Professional Organization Membership

I renewed my membership with the National Head Start Association as I am employed by Head Start. As a member of the NHSA, I will receive updates on advocacy opportunities to promote Head Start at state and national levels, free webinars and professional development links, and the latest information on Head Start initiatives. Head Start serves low to moderate income families throughout the United States providing a free preschool education to those that qualify for children ages three to five. There is also an Early Head Start option for children ages 6 weeks to three years with prenatal support and education for families. The National Head Start association was originally formed to combat a serious threat to Community Action Commissions, major holders of Head Start grants, during the Nixon administration. Community Action Commissions and Head Start were founded during the Johnson administration's war on poverty. In 1974, the National Director's Association was formed, and by 1975, they joined with the Head Start Parent Association, Head Start Staff Association, and Head Start Friends Association to form the National Head Start Association. 

Here is the NHSA link:
https://www.nhsa.org/

You can explore the NHSA website and view all of our initiatives for Head Start and early childhood education in the United States. The latest initiative from NHSA is the Parent Gauge. The Parent Gauge is a tool for measuring the impact of a program family engagement in six key areas including transition, child development, empowerment, parent/staff relationships, family stability, and health. the Parent Gauge was created to meet program's needs for an evidence based tool to measure family and community partnership.  The tool is not required and is a paid option. The NHSA lists its latest initiatives on the website with the option to view and participate at any level.