Course Type: Academy+
39 courses
Health and wellbeing serve as the foundation of school readiness and child development. This course explores how early childhood programs can use Head Start’s whole-child approach to support children, families, and communities on their paths to success.
New to Head Start leadership? Hit the ground running with the only course designed specifically for emerging Head Start leaders like you.
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.
Mental health is essential to laying the groundwork for all future development in young children. Learn more about social-emotional development and how your relationships with young children can positively impact their current and future mental health and well-being!
Empowers Head Start leaders to confidently use data to drive positive change and transform the lives of children and families.
Exclusively on Academy+. Explores how early education programs can partner with families to support children’s healthy development, school readiness, and wellbeing by following Head Start’s renowned whole-family model.
Exclusively on Academy+. Head Start is the most important social and educational investment in children, families, and communities the United States has ever undertaken. Dive into the program’s rich history in this short two-hour course.
This course is designed to support CDA renewal for both Preschool and Infant & Toddler credential types.
This course equips educators to nurture curiosity, spark wonder, and create engaging, playful learning environments using Smithsonian resources!
Self-directed course full of tools and resources for incorporating objects into your teaching practice and classroom routines.
Behavior Mastery helps teachers create joyful, well-managed classrooms where all students can thrive, a true Win-Win!
Get ready to LEARN, find your FOCUS, and have FUN with Yogarate!
A+ Tough Topics equips adults with tools and Smithsonian resources to build inclusive communities, celebrate differences, and confidently discuss complex topics with young children.
Exclusively on Academy+. This course trains early education staff on best practices, standards, and key regulations in Head Start that they can use to keep children and staff safe during transportation. Even for staff who do not typically transport children, knowing the proper way to do so is vital to ensure all staff are equipped in the event of an emergency.
Exclusively on Academy+. This course will provide you with a strong understanding of the policies and practices in identifying potential learning delays and disabilities and how to provide additional and appropriate services to children.
Exclusively on Academy+. What makes Head Start the most high-quality early childhood education program? Explore the revolutionary Head Start Program Performance Standards. First introduced in 1975, this concept inspired a federal standards initiative for public schools and continues to help programs improve and find new ways to help children and their families across the nation.
Exclusively on Academy+. This course covers general information about the legal responsibilities of mandated reporters and how to recognize and respond to possible abuse or maltreatment. Learners will finish this course knowing who a mandated reporter is, what a mandated reporter’s responsibilities are, and how they themselves must carry out those responsibilities.
The Head Start Manager Credential is designed for general management and will provide learners with information on a number of topics—ranging from becoming an advocate in the Head Start community to innovating within the program. This course will help leaders expand Head Start’s reach beyond the program and directly impact their communities!
This credential explores topics surrounding day-to-day leadership in Head Start and Early Head Start sites. Participants will work on managing and leading teams, setting tone and culture at the site level, and managing the everyday responsibilities that make up Head Start and Early Head Start programming.
Renew your certifications that you have received through The Academy for an additional five years by demonstrating your ongoing commitment to your development.
This course trains new and returning staff on the basics of Head Start—the program’s history, parent and family engagement, health policies, Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS), and more!
Head Start staff have a lot to learn when getting started—both to successfully support children and families and to meet Office of Head Start requirements. The Pre-Service Bundle includes Head Start Basics and Whole Community Basics, meeting approximately 90% of the professional development required by the Head Start Program Performance Standards.
This certification provides fiscal staff the opportunity to demonstrate skills essential to Head Start fiscal and grant management and program administration.
Staff who are new to Family Services in Head Start will be empowered and inspired by lessons that cover HSPPS, PFCE framework, ERSEA, how to guard against compassion fatigue, and more. New staff will leave this course prepared to begin their family services journey.
Personal financial wellness improves quality of life and enhances Head Start programs’ staff’s ability to provide services and care to families In this course, learners explore evidence-based strategies for savings, paying off debt, and achieving your personal financial goals.
This Financial Wellness course introduces money smart strategies for the Head Start workforce so staff can focus on what they love.
The Executive Leadership Network is an opportunity extended to those leaders who successfully complete the Executive Leadership Credential. The network will work together regularly throughout the year to tackle trends in Head Start and Early Head Start.
Join us for a year-long journey to develop executive-level leadership skills, collaborate to solve current challenges, and identify innovative approaches to leading Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
Policy Council Basics provides an overview of Head Start’s structure, helping parents grow as leaders and decision-makers.
Learn how to engage with families in positive ways and develop meaningful relationships, no matter what your role is at Head Start. Strong partnerships with caregivers are the key to helping children develop, grow, and thrive!
This course explores the role of data in Head Start and answers two questions: “Why do people care so much about data?” and “What does this have to do with me?”
Children and adults in early care and education programs can be infected with serious viruses or bacteria and not even know it. This course explores best practices from the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) to mitigate the potential of this serious risk.
How do you know if you are keeping all of your students safe and accounting for there whereabouts all of the time? This course will provide an effective model and strategies to ensure you are keeping safety as your top priority through active supervision.
Free! This one-hour dynamic course provides the basic information required to work or volunteer in a Head Start or an Early Head Start classroom.
When it comes to mental health in young children, every interaction matters! Learn more about brain development in the first five years, and how you can positively impact that development in every interaction, every day.
Strengthen your program’s classrooms! Learn how to assess your alignment with the Head Start Performance Standards (HSPPS), develop positive classroom environments, and implement key health and safety practices.
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