Invest in Yourself, Your Kids, and Your Program
Staff Wellness and Self-Care at the National Head Start Conference in San Antonio
With spring flowers blooming around us and warmer months ahead, it’s time to shake off the winter doldrums and spend some time and energy on one of Head Start’s most precious resources: ourselves and our staff’s wellness.
The 2019 National Head Start Conference will have more than 150 training sessions on everything you need to know — from dealing with challenging behaviors to reaching millennial parents on social media. To make sure there’s something for everyone, we’ve organized all of the conference sessions into our nine communities of practice, which focus on education and child development, data management, human resources and program operations, ERSEA, and more!
The overarching purpose of the conference has always been to provide space for Head Start to invest in professional development and reach new heights through expert trainings, shared best practices, and inspirational stories from across the country.
Professional development is essential to Head Start’s continuous quality improvement, but so is staff wellness.
Here are just a few of the sessions we’re looking forward to that are focused on Staff Wellness and Self-Care:
Self-Care Brings Magic to Your Life… Like Unicorns
We’ve all heard the saying, “stressed spelled backward is desserts,” so come and learn new tips and tricks on self -care and combatting compassion fatigue while enjoying some sweet treats! Grab a fork and dig in!
Incorporating Mindfulness into the Early Childhood Classroom
In this hands-on session, participants will practice techniques that can be integrated into different parts of the daily routine, including transition time, to help increase self-regulation skills and decrease anxiety and stress.
The Team Heart Experience: Social-Emotional Team Building Fun
In this team building, mind awaking workshop, participants will engage in thought-provoking exercises, games, and conversations that will expose them to life-affirming experiences and concepts.
Reflective Supervision: Keys to Supporting Staff
As performance standards and accountability raise the bar for expectations nationwide, programs are increasingly scrambling to stay above the water. This hands-on, energetic training will give specific strategies to how to survive.
Help, I’m Exhausted! Self-Care Strategies for Staff, Students, and Families
Join in this hands-on participatory workshop demonstrating a variety of self-care techniques in a fun and accessible way. Discuss the importance of self-care in positions where secondary trauma exposure is part of the job.
Mindful Minutes — I Don’t Have Time for That!
This fun, interactive workshop will allow participants to explore their stressors and stress responses, and provide attendees with opportunities to learn new evidence-based techniques to minimize their reactions.
Supporting the Head Start Workforce Through Staff Wellness
Join this session to hear from early childhood staff wellness experts to gain knowledge and ideas for supporting the health and well-being of Head Start educators and staff in your programs.
Communicating with Co-Workers: Stop Gossiping and Start Finding Solutions
Children learn how to build strong, positive relationships with others by observing the adult relationships around them. Participants will learn specific strategies for managing their emotions and communicating assertively with co-workers.
Finding JOY: Turning Stress into Your New Superpower
Learn a variety of basic strategies to help eliminate negative stress and use the remaining stress to empower your greatness!
Integrating Healthy Habits into Daily Practices for Students Staff and Parents
Dr. Lombardo will share expertise that helps all stakeholders focus on one common goal — improving the health of young children. The session will analyze best practices and a case study to help participants understand how they can become leaders in healthy living programming.
Supporting Wellness for Staff, Children, and Families: Stories from HS/EHS Programs
In this session, Head Start and Early Head Start program leaders that participated in the year-long Wellness Cohort through the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness (NCECHW) will share their experiences in supporting wellness for staff, children and families on the program level.
Are you ready to invest in yourself, your kids, and your program? Join us at the 2019 National Head Start Conference in San Antonio, TX at the end of this month!
