NHSA Onsite: Deputy Director Tommy Sheridan’s tales from Colorado and Wyoming
By: Tommy Sheridan, National Head Start Association Deputy Director
NHSA Deputy Director Tommy Sheridan is on a road trip from New Mexico to Minnesota and he’s sharing stories and takeaways from stops at Head Start programs along the route. Follow along in real time with #NHSAonSite.
As I continue my drive from New Mexico to Minnesota the landscape changes, but one thing remains the same across state lines — I am blown away by every Head Start and Early Head Start program I visit.
My first stop in Colorado was Early Ventures, an Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) in Pueblo. The Early Ventures team and their partners at Southside Children’s Center showed me around their facility and explained how the partnership has made an impact for families in the area for more than five years. This was my first experience visiting an EHS-CCP program and I was delighted, but not surprised, to see how this collaboration meets the community’s needs.
Next up was a visit to CPCD Head Start and Early Head Start in Colorado Springs, where I got to sit down with President and CEO Noreen Landis-Tyson and Chief Operating Officer Linda Meredith, who also happens to be the new chair of NHSA’s board of directors. Linda and Noreen showed me their beautiful Hunt center which is truly a hub of community partnership.
My last stop in Colorado was at the state house in Denver where I met with Scott Groginsky, Senior Advisor for Early Childhood in Governor Jared Polis’ office, and former Senior Director of State Affairs at NHSA! Like New Mexico, Colorado is doing amazing work around early child education and it was great to hear from Scott about how the state is supporting young children and their families.
Then I hit my third state capital in three days, Cheyenne, Wyoming. I made my way to Torrington for a visit with Wyoming Child and Family Development Inc., where I heard about how this rural program uses feedback from their community needs assessment to implement innovative ideas that benefit kids across southeastern Wyoming. I was able to see the summer program they are running to help kids catch up thanks to American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. They also provide extensive mental health support for staff and just converted some Head Start slots to Early Head Start — all new practices they’ve implemented directly in response to community needs.
How is your program using ARP funds? Even if I won’t make it to your program on this trip, NHSA wants to hear about your ARP spending — email us at stories@nhsa.org.
Looking forward to more adventures in the week to come!
