What is the Head Start Workforce Catalyst?
by Frank Nolan, Staff Writer, NHSA
How can we strengthen the Head Start workforce today? How can we attract talent? How can we elevate the employee experience for Head Start staff? What can we learn from innovative companies like Disney and Google? And how do we move these ideas from discussion to action?
The National Head Start Association (NHSA) is convening the Workforce Catalyst April 23–24, 2018 as a pre-summit leading into the 45th annual National Head Start Conference in Anaheim, California, which begins Wednesday.
“We all know that the backbone of Head Start is the workforce, and that their dedication is not rewarded nearly as much as it should be.”
Over the next couple of days, more than 50 Head Start practitioners, early childhood education innovators, and leading experts on workplace issues will join forces for a “Workforce Catalyst” to explore innovative practices, processes, and policies to strengthen the Head Start workforce. The summit will focus on four key areas: talent recruitment, mission fit, talent development, and employee experience.
NHSA’s Executive Director, Yasmina Vinci, opened the conference/design-workshop event with this charge: “We all know that the backbone of Head Start is the workforce, and that their dedication is not rewarded nearly as much as it should be. This week, we have a tremendous opportunity to ignite change.”
Thought leaders from innovative companies like Disney, Google, and Porter Novelli will provide expertise and present case studies to inspire discussion among participants. Teams will then choose specific challenges to tackle and develop new ideas for immediate, concrete changes Head Start programs could make to strengthen their workforce. At the conclusion of the Workforce Catalyst, the solutions will be woven together into a proposal for how Catalyst participants and NHSA can support their implementation.
“NHSA’s Workforce Catalyst is bringing together top minds from the worlds of early childhood development and business to spark and accelerate immediate change that elevates this critical piece of Head Start’s future,” Vinci explained to participants.
The Workforce Catalyst will not only give Head Start practitioners a chance to implement bold new ideas as soon as they return from the conference, but will also lay the groundwork for comprehensive solutions for the entire national Head Start community in the future.
