Empowers Head Start leaders to confidently use data to drive positive change and transform the lives of children and families.

No matter where you are in your journey to becoming a data leader, you’ll leave this course with greater confidence in working with data and the tools to drive positive change in your program. Join managers and directors from Head Start and Early Head Start programs across the nation to learn how to use data effectively helping transform the lives of children and families. In this Data Literacy Credential information recording, you will all about the services and supports provided to candidates.

Course Information:

The course is designed for all types of learners. No advanced data knowledge or skills are required.

Data Literacy Credential Students Report:

• Connecting, collaborating, and learning with Head Start professionals from across the country was incredible. It left me feeling inspired and no longer alone in my role!
• It surprised me in a good way! The content was relevant, practical, with lots of real-world examples, and could be applied immediately.
• The class supports visual, auditory, and kinesthetic adult learning styles offering a variety of fun and active ways to interact with the content.
• Successfully learning to define, troubleshoot, and dramatically improve the way data works in practice in their programs
• Gaining tools to confidently communicate data to staff, parents, community and OHS.
• Ability to motivate their staff to actually like data and embrace their roles as professionals responsible for collecting, entering, analyzing, and reporting
• The class covered a lot, but the time and effort invested were absolutely worth it. I learned so much more than I expected!

Participants earn this credential by completing an engaging eight-week course designed to develop data literacy skills they can instantly apply in their programs. Each week highlights a specific theme with video lessons and interactive in-class activities. Success is measured through attendance, active participation, and mastery of the material, demonstrated through assignments and a final project.

Learners will attend two live 1-hour class sessions each week via Zoom, allowing participants to maintain their traditional work schedule. In addition to class time, participants spend approximately four hours per week on assignments and learning activities.

• Start Date:
  • Winter Session: January 13th, 2026
  • Spring Session: March 31st, 2026
• Course Level:
• Target Audience:
• Requirements/Prerequisites: n/a
• Course Meeting Times: Two live 1-hour class sessions each week via Zoom
• Completion Timeline/Duration: Eight weeks

Topics/ Modules:

• What is Data?
• Data in Head Start
• Data Quality for the Real World
• Connecting Data to Practice with Workflows
• Quality Improvement with Data
• Make the Most of Data Tools
• Storytelling with Data
• Bring it All Together

Learning Objectives:

• Describe what data is and how it is used in Head Start Programs.
• Describe the Head Start Data Ecosystem and how it informs the use of data by recipient programs.
• Define key terms related to the use of data in Head Start (data literacy, data capacity, data workflow, data informed grant, etc.)
• Explain how data is used in various aspects of Head Start programs.
• Explain the role of data in the HSPPS.
• Explain how data storytelling can be used in various Head Start requirements (grant application, self-assessment, etc.)
• Explain the importance of data storytelling for communicating with Head Start stakeholders.
• Explain the fundamentals of effective communication with data.

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Course Facilitator

Dr. Greg Dixon

Dr. Greg Dixon is the chief learning officer at Acorn Evaluation. Dr. Dixon is the leading designer of professional development programs to build data literacy in Head Start. He brings two decades of award-winning experience as a professor and curriculum designer to the development of programs that make data fun and accessible to all.

Partner

Acorn Evaluation, Inc. is our partner providing all content and instruction. They are accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offer IACET CEUs for learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. CEUs for the Data Literacy Credential are awarded for successful completion by Acorn Evaluation, Inc. You can learn more here. 

What learners are saying…