Letter from the Executive Director 

Welcome to a New Year!  I hope everyone had a safe and healthy holiday and is ready and recharged for 2023.  I am optimistic that 2023 will be a rebuilding year for FHSA and our members.  

By now, you have already heard the excellent news on the $2.8 billion funding increase early childhood education programs received above fiscal year 2022. The FY 2023 Omnibus package includes $12 billion for Head Start/Early Head Start, which is a $960 million increase. FHSA shouts kudos to Congress and the Biden Administration for getting it done to help rebuild early learning in America. This increase in funding solidifies what we all know about the critical role Head Start/Early Head Start programs have in their local communities. Serving children and families to ensure their basic needs are met and providing academic, social, and emotional skills to help move families to self-sufficiency.  

Within the $960 million increase, $596 million is allocated for a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). According to NHSA, this translates to an approximately 5.4% adjustment for all Head Start staff. There is $262 million for Quality Improvement Funding (QIF) and $8 million for the Tribal Colleges and Universities-Head Start Partnership Program. The bill also includes an additional $100 million to expand access to Head Start and Early Head Start.  

This funding could not come at a more critical time, as we know programs are struggling to find qualified staff and are evaluating their community needs to ensure they can remain responsive to the needs of the children and families they serve.

In our December newsletter I shared a few of the projects we will be working on in this second quarter. What I didn't share is that the FHSA membership committee will be rolling out #ThankfulThursdays, which will feature a member within FHSA. This is your opportunity to brag about your program's accomplishments or a colleague's. Whether you are a grantee agency member, corporate friend, or friend member, we want to recognize you and your accomplishments. To be considered, please complete our membership spotlight form. The form is quick and straightforward, collecting information about the nominator and the nominee. Of course, we want photos too! 

We wish everyone a great start to the New Year. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or need assistance along the way. 

Stay Well, 

Wanda Minick
Executive Director 
FHSA

The Office of Head Start, Early Childhood Technical Assistance, and the Office of Special Education Programs held meetings in December to guide to assist Head Start programs in creating MOUs with their local education agencies. You can view past and upcoming webinars at: ECTA Center: Webinars

The Biden-Harris Administration Promotes Access to Early Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities

Access to Early Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities. Connecting the families of children with disabilities to services as early as possible is critical because the rapid period of brain growth during a child’s first few years of life provides a unique window to support the child’s development. Numerous studies have shown that early intervention services positively affect children’s cognitive, physical, and social-emotional development. 

View the new documents at this link.

Rule 6M-4.610, Statewide Provider Contract for the School Readiness Program, will be presented at the State Board of Education meeting on January 18th at 9:00 am in Fernandina Beach. All draft documents can be found here. 

Needs Assessment- Deadline Extended

To best speak to the strengths and needs of our programs at the state level, please complete the needs assessment for each grant you oversee. It is critical to have an accurate picture of our programs in the state so we can best provide support. The deadline has been extended to Friday, January 13th.  This assessment is more comprehensive than what was done in the past; however, with the pandemic, workforce concerns, and heightened awareness of inclusion services in the state, it is imperative to understand how these factors look in our programs. You can access the survey here.

Assistant Secretary Statement on the Bipartisan Funding Bill, January 4, 2023

Last week, the President signed a bipartisan funding bill that advances critical services for children and families across the country. We are proud of the work we do at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to strengthen the well-being of children, families, and individuals.

Increasing Investments in Early Care and Education: Access to affordable, high-quality child care and early childhood education creates economic mobility for families. The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG) provides $8 billion (an increase of almost $2 billion from FY22). Head Start received a nearly $12 billion investment (an increase of almost $1 billion from FY22) and includes $596 million for cost-of-living adjustments for the Head Start workforce, as well as $262 million for quality improvements. These investments will support families with young children and the early childhood workforce to allow more children to benefit from a high-quality early education. Click here to read the full statement.

#GetaHeadStart Recruitment Resources

Help eligible children and families get set up for a lifetime of success! Connecting with your community can help you increase your program’s enrollment. Use these resources to enhance your current outreach and recruitment strategy. They include handouts, posters, social media assets, and more.

Meet our Keynote Speaker and Head Start Alumni, Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson. She will kick off this leadership-focused event through a team-building exercise and set the stage on how we all need to work cohesively to create change. 

We will feature poster sessions addressing pressing issues programs are facing.  Hosting an open dialogue with the team at the Early Childhood Policy Research Group at the UF Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies regarding the evidence-based framework for family engagement and Holly Bullard, Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Florida Policy Institute, will set the stage for your continued advocacy work. 

This event is geared towards directors, supervisors, managers, and other Head Start/Early Head Start leadership team members. 

After all the training, FHSA will host its annual awards luncheon to recognize eleven state award recipients for their untiring dedication to Head Start. These individuals were nominated by their program and selected by the FHSA awards committee to represent Florida at the Regional and National levels. Visit our website to read their press releases and get a glimpse of this year's award winners. 

FY23 Appropriations Deal Includes a $960 Million Increase for Head Start
December 23, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Head Start Association (NHSA) celebrates the record investment of $11.99 billion for Head Start and Early Head Start in the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) budget, which is now on its way to the President’s desk. The FY23 budget includes a $960 million increase over last year for Head Start and Early Head Start. Click here to read press release in its entirety. 

NHSA’s 2023 Winter Leadership Institute

Registration is still ongoing for NHSA Winter Leadership Institute, which will be held January 23-26 in Crystal City, VA. 

Join NHSA in helping ensure this Congress understands, values, and empowers the important role Head Start serves for our nation’s most vulnerable children and families. 

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Upcoming Events

January:

05- 06, Annual E-Rate Training

09-10, Annual E-Rate Training

10-12, We Are Family: Building Capacity for Long-Term Success

10-11, Staff Wellness Institute

11, Creating an Effective Health Services Advisory Committee

11, Teacher Time Series: Emotional Literacy in Preschool: Preventing Challenging Behaviors

12- 13, Annual E-Rate Training

16, Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, FHSA office closed

17 -20, Right From the Start: The Foundations of School Readiness in EHS

 18, The Discovery Source Head Start Social-Emotional Webinar

 18, Free Zoom Music Class

18 - Rule 6M-4.610, Statewide Provider Contract for the School Readiness Program

18, Supporting the Health of Children Experiencing Homelessness

18, Coaching Corner Series: Coaching to Support Emotional Literacy and Expression

18, EMPOWER Moms During Home Visits

19, Introduction to Personal Storytelling [in Spanish]

19, BabyTalks Series: Brilliant Bilingual Babies: What Does the Research Say?

23, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation National Office Hours

23- 26, NHSA Winter Leadership Institute

CDC recommends everyone ages 5 and older get a COVID-19 vaccine to help protect against COVID-19.

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FHSA has partnered with Teachstone to deliver FHSA members access to their on-demand and/or facilitated CDA with CLASS® program with discounted membership pricing now through September 30, 2023.

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