The only national event dedicated to enhancing the partnership between Head Start parents, families, and staff and fostering family engagement and children’s development!
Each year, this conference brings together a vibrant community of family engagement professionals for hands-on sessions addressing timely topics and providing resources tailored to Head Start. It provides fresh perspectives to connect with families, build trust, and create stronger pathways to thrive at home and in school. This year’s conference comes at a time when families need to feel seen and supported more than ever.
Why Attend?
Learn What’s Working
Gain fresh ideas and practical strategies from peers and experts tackling today’s challenges in family engagement and child development.
Discover New Tools
Explore resources you can use right away to strengthen communication, build relationships, and deepen trust with the families you serve.
Reconnect with Purpose
Reignite your passion for working alongside families and leave with a renewed sense of purpose and clarity.
Grow Together
Learn alongside peers from across the country and build lasting connections to strengthen your family engagement work.
Engage with Your Communities of Practice
At this event, you can find sessions organized by Communities of Practice — groups of peers and experts who share a passion for a specific area of work so you can connect, share, and grow alongside others who understand your challenges and goals.
The Communities of Practice are:
- Data (Management and Continuous Quality Improvement)
- Early Head Start
- Education and Child Development
- Enrollment, Recruitment, Selection, Eligibility, and Attendance (ERSEA)
- Family and Community Engagement
- Fiscal
- Health and Wellness
- Human Resources/Program Operations
- New Director
- Parents
Registration Rates
*Special rates are reserved for NHSA member organizations, including Head Start and Early Head Start programs with active membership. Sign up to save.
-
Super Early Bird Rate:
$555
Available July 2 – August 29
-
Early Bird Rate:
$675
Available August 30 – October 17
-
NHSA Member Rate*:
$795
Available October 18 – December 7
-
On-Site Member Rate*:
$915
Available December 8 – December 11
-
Non-Member Rate:
$965
Available to non-members
Need help convincing leadership to have you and year team attend? Download and fill out our “Dear Boss” letter template.
Frequently Asked Questions
The conference will be held in Orlando, Florida, from December 8 – 11, 2025. Participants will receive a link to book hotel rooms at a special discounted rate after registering. Details will be shared in your confirmation email. When making your travel plans, make sure to arrive Monday afternoon, December 8, in time for the Welcome Reception at 5:00 p.m. and depart Thursday afternoon, December 11 after our closing plenary, which ends at 12:00 p.m.
Registration will open soon. Discounted rates are for NHSA members only. If you are unsure of your membership status, please contact NHSA Membership department at membership@nhsa.org before registering.
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
No shuttles will be provided.
You will receive a link to the hotel registration page with the discounted rate in your confirmation email after registering for the conference.
Yes. Email events@nhsa.org to book your device in advance.
If your products and services support the healthy development of young children or help Head Start and Early Head Start programs operate more efficiently and effectively, take a look at the many partnership opportunities we offer.
All requests for conference cancellations must be submitted in writing prior to the start of the conference. Cancellation notifications must be emailed to cancellation@nhsa.org. Please include the name of the registrant and the name of the conference. Each canceled registration will be assessed a $75 cancellation fee.
For more information about NHSA’s Cancellation and Refund Policy, visit: nhsa.org/conferences/cancellation-policy
By registering for an NHSA event, all registrants understand and agree that the National Head Start Association (“NHSA”) and its employees and agents have the right and permission to copyright and/or use, reuse and/or publish, and republish photographic pictures or portraits of them, recorded images of them, including recordings of their voice, in any medium, including motion picture and video images and reproductions thereof in color or black and white, made through any media by or on behalf of NHSA, for any purpose whatsoever, including the use of any printed matter in conjunction therewith. Registrants further waive any right to inspect or approve the finished photograph, motion picture, videotape, advertising copy, or printed matter that may be used in conjunction therewith or to the eventual use that it might be applied.
Registrants further release, discharge, and agree to save harmless NHSA, its employees and agents, and any firm publishing and/or distributing the finished product, in whole or in part, from and against any liability as a result of any distortion, blurring, or alteration, optical illusion, or use in composite form, either intentionally or otherwise, that may occur or be produced in the taking, recording, processing, editing, or reproduction of the finished product, its publication or distribution of the same, even should the same subject them, the designated property, to ridicule, scandal, reproach, scorn, or indignity.
Registrants further warrant that they are over eighteen years of age, or if they are not, their parent or guardian consents to their agreement, upon registration, to this release.
If you have any questions, please email: marcomm@nhsa.org