Get ready to elevate your expertise as a Head Start Education Coordinator! This exciting training session is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge to craft comprehensive and effective professional development plans for your Head Start center’s education staff. Discover the secrets of conducting needs assessments, setting clear training goals, and selecting the most effective strategies to captivate your team’s learning journey. Unleash your creativity in developing relevant training content that aligns with your school readiness goals, the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF), and your program grant. 
Whether your staff write their professional development plans with their supervisors or a coach, this series will be valuable for your program. Get hands-on with logistical planning to ensure a seamless training experience. By the end of this exhilarating series, you’ll be armed with the tools to inspire your staff and create a powerful impact on your center’s success. Let the training adventure begin!

PART I (March 7, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET)

• Reflect on your current practices and identify areas for improvement
  • 3 areas that are strong and 3 areas to improve
• Head Start’s guiding resources in professional development plans
• Why we create plans – workforce turnover and development
• Review the process of developing a professional development plan

PART II (March 14, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET)

• Introduce resources that can improve your plan development practice
• Learn how to create intentional professional development plans with individual staff members
• Writing meaningful goals
• Develop a plan that supports those goals
• Align with your school readiness goals, ELOF, and program grant

Objective: This training session aims to equip Head Start Education Coordinators with the skills and knowledge to design and implement effective professional development plans for staff working in Head Start centers. There will be a strong emphasis on incorporating School Readiness Goals into the professional development plan.

Presenter:

Dru O’Connor, NHSA Content Consultant & Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency Education Coach and Disabilities Manager

Dru has worked in many different roles for Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency’s Head Start program starting in 1994. She has been an Education Coordinator, Training Coordinator, an Early Head Start Manager and she currently is an Education Coach and Disabilities Manager for the direct operated preschool classrooms. She has been in this current role for 14 years. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Preschool Education from Central Michigan University then received her Master’s in Early Childhood Education from Grand Valley State University. For the past 5 years Dru has served as a Content Consultant for the National Head Start Association where she assists the association in providing current and relevant conference topics for the Head Start community. Dru currently resides in northern Michigan with her husband and children.