How Head Start is Supporting COVID-19 Vaccination Nationwide
Lessons from NHSA’s COVID-19 Vaccination Working Group
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Head Start and Early Head Start programs have gone to exceptional lengths to support children and families safely. Now that vaccines are more widely available, supporting our communities’ health through vaccination is an important next step.
In February 2021, NHSA launched the COVID-19 Vaccination and Mitigation Working Group to identify Head Start and Early Head Start programs’ needs when it came to supporting COVID-19 vaccination and mitigation efforts in their communities. In this working group, Head Start leaders and program staff were able to share their experiences, ask questions, and brainstorm ideas with their colleagues around the country. When President Biden announced on March 2nd that educators, including all Head Start and Early Head Start staff, were eligible for vaccination, the group quickly pivoted to focus on logistical barriers and vaccine hesitancy among staff.
Several participants explained how difficult it was to access and reserve appointments for COVID vaccination, particularly for communities of color and rural populations that have limited access to healthcare resources. Other major barriers identified included: lack of transportation to vaccination sites, lack of resources in multiple languages to reach non-English speaking populations, and vaccine hesitancy.
Digging into the reasons for hesitancy, the group was able to identify the major sources of fear and concern around the COVID-19 vaccine among staff and parents: Safety, efficacy, and general distrust. When it came to safety, like for many people across the country, there were concerns around possible side effects, ranging from small reactions to effects on fertility and safety for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Questions were also raised around the length of the time the vaccine is effective, and how effective it is for individuals and for the population through herd immunity. Finally, the group understood that distrust of the medical system played into many staff and family’s fears.
To overcome these barriers, the working group devised multiple strategies to promote equitable access to the vaccine and information about it. NHSA developed its own resources to encourage and facilitate participation in the federal social media campaign, “Sleeve Up for Head Start,” which encourages Head Start staff and community leaders to share personal experiences around receiving the vaccine.
NHSA also produced the COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit, which includes information on how to access the COVID vaccine, how to create public service announcement-style videos, and encourages community members to join the social media campaign. NHSA continues to regularly publish photos and brief videos sharing the stories of community members who have been vaccinated and highlight creative examples from local programs demonstrating how they support staff and families in getting vaccinated — on-site mobile vaccination clinics, for example.
As more information on COVID-19 vaccines arises, NHSA will continue to collect resources, share videos from Head Start leaders, and support your community’s specific needs as best we can. Let us know what you need at vaccines@nhsa.org.
