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My hope is if there’s one silver lining from this pandemic, it’s that parents of young children will never take the work of early childhood education teachers and caregivers for granted ever again. This past Spring, as public school systems, private daycares, and Head Start programs began to shutter their doors to protect the health…

When reopening your building after a prolonged shutdown, whether it was due to a natural disaster or a reduction in operations because of the pandemic, you’ll want to consider a few things to ensure the health and safety of staff and students. In September, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released recommendations for businesses and…

Starting October 27, 2020, a new rule governing the Head Start Designation Renewal System (DRS) will go into effect. The Office of Head Start (OHS) states that the new rule will reduce the burden on high-performing grantees and focus on better identifying the lowest-performing grantees. The Designation Renewal System was first launched in late 2011,…

For women having their first pregnancy, their daily lives are full of questions and new experiences. How can I protect my health and the health of my baby? How can I make sure my pregnancy is progressing as it should? What should I eat? What medications are and aren’t ok to take? And that’s during…

While the nation is continuing to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, let’s not forget about another crisis that our communities continue to fight every day: Opioids. Head Start Agencies across the country have been able to provide another branch of support for families affected by the opioid crisis, and continue to provide resources despite the intense…

At the end of last spring’s program year the country shut down based on expert advice on public health and safety. Programs moved to a virtual format and classrooms cleared out, but this did not mean that Head Start programs closed. Despite the dramatic change in procedures that the emergency inflicted, staff adapted and continued…

In the digital age there are many tools we are able to use to stay connected while working remotely and provide digital education. It is paramount that we use these tools to stay connected with parents and support them while at home with their kids. If children aren’t in classrooms, family services staff are even…

As we come around to the end of the summer, and the time of year again where we begin preparing for children to go back to school, there are many things to consider amid the COVID-19 crisis. Although many of the policies and procedures necessary for caring for children and staff during the pandemic should…

I recently listened to a new webinar from the Office of Head Start (OHS) titled, “Helping Children Thrive During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” In it, OHS Director, Dr. Deborah Bergeron is joined by OHS mental health lead, Dr. Sangeeta Parikshak, to discuss ways that we can help children make sense about what is happening around them…

The learning and growth of a child can be attributed to the involvement and engagement of both the mother and the father. When a child is able to experience both parent’s perspectives, they benefit from the wonderful balance that takes place. Engaging males can be a tremendous task, but we need it for our children.…