The NHSA was a huge support for early head start and head start programs in 2013 by helping send 37,740 letters to Congress during the sequestration. These letters were from teachers, head start alumni, and parents to advocate about the importance of Head Start. When the Federal Government shut down in October of 2013 it forced 57,000 slots to be cut.
There is a pilot program that NHSA is doing called First Advocates - this helps train and guide parents on becoming advocates. They will be trained in; how to effectively communicate their story and message, how to engage state and national elected officials, and how to organize their peers and community. This pilot program may be helpful when discussing the barrier of awareness...by having the trained parents in the community raising awareness of head start and sharing their story. This is an interesting program and I am curious to find out more about it, I will be emailing my director to see if she has more details about it.
While browsing through the section labeled 'Resources for Families' it took me to an outside link - Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center. This is a great resource for all Head Start program! I currently use this for teaching tools and if I have a question about one of our standards. This website is also helpful when needing resources for families.
Chrissy,
ReplyDeleteSo sad that so many children were affected by the shutdown in 2013. I think the training for parents is a great way to teach parents to have their voices heard. If they are trained to effectivley communicate their concerns, they will be listened to over parents who just vent. Being able to engage others and speak is the best way to make concerns known. Thanks for the tip about the Learning and Knowledge Center. New resources are always welcome for educators!
Mary
Chrissy,
ReplyDeleteVery informative post. All of my children started out in Head Start. It's a great program to jump start your child's education. The resources are phenomenal!
Yvonne
The program for first advocates is a great place for parents to become educated on how to speak up about policies that effect their children. I believe parents don't understand how big of a influence they have in the decisions that directly impact their children.
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