NHSA

In October, 2011 the National Head Start Association premiered the “One Window of Opportunity” animation, sparking a discussion about how Head Start itself is a window of opportunity for children and families–and how critical it is to keep that window open in a time of growing poverty and need. As part of the Keep the Window Open campaign, Head Start parents, alumni, staff, volunteers and citizens have been invited to share their stories.

In October, 2011 the National Head Start Association premiered the “One Window of Opportunity” animation, sparking a discussion about how Head Start itself is a window of opportunity for children and families–and how critical it is to keep that window open in a time of growing poverty and need. As part of the Keep the Window Open campaign, Head Start parents, alumni, staff, volunteers and citizens have been invited to share their stories.

Head Start – here’s my experience! It works, one child, one family at a time, each and every day.

I too, like Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, would like to thank all of the wonderful staff working in and on behalf of every Head Start and Early Head Start program across the world, from the bus driver to the director to Senators and community leaders and everyone in between. And yes, I mean world because I know that this program or various aspects of this model, are being used globally in early child care and education settings (thanks World Forum Foundation). Can you believe it?!?! I decided to tell you my story because it shows how “HEAD START WORKS!!!!”

Since I joined the National Head Start Association in 2009 I have been astonished by the breadth of voices – both within and outside the Head Start community – sharing stories, opinions, and ideas about how early childhood education can be the window of opportunity for a lifetime of success for every child. These diverse, powerful, and provocative voices need a space where they can be collected, shared and discussed. That’s why I decided to launch this blog.

This month we honor Marissa Marquez, a committed community advocate and Assistant City Attorney with the Houston Legal Department's Office of the Inspector General. Before working with the City of Houston, Marissa was Deputy Senior Legal Counsel to Hope Andrade, the Commissioner Representing Employers at the Texas Workforce Commission in Austin. She was the first Latina attorney to work for the Office of the Commissioner Representing Employers.

On June 4th, NHSA hosted the first of six webinars in the Summer Reauthorization Webinar Series. The goal of these webinars is to dig deeper into some of the tough questions facing Head Start where there are clear challenges, but no clear solutions. 

In case you missed the news last week, be sure to catch up with a few articles collected by NHSA.  1. Where Parents Train While Their Kids Learn Via the National Journal   "I first took him out of curiosity," said Gutierrez, 38, a native of Mexico City. "But now I not only know better how the school works, but it's helped me grow as a parent, and now I can go further and prepare myself for a better job."  

NHSA is excited to be launching an important new Head Start Parent, Family and Community Engagement Study! This study, led by NORC at the University of Chicago with guidance from the National Head Start Association and Region V Head Start Association, will inform our national understanding of parent engagement and create a tool to help local programs collect better information from parents about their experiences.