Reviews
Head Start monitoring results have major legal ramifications for your program. It's always been important to get things right, but with re-competition on the horizon, it's more important than ever. Check out these upcoming webinars:
(11/09/11) Fiscal Monitoring Reviews (New for the FY 2012 Protocol)
This webinar has a special focus on the Fiscal Management Monitoring section of the OHS Monitoring Review protocol. On it, we'll:
- Review actual fiscal management questions in the new tool;
- Discuss what reviewers might be looking for; and
- Provide ideas about documentation to "prove up" your compliance.
Please note: this webinar will cover only 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.
(11/16/11) Reviews on Governance & Management Systems (New for the FY 2012 Protocol)
This webinar covers what the lawyers have to say and includes a special focus on the governance and management systems sections of OHS Monitoring protocol. In this session, we'll:- Review actual governance and management systems questions in the new tool;
- Discuss what reviewers might be looking for; and
- Provide ideas about documentation to "prove up" your compliance.
Please note: this webinar covers only 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, and Management Team, but all are welcome.
Governance Boot Camp (2 webinar series; On-Demand)
Every Board and Policy Council meeting is chock full of work to be done - ranging from developing goals, to approving grant renewals and policies, to ensuring fiscal and programmatic oversight. Despite the time crunch, both bodies still need regular training. Because we kept hearing from programs across the country how hard it is to fit in governance training into busy Board and Policy Council schedules, we've designed our Governance Boot Camp just for you!This series is designed to ensure that you can provide cutting-edge governance training to both your Board and your Policy Council - in short segments that can fit into their regular meetings. Each of these two webinars is comprised of discrete, short topics of 20-30 minutes in duration. So you can show one segment at one Board or Policy Council meeting, and another segment at the next. The presentations are "on-demand" so that they can be watched at your Board or Policy Council's convenience. You can also use the same training segments for both your Board and your Policy Council -so you get multiple trainings for one low price. And, importantly, you'll have an extended time (6 months) to use each webinar, comprised of multiple segments.
Segments for Part 1: Governance Essentials
- Shared Governance
- Roles of Board and Policy Council
- General Responsibilities of Board and Policy Council
- Specific Responsibilities of Board and Policy Council
- Composition Requirements of Both Bodies
- How to Handle Potential Conflicts of Interest
- Board/Policy Council Self Evaluation
- Why it matters and how to do it
- Considerations for whether your Policy Council should do this as well
- How best to conduct Board or Policy council meetings;
- Including tips on process; and
- When and how to use Executive Sessions
- Best Practices for Meeting Minutes
- Creating an Annual Board or Policy Council Work Plan
The Head Start Legal Advisory Service, a collaboration between Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP and the National Head Start Association, has this topic, as well as other new offerings on topics designed with programs like yours in mind. To register or see the full list of this season's trainings, please go to: http://headstart.peachnewmedia.com/store/provider/provider09.php.