Campaigns to speak up about Head Start play an important role in raising the public’s awareness about critical Head Start issues and influencing the local and national leaders who decide policies that affect the 800,000 children and families Head Start and Early Head Start serve.

The NHSA Champions Hall of Fame honors the Head Start and Early Head Start programs and staff whose advocacy efforts were top performers, leading the nation in our recent campaigns.

2024

🏆 Parents Want a Strong Head Start Campaign

May – June, 2024

Programs gathered parent and caregiver signatures for a letter to President Joe Biden about the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM).

Small Program Category (1-350 seats)*

1. 🌟 West River Head Start, North Dakota 🌟 – Grand Prize Winner
2. Young Families Early Head Start, Montana
3. Community Action Partnership Head Start, North Dakota
4. Carbon County Child Development Programs, Inc., Wyoming
5. Hoosier Uplands Head Start, Indiana
6. STEP Inc. Early Head Start and Head Start, Virginia
7. Clinton County Community Action Program, Inc., Ohio
8. Bois Forte Reservation Tribal Council, Minnesota
9. Wright County Community Action, Inc., Minnesota
10. Woonsocket Head Start Child Development Association, Inc, Rhode Island
11. Institute of Community Services, Inc., Head Start, Missouri
12. MATURA Head Start, Iowa
13. LULAC Head Start, Inc., Connecticut
14. Muskogee County Head Start Program, Oklahoma
15. Families in Partnership Early Head Start, Montana

Medium Program Category (350 – 1,000 seats)*

1. 🌟 Central Texas 4C, Inc., Texas 🌟 – Grand Prize Winner
2. Crossroads Youth & Family Services, Inc., Oklahoma
3. Head Start of Lane County, Oregon
4. Sheltering Arms, Georgia
5. New York Foundling, Puerto Rico
6. South Shore Community Action Council, Inc., Massachusetts
7. Albina Head Start, Oregon
8. Wyoming Child & Family Development, Inc., Wyoming
9. Black River Area Development Corporation, Arkansas
10. Fairfax County Office for Children, Virginia
11. Head Start of Washington County, Inc., Maryland
12. BHK Child Development Board, Michigan
13. Gateway Community Action Head Start, Kentucky
14. Children First, Inc., Florida
15. Kankakee School District 111, Illinois

Large Program Category (More than 1,000 seats)*

1. 🌟 Friends of Children of Mississippi, Inc., Mississippi 🌟 – Grand Prize Winner
2. 4C Head Start, Florida
3. BakerRipley, Texas
4. Step Forward, Ohio
5. Utah Community Action, Utah
6. Cardinal McCloskey School & Home for Children, New York
7. Neighbors In Need of Services, Inc.(NINOS, Inc.), Texas
8. Acelero Learning Camden/Philadelphia Inc., Pennsylvania
9. Community Partnership for Child Development (CPCD), Colorado
10. Southwest Human Development, Head Start and Early Head Start, Arizona
11. Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, Michigan
12. Episcopal Children’s Services, Inc., Florida
13. Greater Bergen Community Action, Inc., New Jersey
14. Total Community Action, Inc., Louisiana
15. Community Action Council, Kentucky

* slots are defined by funded enrollment in the 2022-2023 PIR

Top Five States**

🌟 Wyoming, Virginia, Oregon, Utah, and Mississippi 🌟

**States collected the largest number of signatures relative to their number of Head Start/Early Head Start slots

🏆 2024 Head Start Champions All Stars

September, 2024

Individuals were recognized for their impactful efforts championing Head Start at NHSA’s 2024 Fall Leadership Institute.

🌟 Kim Dodd

Director of Children’s Services
Community Action Partnership of North Alabama, Alabama

Recognized for her tireless outreach to Rep. Aderholt. As Chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Aderholt is critical to NHSA’s work, and her ongoing outreach, including Kim’s letter outlining the critical need for Quality Improvement Funding to address deferred maintenance and repair issues

🌟 Latisha Howze

Executive Director
Higher Horizons, Virginia

Recognized for her tireless advocacy efforts, including her remarks at the Pre-K & Child Care Caucus Congressional staff briefing on Capitol Hill and for helping launch the Head Start to Congress Caucus by bringing kids, parents and caregivers to the launch event at the Capitol.

🌟 Erin Lyons

Chief Executive Officer
Child-Parent Centers, Arizona

Recognized for her invaluable assistance in developing the Outside Witness Testimony submitted to the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, and for sending a letter to Rep. Juan Ciscomani on the need for Quality Improvement Funding to address deferred maintenance and repair issues.

🌟 NIÑOS Parent Policy Council

NIÑOS Head Start, Texas

Recognized for their amazing work on Dollar Per Child, which supports NHSA’s advocacy efforts on behalf of Head Start’s children, families, and staff, along with all the communities served by Head Start.

🌟 Katie Quigley

Early Head Start Director
Child Development Resources, Virginia

Recognized for her invaluable assistance in translating the open letter to President Biden on the future of Head Start that preceded the Administration’s Final Rule Supporting the Head Start Workforce and Consistent Quality Programming into Spanish. Her work on this critical advocacy effort helped NHSA reach our goal of 25,000 signatures from parents and caregivers.