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| Letter from FHSA President & Executive Director We trust everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July holiday and was able to enjoy all the festive celebrations being offered. While we were celebrating our independence this July 4th others in our country are still struggling everyday for theirs. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Book ranked Florida 34th overall for its measures of childhood well-being among the 50 states. 2.2 million working families in our state still struggle to afford basic needs like housing, food, and transportation, according to United Way’s 2017 ALICE report. That is why it is imperative we visit with our Legislators, invite them to our programs to see first hand the important role Head Start makes in the lives of the children and families we serve by providing not just early childhood education but comprehensive programs like health, nutrition, and parent involvement. FHSA will host our Directors Group quarterly meeting July 17 in Tampa along with a FHSA Board of Directors meeting. Check out our calendar of events web-page for more details about these meetings plus others. We are also preparing to unveil our new web-site and database. Once the conversion is complete members will receive an email with their log-in credentials. Stay tuned. FHSA values its members and considers it a privilege to recognize Head Start programs and leaders who epitomize commitment and excellence in our state. This year, FHSA will award Parent of the Year, Teacher of the Year, Executive Director of the Year and Program of the Year. Check out FHSA Awards section below for application details and deadlines. Did you know you can donate to FHSA by simply shopping? Amazon's fourth-annual Prime Day is coming up on Tuesday, July 17 and will feature one-of-a-kind deals exclusively for Prime members. This is one of the biggest shopping days of the year and when you shop at smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate to Florida Head Start Association Inc. In partnership,
Louis A. Finney, Jr. Wanda Minick
FHSA President FHSA Executive Director
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| Introducing the Director of the Office of Head Start The Office of Head Start new Director Dr. Deborah Bergeron invites you to tune in for information pertaining to School Readiness and how Head Start continues to work and assist child’s transition into kindergarten. This video message will air Monday, July 9, 2018 at 10 a.m. ET. Dr. Bergeron will expand on the dimension of school readiness to ensure our most vulnerable children arrive in kindergarten presenting exemplary school readiness skills. This video message will be available for on-demand viewing at this website. Click to read OHS notice in its entirety. Check out the National Center of Early Childhood Health and Wellness New and Improved Brush Up on Oral Health Page Explore the newly redesigned Brush Up on Oral Health webpage to go beyond the monthly e-blast and access earlier tip sheets, organized by topic. Head Start staff will discover oral health best practices and practical tips for promoting good oral health to share with parents. Each tip sheet includes a recipe for a healthy snack that can be made in the classroom or at home.
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News from the National Level Join NHSA in Louisville, Kentucky for their Manager and Director Academy July 9-12, 2018 for a 4-day journey through the Head Start grant cycle.
This peer-learning environment will bring together Head Start practitioners from across the country to break down what it takes to align your program services with your five-year grant, develop leadership skills that support all staff and their professional development, and use data to tell your program’s story. In-conjunction with this event, NHSA will be hosting its third annual Early Childhood Innovation Summit July 9-11, 2018. Join the HeadStarter Network and leaders from the early learning community to explore using virtual reality to train staff remotely, to taking a field trip to outer space through augmented reality, and using robots to teach socioemotional learning. Click to learn more about these events and registration details. The Family First Prevention Services Act was signed into law as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act on February 9, 2018. This act reforms the federal child welfare financing streams, Title IV-E and Title IV-B of the Social Security Act, to provide services to families who are at risk of entering the child welfare system. The bill aims to prevent children from entering foster care by allowing federal reimbursement for mental health services, substance use treatment, and in-home parenting skill training. It also seeks to improve the well-being of children already in foster by incentivizing states to reduce placement of children in congregate care.
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Child Care Disaster Response and Recovery Webinar Series In the Fall of 2017, Child Care Aware® of America’s emergency preparedness team launched an all new Disaster Response and Recovery Webinar Series to help meet CCR&R staff needs. The webinar series introduced CCR&Rs to partnering organizations who serve in a response/recovery capacity and will provide an overview of resources available to children and families. The webinar series is also designed to help CCR&R organizations better understand their role after disasters.
Since then, many of our webinars have expanded to include topics for child care providers. (Note: Child care providers are encouraged to check with their state training approval system to see if trainings delivered through webinar can be used for annual training requirements.) Click here to access information on their upcoming and archived webinars.
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State, Regional and National Awards being AcceptedAs the state association for Head Start, one of our primary responsibilities is to recognize individual achievements making notable and significant contributions and to honor the leaders of our sector and association.
This year, FHSA will award the following below at the state level. To be considered for a FHSA award we will utilize the applications received from the Region IV Head Start Association (RIVHSA) nominations.
Parent of the Year (RIVHSA Parent of the Year application)
Teacher of the Year (RIVHSA Teacher of the Year application)
Executive Director of the Year (RIVHSA Administrator of the Year application)
Join us in recognizing the achievements of your families, staff and colleagues by nominating them for a FHSA industry award. Visit our webpage for deadline details.
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| Florida lawmakers file bill to end family separation at U.S. border
...Florida lawmakers, along with 190 other House Democrats, filed a bill Tuesday to end the Trump Administration's policy to separate migrant children from their parents at our country's border. Local Represent...Read More.
(Orlando Weekly)
Report: Potential 2020 Census Undercount Could Harm Florida Children
...Following statewide expansions of insurance programs, more kids than ever have access to health care, according to the latest Florida Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. But the report’s...Read More.
(WUSF)
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How Data Helped Head Start Centers Tackle a 'No Show' Problem What do you do when you build a preschool class—but many of the children never show up?
That's what happened at the Head Start program overseen by the Community Action Project of Tulsa in Oklahoma, or CAP Tulsa for short. In September 2016, 135 preschoolers—fully 20 percent of the programs Head Start population—never appeared at the start of the school year, even though their parents had enrolled them.
CAP Tulsa, as it has often done in the past, turned to data both to figure out the problem and devise a solution. And in doing so, it provided an example of how all of Head Start's 1,600 grantees are now expected to infuse data into their decision making and continuous-improvement processes. Read More.
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Missed the monthly Director's call on June 20, 2018? No worries, click here to view webinar recording. Download agenda and handout.
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| Calling All Head Start, Early Head Start and Child Care Partners! Feel like your missing out? Sign up to join Florida Head Start and the Florida Collaboration Office joint on-line Community! Our on-line collaborative community is designed to connect Head Start, Early Head Start and Child Care Partner professionals to share resources, offer up ideas & suggestions and it is your direct access to information shared by Florida's Head Start Collaboration Office (HSSCO) and the Florida Head Start Association Office (FHSA). Be one of the first 100 to join FL HS-EHS Community and entered into a raffle drawing for a $50 gift card.
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| A rule workshop on Rule 6M-8.301 Standard Statewide Provider Contract for the VPK Program will take place at the following dates and times below, or until business is concluded, whichever is earlier:
July 18, 2018, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. or until business is concluded, whichever is earlier. The location will be the Hilton Tampa Downtown, 211 N Tampa St., Tampa, Florida 33602, Room: Palma Ceia I.
July 24, 2018, from 3 to 4 p.m. or until business is concluded, whichever is earlier. The workshop will take place via webinar. Click here to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
The preliminary text of the proposed rule development is not available at this time. A copy will be posted on the OEL website prior to the workshop.
Written comments on the proposed rule may be submitted to OEL.Rules@oel.myflorida.com. All emails should have “6M-8.301 Comment” in the subject line.
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| What's Happening Around the State The Florida Times Union by Dr. Christine Cauffield The Florida Times-Union deserves praise for its recent editorial “The massive impact of suicide.”
Florida remains ranked 50th nationally for mental health funding, despite the fact that our state’s suicide rates continue to rise each year.
As one of the state’s largest providers of state-funded behavioral health services, Lutheran Services of Florida joins the Times-Union’s call for increased state funding on services and education for vulnerable Floridians.
We also appreciate the Florida Legislature for recently dedicating an additional $69 million toward mental health needs in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting.
It is crucial that we remain focused on the links between suicide, mental health and substance abuse.
Ready for school, prepared for life
The Weekly Challenger by Frank Dr, Staff Writer
ST. PETERSBURG – Last month, the Pinellas County Annual Head Start Advantage held its Annual Awards and Awareness Luncheon, presented by Lutheran Services Florida, at the Coliseum. This yearly event is a report on the progress of their programs.
Founded as a summer program in 1965 to aid children of low-income households, Head Start and Early Head Start programs today serve over a million children nationwide. They aim to provide comprehensive services to children ages and social services for their families. Le Jardin Early Learning Academy hosted a field day which was part of their end-of-year celebration. Center 5 held a field day in cooperation with the Family Literacy grant participants. The purpose of the event was to teach parents and children about team building, sportsmanship, and competing in a fun way. Children raced, ran through an obstacle course, cooperated with a sponge toss, and tried their skill in a tug-of-war competition. There’s no great secret to teaching sportsmanship. We’re the adults and the kids are watching. Set the example, and the “ducklings” will follow. Everyone received a “Way to Go” ribbon and ate fresh fruit prepared by parents at the end of the event. Click to read more about Le Jardin Early Learning Academy.
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Make plans NOW to join the One Goal Summer Conference on July 18-20 in Tampa at the Hilton Tampa Downtown Hotel.
Keynote speaker, Dr. John Hodge, a passionate, informative, inspirational speaker who will leave you with a sense of renewal and excitement. Dr. Debbie Silver, closing General Session keynote speaker, a motivating, high energy speaker, whose presentations are described as “where learning collides with laughter” as she addresses both the art and heart of teaching. You will leave energized!
There will also be 96 exciting and educational presentations!
Registration for the conference is only $75 per person and made possible by so many generous sponsors who work hard to keep our costs low so that everyone can benefit. Click the links below for additional conference information.
Register for the One Goal Summer Conference
Download the One Goal Conference Brochure
Download the Conference Schedule for a Listing of Workshops
Make your hotel reservations early to guarantee availability and conference rates. The last two years has sold out prior to cutoff date.
Make a Hotel Reservation Hilton Tampa Downtown
If you have any questions or need assistance registering, please do not hesitate to call the Conference office at (850) 893-6270.
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| FLAEYC Annual Conference September 5-9, 2018 The Florida Association for the Education of Young Children (FLAEYC) is planning an exciting conference line-up for the annual conference to be held September 5-9, 2018 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando. The overall theme for the conference is "Best Practices in Early Learning/or Florida's Children." FLAEYC pre-conference events Wednesday, September 5th -Thursday, September 6th that may interest Head Start early childhood educators. To view detailed information about these sessions, click here.
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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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| | Don't forget... Follow FHSA on Twitter and Like us on Facebook!
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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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