The impact of COVID-19 in 2020 was felt by all children in the U.S., but took a particular toll on families living in poverty and children of color. From Day 1 of the pandemic, Head Start and Early Head Start stepped up, leading boldly to address growing food insecurity, innovating to support families at a distance, reopening programs with fidelity to CDC and state and local health guidelines, and working day-in-day-out to mitigate against childhood trauma.
COVID-19 continues to take a devastating health toll, even as vaccine relief is on the horizon. And we know that the economic ripple effects of the pandemic, in the form of higher poverty, higher unemployment, rising hunger, and declining state revenue for social services will persist. …
Not Even 2020 Could Slow Down Head Start
What a year. We learned that a global pandemic couldn’t slow the Head Start community down, we added our voice to a renewed call for racial justice, we remained united in our commitment to children and families through a divisive election season, and so much more. At NHSA, we missed connecting with you in person, but through the work we accomplished together, we felt the embrace of the Head Start family as strongly as ever.
As we look forward to brighter days ahead, we take a moment to reflect on all that happened in 2020. …
Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy:
On behalf of nearly 1,600 Head Start and Early Head Start programs faithfully delivering high-quality, science-based early childhood education and family support services even in the face of COVID-19, I write to express concern that the next round of federal COVID-19 supplemental funding appears to exclude critical resources for Head Start and Early Head Start programs. In no uncertain terms, this will have a chilling effect on the ability of programs to meet the basic needs of children — nutrition, critical health screenings and assessments, early learning, and emotional support. …
Three Takeaways from NHSA’s Science of Learning Series
In the first few years of life, children’s brains are developing at an astounding pace, making connections and building the foundation that will set them up for life-long learning. In Head Start, we know how critical this period of development is to prepare children for success in school and in life. Recently, the National Head Start Association (NHSA) held a series of webinars — the NHSA Brain Blasts — to educate the Head Start community on the science of learning.
The three-part series, moderated by NHSA’s Senior Director of Effective Practice, Dr. Bernadine Futrell, brought together renowned experts to discuss three topics related to the science of learning. We began with a session on trauma-skilled practices with Dr. Ray McNulty, former Vermont education commissioner. The second webinar welcomed Ellen Galinsky, author of Mind in the Making, and the Chief Science Officer with the Bezos Family Foundation for a conversation on supporting the intentional and transparent development of executive function, and how Head Start families can use Vroom tools to support this development. In the final webinar Dr. Jack Naglieri, author of the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, the Cognitive Assessment System, Autism Spectrum Rating Scale, Devereux Student Strength Assessment, and the Comprehensive Executive Function Inventory discussed measures of giftedness and how we can best assess, and thereby best support, early learners. …
What we’ve learned from the Head Start Pandemic Survey
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, children and families all over the country have experienced a great deal of change. In some communities, children haven’t been in a classroom since March and have been navigating remote education. In others, children are back in classrooms with their teachers and peers, but with masks and new health precautions in place. And outside of the classroom, families are feeling the pandemic’s effects on their finances, mental wellness, and even their health.
What have we learned about how these changes are affecting children and families, and Head Start children and families in particular?
NHSA’s Parent Gauge team wanted to help Head Start programs understand how their families are impacted by the pandemic, so they can accurately respond to their evolving needs. The Parent Gauge team pivoted quickly and worked with practitioners to create the Head Start Pandemic Survey, a tool that allows programs to measure the impacts of COVID-19 on their children and families. …
How Head Start Laid the Foundation for Eric Motley’s Success
Head Start directors wear many hats. They have the pulse on what’s happening in classrooms and in the lives of the children and families their programs support. They work closely with teachers and staff to support their professional development. They make decisions about their program’s operations, and those decisions are frequent and difficult in the time of COVID-19. As one director put it, “Head Start is doing as Head Start does — stepping up, being creative, looking at data, readjusting, moving forward, and repeat.”
To understand what’s happening in Head Start programs across the country, what challenges have emerged, and what successes could inspire others, NHSA embarked on the virtual Head Start Directors Tour. Since July, NHSA has met with well over 300 Head Start directors from every corner of the country, including a dedicated conversation with Head Start Tribal program directors. In these candid, small-group discussions, we heard about unique experiences, and common challenges and goals. The takeaways from these conversations are now influencing NHSA’s advocacy before Congress and the resources we are creating and sharing with the Head Start community. …
The state context in which Head Start programs operate is fundamental to their success. A state’s minimum wage impacts what Head Start programs pay their workforce and which families qualify. State Medicaid policy impacts the health and well-being of children, families, and staff. Investments in housing and anti-poverty programs can make or break family success. Not to mention, how — and how much — a state invests in early childhood can either support or isolate Head Start programs.
Understanding these numerous ways in which state policy affects Head Start, NHSA provides dedicated support for state-facing work that translates into partnerships with State Head Start Associations, support for State Head Start Collaboration Offices, policy briefs, and toolkits. In this work, we rely on our relationships with our member state associations and local programs to guide us forward because they know their state and local contexts best. …
New research shows child preventative health screenings are down, underscoring the critical need for Head Start
In the time of COVID-19, Head Start’s comprehensive approach to early childhood development is especially critical. Recent data analysis from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revealed that this year, compared to the same time period in 2019, there was a significant decline in critical primary and time-sensitive preventative services for young children — services that, for decades, Head Start has successfully delivered to families and young children from at-risk backgrounds.
The data showed, between March and May of 2020:
- infants and toddlers under the age of two received 22 percent fewer (1.7 million) vaccinations;
- 44 percent fewer (3.2 million) child screening services that assess physical and cognitive development…
Efforts to Improve Teacher Compensation in Early Childhood Education Must Address Racial Pay Gaps
The work of early childhood educators improves the social, behavioral, and academic development of young children, providing a foundation for success in school and in life. Yet, the early childhood workforce, predominantly made up of women of color, continues to be undervalued and underpaid. Inadequate compensation remains a formidable barrier to a strong and sustained early childhood workforce that can effectively partner with children and families.
The lack of adequate compensation is not a novel conversation for the early childhood community. Advocates in the field have been calling for fair wages for many decades, yet the problem persists. To fully understand the scope of this challenge and ultimately address it, leaders in early childhood must look more deeply at the lack of salary parity — equal pay for equal or comparable work — especially across setting and race. …
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