Health Service Certification

Head Start programs partner with parents to provide high-quality health, oral health, mental health, and nutrition services that support each child’s growth and school readiness. NHSA’s Health Service Certification is designed to test Health staff’s skills in competency areas that align with Head Start’s mission and the expectations of the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS).

To earn this certification, candidates will be required to complete a portfolio demonstrating their understanding of twelve essential competencies. For a full list, download the syllabus. For each competency, candidates will be asked to provide written responses that detail the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to fulfill health services objectives in Head Start. To see one example of an activity you will find within a competency, please download the syllabus.

The portfolio will take approximately 40 hours to assemble and is a great asset to the candidate’s transcript. Upon completion, the portfolio will be scored by an NHSA-assigned reviewer (noted below) to evaluate the candidate’s knowledge and skills related to the HSPPS for health service. The review process can take up to two months.

Candidates who successfully earn the credential will be recognized at NHSA’s National Head Start Conference. To make this experience meaningful to the whole program, NHSA recommends that programs assign a mentor to help guide candidates through the process. View our Mentor’s Guide to Supporting Certification Candidates to learn more. Please note supervisors will be required to sign off on the final portfolio.

Start Date:

On-demand

Course Level:

Intermediate

Requirements/Prerequisites:

• Health Services Essentials is highly recommended before taking this certification program. Head Start Basics is also suggested. It provides a good overview of how to interact with the HSPPS and a module on health services.
• While no specific experience is required, a minimum of 6 months in your position is strongly recommended. The certification does not include instruction.

Target Audience: 

Meeting Times: 

Coaching is provided on weekly basis through live Q&A sessions with an assigned reviewer

Completion Timeline/Duration: 

Four months for portfolio completion and two months for review and final grade

Head Start Alignment:

This course supports programs in meeting the 1302 Subpart D—Health Program Services of the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) in which programs must “provide high-quality health, oral health, mental health, and nutrition services that are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate and that will support each child’s growth and school readiness.”