Membership
There are two ways you can join NHSA:
- Submit an application and payment by mail to:
National Head Start Association
Attn: Membership
P.O. Box 829929
Philadelphia, PA 19182-9929
- Complete an online application and payment.
All staff, parents, and board members of Head Start programs that are NHSA members automatically receive access to member-only resources and discounts to NHSA conferences and other events. The discount is given by simply choosing the organization name during registration and if the organization is a member, the member rate will be applied. Membership also includes access to newsletters, resources, forums, and printing your membership card.
Program staff, parents, and board members of member organizations are eligible for member discounts to institues, conferences, and events.
Discounts to all professional development opportunities are a benefit from your organizations membership with NHSA. Individual membership does not qualify for discounts to our events.
There are a variety of membership types, which corespond with the cost of an NHSA membership. Specific breakdowns are listed on the membership page. Please note:
- Fees vary according to budget size and are subject to change.
- The NHSA membership is an annual membership that runs each year from July 1 through June 30. If an applicant signs up for membership in the middle of the membership term, they will only receive the months remaining in the term.
- Annual NHSA memberships are non-refundable and non-cancel-able during the membership year.
The NHSA membership is an annual membership that runs each year from July 1st through June 30th. If an applicant signs up for membership in the middle of the membership term they will only receive the months that remain in the term.
Annual NHSA memberships are non-refundable or cancel-able during the membership year.
When your membership is processed, you immediately will receive an email to set up your password and a welcome letter. You can log into My NHSA to print your membership card.
Membership cards may be printed by the individual through access to the My NHSA member portal. Agencies may input a roster of individuals they wish to receive ID cards.
To update the roster, please go to My NHSA on the nhsa.org home page. A unique name and email address is needed to receive access to the NHSA member website and a membership ID card. With a unique email address and password for My NHSA, your staff member can log into My NHSA, click Profile and then click View Membership Card. We recommend using personalized, unique email addresses for employees and not generic adresses.
Staff, parents, and board members wishing to receive a unique membership card and/or access to My NHSA, the member only area of the NHSA website, can receive these member benefits if their name and a unique email address are entered into the organization roster. An administrative staff person can manage the individuals who are on the organization roster. A priority for NHSA is to have direct contact with all senior level staff and key spokespersons (ie. Executive Directors, Director, Education Coordinator, Policy Council/Governing Body Chair) from an agency. We strongly encourage you to provide those names, titles, and email to us annually so we can keep you up-to-date.
To submit or modify your employee roster, please visit My NHSA and log in with a primary contact or program administration email and password. If you need to assign a staff member administration access to manage your roster, please contact NHSAmembership@nhsa.org or fill out this form.
An Administrative Contact is a designated staff member(s)—usually a Administrative Assistant, Secretary, Human Resources Specialist—to handle your program's clerical NHSA affairs.
Send your request to NHSAmembership@nhsa.org and include your program’s name, the name, and email address for the specified staff member.
NHSA membership benefits extends to individuals who are employed or enrolled with the agency named in the membership application. Grant recipients' membership does not extend to delegate or partner organizations. Delegate or partners organizations can secure membership benefits by paying dues directly to NHSA. Grant recipients wishing to pay for delegate or partners should contact NHSA for support.
Conferences
Staff, parents, and board members of a current organizational member are eligible to receive the discounted member rate. Please provide the organization’s NHSA Member ID or search for the Organization by typing the first word in the name, not an acronym. Please note the organization membership must be completed before the registration is initiated.
To qualify for the Early Bird or regular rate category, payment via check, credit card, or verified purchase order must be received or postmarked no later than the designated expiration date. To verify a purchase order, fax, mail or scan a copy of the purchase order and submit it to NHSA. See contact information below. Registrations without full payment by the expiration date will be changed to the next registration rate. Any registrations not paid via check, credit card or verified purchase order the week before the conference start will be changed to the late registration rate.
Credit Cards: We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.
Purchase Order: When you reach the payment page, input the PO number if you have it. If you do not yet have a PO number, enter REQUESTED in the PO number box and continue. If you need documentation to submit a PO request, print the confirmation which shows the registration and balance due. A copy of a valid P.O. must be submitted to registration services within seven (7) business days of entering the registration. When you receive the PO number, send a copy to AR2@nhsa.org, fax to (703) 739-0878 or mail to:
National Head Start Association
Department #2 (Conferences)
P.O. Box 829929
Philadelphia, PA 19182-9929
Please Note: the registration is not complete, and your seat is not guaranteed in limited enrollment sessions, until a copy of a valid Purchase Order is received by the Registration Service.
Check: To ensure timely and accurate crediting to your registration account, please include a registration number, or a copy of the registration confirmation, and make sure that checks are sent to the address below:
National Head Start Association
Department #2 (Conferences)
P.O. Box 829929
Philadelphia, PA 19182-9929
When completing the registration, please include the email address of the admin or financial contact who is responsible for authorizing the purchase and payment of the registration in the "Admin/Finance Contact" field. This email address will receive a copy of the registration.
If you do not continue through the entire registration and submit a payment via one of the methods listed above, your registration is not recorded. Please make sure to enter a payment type and click submit to ensure your registration is received.
If more than one person from the same organization is attending the conference, and will be paid for through the same payment method you have the option to add an additional person after the first registration is complete. After the details for the first attendee are entered, select the "Add Attendee" icon to enter another attendee to the group registration. When all registrants are entered, click "Continue" to move to the payment section of the registration.
Please Note: If different members of the group are paying individually (for example, with different credit cards), you must create a separate registrations for each person.
When completing the registration, please include the email address of the person attending the conference in the "Attendee Email" field. This will ensure that the person attending the conference receives the confirmation with their scheduled events listed. In addition, this will help us communicate with them during the conference if needed. It is also possible to include a cell phone for the attendee should it be needed to reach them in an emergency during the conference.
Cancellations must be received at least three weeks prior to the conference. A cancellation fee of $75 per registration or a maximum of $150 per group will be assessed. Cancellations after this deadline are not eligible for a refund, but we do offer substitutions. For details on the cancellation policy, please view our Cancellation, Substitution and Refund Policy page.
Substitutions are permitted. Notification must be received in writing. Please send the name of the original registrant and the name of the person substituting to the event email prior to the start of the conference. For the full substitution policy, please view our Cancellation, Substitution and Refund Policy page.
A number of pre-conference and limited enrollment sessions require pre-registration. Payment via verified Purchase Order, Credit Card, or Check must be received to reserve a seat in the pre-registration required events. Once a limited enrollment session or event is full, a small number of registrations will be added to a waiting list and the session marked FULL. At that time, no additional registrations will be accepted. Please make sure to submit your verified payment early to ensure registration in these sessions. General educational conference sessions do not require pre-registration and are available on a first come, first served basis.
Registration and attendance at, or participation in, NHSA conferences, meeting, events, and other activities constitutes an agreement by the registrant or attendee to give NHSA's the irrevocable right to use and distribute (both now and in the future) the registrant's or attendee's image, likeness, or voice in pictures, recordings, videotape, or film, or any part thereof, in all forms and mediums and in all manners, including composite for advertising, marketing, publication or any other lawful purposes, now known or hereafter created.
Financial
Please mail your check, along with a copy of a corresponding invoice or order, to:
National Head Start Association (NHSA)
P.O. Box 829929
Philadelphia, PA 19182-9929
Please include the reason, for instance: Membership, Annual Conference, etc.