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I’m always surprised at the breadth and depth of information available at the Office of Head Start’s (OHS) Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center (ECKLC). If you have a question or a problem, chances are there’s a document or resource available that can help. I came across one such document in an email from ECKLC…

“Father engagement is not a stand-alone program initiative, but a vital and integrated aspect of parent, family, and community work.” – Birth to 5 Father Engagement Guide Like most things in life that are worth the effort, engaging fathers takes work. Sometimes, it takes a lot of work. However, family engagement is one of the…

Summer is the time for planning. And after the confusion and societal upheaval of the last year, this upcoming school year is going to take more planning than usual. The Office of Head Start (OHS) recently released a program instruction outlining their enrollment expectations for the upcoming school year. In short, it states that designees…

Way back in 2013, we wrote a blog called “How to Hire a Head Start Consultant.” In it, we outlined some of the major reasons your program might consider hiring an outside consultant, including filling gaps in expertise amongst your staff, as well as the benefit of an outsider without preconceived notions that can help…

As of the writing of this blog, approximately 44% of Americans 18 and over have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with one of the three approved vaccines, with an additional 20% say they plan on getting it soon. So what about the other 30-40%? For the past few weeks, vaccine rates have been slowing down.…

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) was signed into law early last month by President Joe Biden, and will provide direct support and greater access to benefits for children and families struggling financially during the pandemic. Out of the $1.9 trillion passed through legislation, $1 billion will go to Head Start and Early Head Start programs…

By Lauren Guilmartin, Director of Early Learning, Music Together WorldwideAnd Anne Sailer, Teacher Trainer, Music Together Worldwide The following article was provided by Music Together Worldwide. Music Together is an early childhood music and movement program for children from birth through age eight – and the grownups who love them! First offered in 1987, their…

Whether we like it or not, some parents will always consider Head Start free babysitting. We can educate parents on the history of Head Start, talk about its focus on the whole child, and espouse its many other benefits. But no matter what, there will always be some parents who are just looking for an…

The following article has been reposted with permission from The Fatherhood Project, a non-profit fatherhood program in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA. Their mission is to improve the health and well-being of children by empowering fathers to be active, informed and emotionally engaged with their children and families. Research…

The Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Resilience Center is a program under the umbrella of the Atlantic Council, a international affairs think tank. The program focuses on issues of climate change, migration and security. In December, it published an article titled “Migration Matters: Serving Essential Farmworkers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” They write that migrant farmworker communities across the…