Take a four-month learning journey with other new Head Start and Early Head Start Directors. Here you will dig into a wide range of program leadership topics, including effective leadership development, communication and advocacy, operations, and more.

Let’s face it, being a Head Start director is tough work. But with the right support, you can thrive and make a significant, positive impact in the lives of children and families. The Director Credential provides four months of professional development and practical support to help you overcome barriers and lead your program with excellence.

A course designed for directors, this credential allows you to identify specific challenges, analyze those challenges, and develop solutions. You’ll work through new modules every month and engage in conversations with peers all over the country. The cohort model provides peer-to-peer support, mentorship, and coaching on your journey.

In addition to the monthly meetings and online coursework, all participants receive free registration to one of two NHSA conferences. The fall cohort will attend NHSA’s Parent and Family Engagement Conference in December and the spring cohort will attend NHSA’s National Conference in May. Some learners may have the opportunity to present at one of the conferences, taking your leadership skills to the national level.

Course Information:

• Start Date: New cohorts biannually in Fall and Spring
• Cohorts Available: Head Start or Early Head Start
• Course Level: Advanced
• Requirements/Prerequisites: Directors with under 5 years experience in role
• Target Audience: Leadership and Management
• Course Meeting Times: Thursdays from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET
• Completion Timeline/Duration: Four months

Topics:

• What is Leadership?
• Head Start Structure, HSPPS and Equity
• Parent, Family, and Community Engagement
• Leadership and Communication
• Continuous Quality Improvement
• Head Start Operations
• Early Head Start
• Emerging Trends in Early Childhood Development
• Capstone Project
• NHSA Conference Attendance

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the differences between leadership and management and reflect on their own application of each as a Head Start/Early Head Start director.
• Review the HSPPS and the foundation of Head Start and identify connections to equity and inclusion.
• Analyze the family and community engagement requirements in the HSPPS and identify best practices to ensure their work as a Head Start/Early Head Start director places families at the center of their work.
• Learn basic communication theory and apply it to day to day communications requirements of a Head Start director.
• Identify various CQI strategies and apply them to specific challenges within the director’s role.
• Define responsibilities regarding Head Start operations and identify key challenges and solutions to those challenges through peer collaboration.
• Evaluate the purpose, benefits, and services of Early Head Start programs.
• Discuss trends in early childhood development, Head Start, and other issues related to leading Head Start and Early Head Start programming. 
• Carry out an Action Plan to Improve Your Practice through a Capstone Project.
• Attend the NHSA Parent & Family Engagement Conference or the NHSA National Conference.

Head Start Alignment:

This course supports programs in meeting Part 1302: Program Operations, Subpart I-Human Resources & J-Program Management and Quality Improvement requirements of the Head Start Program Performance Standards to ensure staff are qualified and supported to effectively provide services.

Not a member?: Join to save!

Course Facilitators

Head Start Cohort

Dr. Deborah Bergeron

Dr. B served as director of the Office of Head Start from 2018-21. From 2019-21 she broadened her leadership as director of the Office of Early Childhood Development in the Administration for Children and Families. Known as “Dr. B” to former students and teachers, she spent three decades in pre-K–12 public education as a classroom teacher and school administrator. She currently serves as deputy director for Community Engagement and Innovation at the National Head Start Association.

Early Head Start Cohort

Zuly Vazquez

Zuly Vazquez is the senior manager of Early Head Start Professional Development. She has worked with Head Start and Early Head Start programs for over a decade, specializing in training, mentoring, coaching, facilitation, curriculum implementation, and management. She worked for several years in the classroom, providing high-quality education to children from different cultures, traditions, and ethnicities. She is a former Head Start parent and has vast experience supporting and providing technical assistance to teachers, family child care providers, education specialists, and families in large programs in Florida and Georgia. Over her career, she designed a supplemental Christian early childhood curriculum, bilingual online lessons, and classroom observation tools and has facilitated early childhood education courses in English and Spanish at the college level. As an active early childhood advocate, she is part of the advisory committee of her local NAEYC affiliate, the Family Child Care Home Alliance of Georgia, and Latinas United for the Children of America.

Partner

What learners are saying…