Workforce Catalyst Summit Brings Together Leading Experts to Strengthen Head Start

Anaheim, CA – Head Start practitioners, early childhood education innovators, and leading experts on workplace issues will join forces for a two-day “Workforce Catalyst” to explore innovative practices, processes, and policies to strengthen the Head Start workforce, leading into the 45th Annual National Head Start Conference in Anaheim, California.

“Head Start is the nation’s largest and most effective early childhood education program, and at its heart are a corps of tireless professionals committed to empowering vulnerable children and their families,” NHSA Executive Director Yasmina Vinci said. “From bus drivers to teachers to family service coordinators, the workforce plays a pivotal role in the success of Head Start’s mission. 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.”

Participants in the Workforce Catalyst—a hybrid of a conference and design thinking workshop—will source solutions to common challenges and craft new visions to invest in Head Start’s workforce. The summit will focus on four key areas: talent recruitment, mission fit, talent development, and employee experience.

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 participants and NHSA can support their implementation.