A Deeper Look at the NHSA.

The National Head Start Association (NHSA) website provides four different areas of focus.  The Center for the States, The Center for Advocacy, The Center for Effective Practice, and The Center for Policy, Data, and Research are all areas under the Center for Knowledge within the website.  The Center for Effective Practice is of particular interest to me as it contains information on various credentials, professional learning communities, and conferences available for parents and professionals.  There are three Learning Community groups geared towards advocacy and assisting families. 

• Implicit Biases: "The Implicit Bias Learning Community serves as a vehicle to build understanding in the Head Start field around what others have done to tackle the implicit bias and discrimination faced by the children and families they serve. It will also enable us to build strong and perhaps new relationships with community partners who can make a difference for those we serve"(https://www.nhsa.org/knowledge-center/center-effective-practice/learning-communities).
• Building Bridges: An invitation only community to share ideas, inspirations and strategies for how you are dealing with potential issues and supporting all families. We can will address concerns, innovative ideas, and best practices for engaging the immigrant and refugee communities (https://www.nhsa.org/knowledge-center/center-effective-practice/learning-communities).
• Family Service Learning Community: Membership is open to individuals who coordinate social service activities, contact and make referrals to community resources, and parent with families and support them in transitions in and out of programs and services (https://www.nhsa.org/knowledge-center/center-effective-practice/learning-communities).

These groups can only be accessed of Head Start professionals meet certain criteria and are screened prior to joining. 

Additional Resources Within NHSA:

The NHSA website also provides links to several national news organizations including the Huff Post and The Hill. Anytime an article is published in the United States regarding the successes of Head Start or policy and legislative changes, the NHSA website provides viewers links to the information.

As a member of the NHSA, I also have access to resources that can be used for program improvement.  While researching for this week's blog, I came across a Staff Wellness Tool Kit that I plan to print and read through. Staff mental and physical wellness is a huge challenge in this field and particularly in Head Start. Our children come into our programs with many deficits and often very difficult lives. Strong mental health is necessary in order to avoid burnout in those first few years.  The website also includes additional tool kits for meeting health requirements and overcoming the barriers that cause chronic absenteeism.

       


References

The National Head Start Association (2017) Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/