Parent Engagement
Exploring Head Start’s Updated Nutrition Guidance
Healthy eating is a big part of helping kids grow, learn, and thrive—and Head Start has always made nutrition a priority. A recent Information Memorandum (IM) from the Office of Head Start gives programs a boost in that direction, reminding everyone what’s already working well and offering fresh ideas to build on that strong foundation.…
Initiative Encourages Men to ‘Vote like a DAD’
Election Day is November 5, 2024. For more information on voting, visit vote.gov. In a recent op-ed published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, author Kenneth Braswell argues that there’s one aspect of being an active and engaged father that is often overlooked, and that’s civic engagement. Braswell is the CEO of Fathers Incorporated, a non-profit…
Summer Activities for Preschoolers
There are plenty of fun and engaging activities for preschoolers to enjoy during the summer. Here are a few activities you can share with parents to help them not only keep their preschoolers entertained, but also encourage their creativity, physical activity, and appreciation for nature. Do you have some more ideas? Leave them in the…
Screen Time and Young Children: A Guide for Head Start Educators
It’s three weeks into the new year. Time for a reality check. How are you doing on your new year’s resolutions? Did you resolve to lose weight, save money, or exercise more? Those three have long topped surveys of Americans that make resolutions. However, there’s one growing resolution that is a distinctly more modern problem:…
Kickstart your Head Start Program’s Diversity Initiatives with Dual Training in Multicultural Principles and DEI&B
At The Gravely Group, we believe that the Multicultural Principles for Early Childhood Leaders and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEI&B) are two sides of the same coin, ying and yang, night and day. They just go together, like Thelma and Louise or peanut butter and pickles (no, seriously, it’s a thing). Some of the…
Head Start’s Commitment to School Readiness
It’s that time of year again. Like baby birds leaving the nest, approximately 320,000 Head Start preschoolers will fly away to start the next chapter in their young lives. As Head Start teachers and administrators, we can’t help but ask, “Are they ready?” “Did we do everything we could to prepare them?” “Is the school…
What are the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Requirements for Head Start Programs?
In a recent blog this past January, we posed the question: What’s the big deal about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) in Head Start programs? While you have likely heard about DEIB before, you might think that it’s only something done by corporations with sprawling HR departments or government agencies in large marble buildings.…
The Gravely Group 2022 Year in Review
If you only read one of The Gravely Group’s blogs each year, our annual Year in Review should be it. Each year, we do a recap of all the articles we put out throughout the year, as well as give a few other highlights from our trainings and travels. After nearly three years of uncertainty,…
Helping Families to Support Positive Behaviors
Every month, we receive an email from the Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center (ECLKC) that includes recent announcements from the Office of Head Start, as well as information on any resources that have been recently posted or updated in the knowledge center. If you don’t receive ECKLC’s emails, we highly recommend signing up. The…
Back to Basics: Nutrition in Head Start
In Columbus, Ohio, where The Gravely Group is located, the city council voted last week to remove the city-wide mask mandate. Columbus Public School District, Ohio’s largest, did the same, removing any mask requirements for both children and staff. Experts are stating publicly that this might be the beginning of the end of the pandemic,…