Tackle Behaviors that Challenge: by saying “YOU MAY”
2025-09-02 16:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York)
Webinar Series: Tackling Behaviors that Challenge Us
Program: Tackle Behaviors that Challenge: by saying “YOU MAY”

Description:Every teacher wants to build a positive classroom culture of safety and trust, for children and for themselves. Turns out that is a lot easier said than done, especially when faced with behaviors that are really challenging. So, what is a well-meaning teacher to do?
In this webinar series, our experts will share innovative approaches to building a trust-based classroom environment, which is the key to mitigating behaviors that challenge us. Learn practical strategies that will not only help teachers understand challenging interactions, but also significantly increase delightful interactions!
Join our experts as they share how to develop strong trust with the children in your care. You will learn how to:

inspire the desire to behave well;
use music and movement for joy, fun, and increased focus;
turn transitions into meaningful parts of your day;
and so much more!

Tackle Behaviors that Challenge: by saying “YOU MAY”
As humans, we have a natural tendency to use blaming language. When we train ourselves to think in new and healthier ways, we discover how uncomfortable blaming, living in the past and problem-centric language can be. In this session, we will talk about how to make the transition to a new, positive way of interacting that can dramatically improve interactions in your learning environment.

Presenters:
Dr. Deborah Bergeron 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 and currently serves as deputy director for Community Engagement and Innovation at NHSA.

The Ever-Evolving Search for In-Kind
2025-10-15 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Program: The Ever-Evolving Search for In-Kind
Description: Imagine if you had all the in-kind you needed! Generating in-kind can be a challenge. In this session, we will discuss the tools, techniques, and regulations of generating, calculating, and documenting non-federal matches. Make generating in-kind the responsibility of everyone in your program. We will also explore methods to plan who to ask, how to ask, and what in-kind to ask for in the community. Leave with specific goals, strategies, and tasks to bring more in-kind into your agency.
Learning Objectives: The participants will be able to:

Explore the requirements around allowable in-kind.
Determine what in-kind to request from the community.
Get tools to use when making your ask.

Price:

Regular Rate: $300
NHSA Member Rate: $250

Register Now
Search for In-Kind Presenter: Tammy Jelinek, Partner
Tammy Jelinek is a partner with over 25 years of experience working in and with federally funded nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses. She engages with leadership teams to strategically align their goals to grow. Tammy is one of our nationally recognized trainers for issues involving Head Start/Early Head Start Community Services Block Grant and Uniform Guidance regulations. She answers questions and manages content for the My Wipfli Membership Service.

Sponsored By:

Strategic Problem-Solving with AI for Head Start Leaders
2025-11-04 14:00 - 15:30 UTC
Program: Strategic Problem-Solving with AI for Head Start Leaders
Description: Today’s Head Start leaders are asked to solve complex problems with limited time and resources — balancing staffing, enrollment, fiscal pressures, and compliance, often all at once. This session is designed for directors and executive leaders who want to move beyond basic AI use and apply it to strategic thinking and systems improvement. Together, we’ll explore how AI can help you see patterns across data, test scenarios before making decisions, and design smart workflows that keep your program running smoothly. Through real Head Start examples and hands-on demonstrations, you’ll practice using AI as a thought partner — not to replace leadership judgment, but to enhance it. Participants should come ready with their AI tool of choice (such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini) to actively test prompts and problem-solve alongside peers. You’ll leave with practical prompts, examples, and strategies you can take straight into your next management or planning meeting — ready to use AI to make faster, more informed, and more confident decisions for your program.
Price:

Regular Rate: $250
NHSA Member Rate: $150

Registration is now closed
Presenters:

Carolyn Heyliger-Graham:
Carolyn is a Senior Partnership Manager at Learning Genie, bringing over 17 years of experience in the early childhood education sector. With a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Carolyn combines analytical thinking with a deep passion for education and helping Head Start and Early Childhood programs adopt innovative data solutions. Carolyn has also presented at regional, national, and state conferences, sharing early childhood insights and strategies to empower educational leaders in enhancing program outcomes and driving positive change.

Mary Grace Romo:
Mary Grace Romo is a national early childhood consultant and founder of EarlyEdPro.ai and EarlyEd.ai, sister brands that focus on innovation and capacity-building in Head Start and early education. Mary supports Learning Genie’s leadership in advancing AI-powered solutions for early learning, helping programs discover how technology can enhance data use, streamline operations, and strengthen family engagement. A former Head Start director and K–12 administrator, she brings deep expertise in program design, strategic planning, and federal grant management. Her work centers on helping agencies use technology and AI responsibly to solve complex challenges—advancing equity, efficiency, and quality for children, families, and staff.

Tackle Behaviors that Challenge: by having FUN
2025-11-04 16:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York)
Webinar Series: Tackling Behaviors that Challenge Us
Program: Tackle Behaviors that Challenge: by having FUN
Register Now
Description: All behavior is communication. Especially the behaviors that we adults find challenging. Now what can you do about it?
In this webinar series, our experts will share innovative approaches to building a trust-based classroom environment, which is the key to mitigating behaviors that challenge us. Learn practical strategies that will not only help you understand challenging interactions, they will significantly increase delightful interactions!
Join our experts as they share how to develop strong trust with the children in your care. You will learn:

how to use music and movement for joy, fun, and increased focus;
turn transitions into meaningful parts of your day;
how to inspire the desire to behave well;
and so much more!

Tackle Behaviors that Challenge: by having FUN
As a busy teacher or education manager, it may be tempting to think of fun as a “nice to have” element of teaching, but it is actually essential. For humans, joy is just as important as achievement, and adults need it just as much as children! In this session, we will share ways to have fun in your learning environment that will increase everyone’s joy, and result in a more positive experience for everyone.
Presenters:
Dr. Deborah Bergeron 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 and currently serves as deputy director for Community Engagement and Innovation at NHSA.

Nick Young has been sharing the joy and enrichment of interactive music and movement with children for over 30 years. Nick began his career as a preschool teacher and created The Young Music Company—a mobile music school for preschoolers—bringing music into the lives of thousands of children every year.

Cabinet of Wonder: The Value of Nursery Rhymes Professional Development
2025-11-05 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Program: Cabinet of Wonder: The Value of Nursery Rhymes Professional Development
Description: Why should traditional nursery rhymes still be used in early learning classrooms? While these rhymes are sometimes seen as outdated, research shows that these classic texts can be valuable teaching tools for young children. When early childhood educators facilitate thoughtful, structured discussions around them, these rhymes help create engaging and meaningful learning experiences for children.
Learning Objective: In this webinar, we’ll explore how to select historical poems and rhymes that work well in early learning environments, using research-based criteria.
REGISTER HERE!
The Value of Nursery Rhymes Presenters:
Dr. Dana L. Suskind
Dana Suskind, MD, is Founder and Co-Director of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health, Founding Director of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program, and Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, and Public Policy (affiliated) at the University of Chicago.
Natalie Merchant
Over her 40-year career, Natalie Merchant has attained a place among America’s most respected recording artists. She has earned a reputation for being a songwriter of quality and a captivating stage performer. Merchant has also distinguished herself as a social justice and environmental activist through her work with a wide-variety of non-profit organizations, performing countless benefit concerts and creating documentary films and large-scale community arts projects.
Dr. Deborah Bergeron

Best known as Dr. B, she 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 and currently serves as deputy director for Community Engagement and Innovation at NHSA.

Garden Grant Info Session for 2026 Application
2025-11-06 14:00 - 14:45 (America/New_York)
Program: Garden Grant Info Session
Description: Join us for this 45-minute webinar to learn more about the application requirements, and what a really strong application looks like. The presenters will walk through the application itself, talk about the award process, offer resources to help you plan your garden, share ideas for garden programs and answer any questions you may have about the grant or gardening with kids.
REGISTER HERE!
Garden Grant Info Session Presenter: Sarah Pounders has been active in the field of youth gardening for over 20 years. Growing up surrounded by plants instilled a deep love of gardens and the desire to share that love with others. While working toward her master’s degree in Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University, she had the opportunity to serve as a school garden coordinator and conduct research on the benefits of using school garden programs to teach nutrition. She went on to work at various botanical gardens, for Cooperative Extension in Virginia and Texas, and since 2005 as an education specialist at KidsGardening.org, coordinating numerous children’s gardens, writing curricula and activities for youth of all ages, teaching formal and informal youth education programs, and conducting teacher training sessions on integrating gardens into the classroom. Sarah also enjoys gardening at home with her two kids and volunteering with their school gardening projects.
Sponsor:
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is deeply rooted in helping create healthier communities, empowering the next generation, and preserving our planet. Its support of the National Head Start Association includes providing GroMoreGood Garden grants , garden kits, educational curriculum, and garden training available to all Head Start programs with the goal of creating more edible gardens for young children and their families. The initiative also supports the creation of green space projects—land that is partly or completely covered with grass, trees, shrubs, or other vegetation—as an option for children and the community to learn.

Head Start Works: Opportunities for States
2025-11-12 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_672GPry7RV6C842h0TXnvA
Program: Head Start Works: Opportunities for States
Description: Join Dr. Dan Wuori and Head Start leaders to explore how states can collaborate with Head Start to strengthen early childhood systems, expand access, and improve outcomes for children and families.The discussion will be based on the new report, Head Start and Early Childhood Systems: Opportunities for Policy Makers.
Purpose:

Expose Early Childhood Leaders to the report, “Head Start and Early Childhood Systems: Opportunities for Policy Makers.”
Use this webinar to amplify the convening of NHSA & state partners coming in early 2026
Begin the national dialogue with Early Childhood leaders about effective partnerships with Head Start.

REGISTER HERE!
Head Start Works Presenter:
Dr. Dan Wuori
With more than 30 years of early years leadership, Dr. Dan Wuori is the Founder and President of Early Childhood Policy Solutions, a bipartisan public policy consultancy focused on the needs of young children, their families, and the early years professionals who serve them. He serves concurrently as a Strategic Advisor on Early Childhood to the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation. In both roles – and in his prior position as the founding Director of Early Childhood at The Hunt Institute in Cary, North Carolina – Dr. Wuori works alongside governors and state legislators to improve early years policy across the United States.
But to parents the world over, Dan is known not for his policy work, but for his innovative use of social media to educate about infants and toddlers – with more than 300,000 followers tuning in to his daily video child development lessons across platforms. This work was recently profiled in The New York Times, which called his X (Twitter) account “a font of delight and edification…educational, but also – put simply – awwwww.”
His new book The Daycare Myth: What We Get Wrong About Early Care and Education (and What We Should Do About It) was released in September 2024. Upon its announcement, the book – which explores the costly disconnect between what we know and what we do when it comes to the needs of young children – spent more than a week at the top of Amazon’s education best sellers list. It is now in its seventh printing.
Dan is currently at work on a second book, Wonderment: Our First Three Years, which was recently acquired by Ballantine Books (a division of Penguin-Random House) for publication in early 2027.

Tackle Behaviors that Challenge: by teaching MINDFULNESS
2026-01-06 16:00 - 16:30 UTC
Webinar Series: Tackling Behaviors that Challenge Us
Program: Tackle Behaviors that Challenge: by teaching MINDFULNESS

Description:Every teacher wants to build a positive classroom culture of safety and trust, for children and for themselves. Turns out that is a lot easier said than done, especially when faced with behaviors that are really challenging. So, what is a well-meaning teacher to do?
In this webinar series, our experts will share innovative approaches to building a trust-based classroom environment, which is the key to mitigating behaviors that challenge us. Learn practical strategies that will not only help teachers understand challenging interactions, but also significantly increase delightful interactions!
Join our experts as they share how to develop strong trust with the children in your care. You will learn how to:

inspire the desire to behave well;
use music and movement for joy, fun, and increased focus;
turn transitions into meaningful parts of your day;
and so much more!

Tackle Behaviors that Challenge: by teaching MINDFULNESS
Managing a learning environment can be extremely stressful, especially when facing behaviors that we do not understand. We can control how we respond to those times of stress, in part, by paying attention to the way that we breathe. In this session, we will learn a simple tool that we can use to focus on and control the breath when stress is high, so we can return to calm and respond with wisdom, care, and focus.
Presenters:
Dr. Deborah Bergeron 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 and currently serves as deputy director for Community Engagement and Innovation at NHSA.

Hayes Greenfield is the founder of Creative Sound Play and the Greenfield Method. He is a professional musician and artist who has taught with the PNC Bank Grow Up Great Initiative, consulted at Bank Street Head Start and led professional development workshops and programs for the New York City Dept of Ed.

Tackle Behaviors that Challenge: by offering CHOICES
2026-03-03 16:00 - 16:30 UTC
Webinar Series: Tackling Behaviors that Challenge Us
Program: Tackle Behaviors that Challenge: by offering CHOICES

Description: Every teacher wants to build a positive classroom culture of safety and trust, for children and for themselves. Turns out that is a lot easier said than done, especially when faced with behaviors that are really challenging. So, what is a well-meaning teacher to do?
In this webinar series, our experts will share innovative approaches to building a trust-based classroom environment, which is the key to mitigating behaviors that challenge us. Learn practical strategies that will not only help teachers understand challenging interactions, but also significantly increase delightful interactions!
Join our experts as they share how to develop strong trust with the children in your care. You will learn how to:

inspire the desire to behave well;
use music and movement for joy, fun, and increased focus;
turn transitions into meaningful parts of your day;
and so much more!

Tackle Behaviors that Challenge: by offering CHOICES
When children want to learn, we can tell, because they all use the same simple tool: they start asking questions! But how often do we ask questions of them? In this session, we will explore the power of questions as a teaching tool, and share practical ways that teachers can develop a more positive and engaged learning environment by teaching less, and asking more.
Presenters:
Dr. Deborah Bergeron 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 and currently serves as deputy director for Community Engagement and Innovation at NHSA.

Ron Shuali, M.Ed. has been called the “Messiah of the Mind”, the “Behavior Master” and the “Bad Boy of Early Childhood.” His laughter filled keynotes, workshops and assemblies are always full of eye-opening experiences as audiences have multiple “Ah-HA!” moments. He is the creator of the internationally acclaimed Yogarate and Behavior Mastery systems. Ron holds a Master’s of Education specializing in Early Childhood, is a best-selling author, motivational speaker, and most importantly…He is funny. His background of martial arts, yoga, reiki, professional wrestling and improv creates hilarious and educational experiences focusing on mindfulness and connecting with fellow humans and their inner-child.
