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Letter from FHSA President & Executive Director As we begin the month of February, we are faced with yet again a potential government shut down. Negotiations continue as the house plans to vote on short-term bill to keep operations open through March 22. We will have to wait and see what happens. The good news that came out of the first shut down was Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was reauthorized for another 6 years. What does that mean? Over 100,000 children in Florida will gain access to healthcare. In Florida, session has reached its midpoint and things are progressing. The proposed 2018-2019 state budget was passed by the full appropriations Committees in both chambers. The proposed Senate budget SB 2500 is $87.3 billion and the House plan HB 5001 is $87.2 billion. While there are some differences in these bills, one of interest is the Senate proposing to cut Healthy Families of Florida funding by $865,713 whereas the house bills remains fully funded. The House and Senate will continue to work out those differences this week. The Florida Legislature are also hearing bills relating to children and families. Check them out in our Legislative Activities at the State Level. In case you missed it, last week we announced Florida's new Head Start State Collaboration Director Nacole Guyton. Ms. Guyton comes to us by way of Broward County Public Schools. She holds a bachelor’s in early childhood education, a master’s in instructional technology, and an education specialist in reading education from Georgia Southern University. Ms. Guyton has extensive management, administrative, and programmatic experience working with Head Start, Early Head Start, and prekindergarten programs at various levels. Click to read the full release.
FHSA 2018 Conference & Expo, Creating Connections | Enhancing Lives is around the corner. We hope you are making plans to join us April 16-19 in Orlando, FL. Check out registration details below. Last Friday, the association signed on to NHSA Comments on the Designation Renewal System. In early December, the Office of Head Start released a request for comment to gather input on the way that the Classroom Scoring and Assessment System (CLASS) is used in the Designation Renewal System (DRS). Since the request for comment was released, NHSA began to gather the best ideas from around the country and shared drafts for feedback. Now is the time to show a unified voice and waive in support of these changes. Deadline is today! Click to sign on. In partnership, Louis A. Finney, Jr. Wanda Minick
FHSA President FHSA Executive Director
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| On January 19, 2018 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start issued a Federal Register Alert Head Start center-based service duration requirements; Waiver.
Effective January 19, 2018 the Secretary exercises his authority to waive the August 1, 2019 Head Start center-based service duration requirements, effectively lowering this requirement from 50 percent to 0 percent. However, the requirement that Early Head Start programs provide 1,380 annual hours of planned class operations for all center-based enrollment by August 1, 2018 remains in effect. Click to view web version.
The National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program (Child Nutrition Programs), which are administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), play a critical role in ensuring that America's children have access to the nutritious food they need to learn and succeed in the classroom, afterschool, and during the summer. It is FNS' responsibility to establish and support the meal patterns and nutrition standards (collectively referred to as meal patterns) in the Child Nutrition Programs that advance the goals of providing nutritious and satisfying meals to a broad population of children. At the same time, FNS works to simplify the menu planning process for Program operators to promote the efficient use of Program funds and provide a wide variety of food choices to menu planners and children. Click to view web version.
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| Planning FHSA 2018 Conference & Expo is well underway. Our exhibit hall officially has sold out. Thank you to everyone supporting FHSA. Don't forget... we are putting the final touches on our educational line up. Creating Connection | Enhancing Lives back at the newly renovated DoubleTree by Hilton at the Entrance of Unviversal Orlando April 16-19. We hope to see you there! REGISTER TODAY & SAVE!
Regular registration rates are valid now through February 23, 2018. Book now to lock in this price before they increase.
Member Rate: $325/per person Non-Member Rate: $425/per person
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Hotel Information
FHSA room block is available first-come, first-serve. Reservations made after the Thursday, March 15, 2018 deadline or after the room block is at capacity are not eligible for the discounted group rate.
Group Discounted Rate from: $121 /per night++
Standard Rooms 2 Queen Beds; Non-Smoking
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando
5780 Major Blvd. | Orlando, Florida 32819
Tel: +1-407-351-1000
Fax: +1-407-363-0106
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FHSA Thanks Our 2018 Corporate Partners & Sponsors Gold Level
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News from the National Level NHSA hosted its annual Winter Leadership Institute (WLI), in Washington D.C. January 22- 25, 2018. The Institute tackled some tough conversations plaguing Head Start programs around the State like opioid addiction, reauthorization, CLASS condition in the Designation Renewal System (DRS), and workforce challenges. To see what you missed, click to view presentations.
Attendees also had an opportunity to visit with Congressional members and staff on Wednesday. A total of 170 meetings on Capitol Hill were conducted driving home the important message to ensure every vulnerable child and family across the nation have the tools to succeed in life and how Head Start can make that a reality. During the breakfast, NHSA recognized eight Senators for their continued support of Head Start with their 2018 PROMISE (Protecting Our Most Important Students Early) Award. NHSA awarded Senators Tammy Baldwin (WI), Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Maggie Hassan (NH), Joe Manchin (WV), Rob Portman (OH), Marco Rubio (FL), Tim Scott (SC), and Jon Tester (MT). Click here to view press release.
Below are photos shared with us by Lutheran Services of Florida HS/EHS Duval County team on their day at the Hill during WLI. The photo on the far right is Congressman Al Lawson office with art work on display by an LSF student.
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Have you joined FHSA Head Start / Early Head Start peer to peer network FHSA created these peer to peer networks on the MyPeers platform to provide linkage for Head Start and Early Head directors, staff, teachers, family service workers to share best practices, resources and to learn from your peers. How to join! If you are not already a member of MyPeers, you will need to register first. If you are a member of MyPeers, find the Florida Head Start and/or Early Head community under "All Communities" and select the blue "Join" button.
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| I am so excited to begin this new journey as the Florida HSCO Director! My life’s work has been dedicated to ensuring that early learners receive a high quality education. Starting my career as a kindergarten teacher laid the foundation for my career in early learning. I soon realized that to truly feed my passion for early childhood education, I had to extend beyond my classroom and serve children in several different capacities. In my career, I have had the honor of serving children at the county, state, and regional level. These experiences in leadership, management, and business in multi-faceted organizations served to shape my perspective on early learning - a perspective I use to enrich children’s lives. To that end, I am excited about the opportunity to serve the entire state of Florida. In this role, I have the opportunity to positively impact the lives of many children and their families in this pro-early learning environment.
It is an exciting time for Head Start programs and state childcare organizations nationwide! The emphasis on early learning is continuously gaining momentum and advancing research highlights the importance of a high-quality early educational experience for children ages birth to five. Keeping the priorities of the Office of Head Start and the state Office of Early Learning in the forefront, we have the opportunity to set the footprint for thousands of children’s future academic successes. Through existing partnerships and new collaborations, the concentration of this office will remain on high quality service delivery while maintaining a focus on:
- High quality, evidence-based School Readiness practices
- Effective practices to ensure a successful Transition from one learning environment to the next
- Continuous program improvement through high-quality Professional Development
- Research-based cultural and linguistic literacy strategies for Dual Language Learners
- Comprehensive service delivery for Infant and Toddler settings
- Partnerships that provide resources, materials, and training in Family Services to promote family well-being
- Science informed Health Services
We must position our children for success by offering incredible learning opportunities! It will take all of us working in tandem to ensure that all children in Florida are successful. Nacole Guyton
Head Start State Collaboration Director
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SB 1254 by Sen. Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples) and its House companion HB 1091 by Rep. Erin Grall (R-Vero Beach) seek to reinforce and strengthen accountability measures in the publicly funded School Readiness program. The bills also restore local flexibility in determining eligibility so that early learning coalitions can prioritize children at greatest risk of school failure within communities. SB 1254 was reported favorably by the Education Committee on January 29th and will be heard in the Judiciary Committee on February 6th. HB 1091 awaits action in the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee. (Florida Children's Council Capitol Connection)
A bill relating to Early Learning Coalitions, SB 1532, was filed by Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland) with the House companion, HB 1175 by Rep. Jennifer Sullivan (R-Eustis) that authorizes an early learning coalition to terminate a contract with School Readiness program providers for a Class I Health and Safety Violation. SB 1532 was reported favorably by the Education Committee on January 29th. HB 1175 was reported favorably by the Education Committee on January 25th and has been placed on the House floor on second reading. (Florida Children's Counil Capitol Connection) Click to read the full list of bills relating to children and families. (Florida Children's Counil Capitol Connection)
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What's Happening Around the State
Eighteen Florida Head Start/Early Head Start Leaders and Parents attend NHSA Winter Leadership Institute of Washington D.C. last month. The feedback we received from their meetings with Congressional leaders and their staff were very positive. Below are some more photos shared from their visits.
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Evans Head Start Press would like to shine the spotlight on Ms. Shelia Hall. In the pursuit of excellence and the determination to become knowledgeable concerning child development, Ms. Shelia Hall began taking ECE courses at Orlando Tech back in 2011. She chose the Head Start program to do her internship. She started at Callahan Head Start because it was closest to Orlando Tech.
She was under the direction of the Center Manager, Mrs. Alexis. She was placed in Mrs. Rosario’s classto learn the ins and outs of Head Start. After graduation, in June 2012, Ms. Hall sought out employment with Orange CountyHead Start but they were fully staffed at the time. She was later notified she could become an “On call sub” until a teaching position became available. She did just that. Ms. Hall was then transferred to Frontline, where she only relieved for breaks. She was then transferred from Frontline to Washington Shores at the Hope where she continued to work “On call". Later that year, a position for Teacher Assistant. Click to read more.
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Children's Week 2018 is officially in the books. Over 5,000 children, parents, advocates, teachers, and communities came together at Florida Capitol and celebrated children and families while educating Legislators on the diverse needs of Florida’s most vulnerable children and families.
FHSA participated with a table alongside the State Collaboration office to raise awareness of Florida Head Start/Early Head programs. The hanging of the hands tradition continued. Hands made from children all over Florida were sent to decorate the rotunda of the Capitol for the week.
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Are you hirinig? Submit your job posting to FHSA to ensure you attract the top applicants in state. This is a free member benefit.
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To enhance and support the capability of local Head Start programs
in the delivery of high quality services for our children and families.
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