June 10, 2020

Click to View A Chronicle of Head Start's 55-Year History

June 02, 2020

“More than ever, communities in Indiana are depending on their local Head Start programs–for early childhood education, absolutely–but also for so much more.” That’s what Rhett Cecil, the newly appointed Executive Director of the Indiana Head Start Association, recently said when discussing the myriad of creative solutions that Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Indiana have implemented to support the children and families served by the programs across the state of Indiana during the COVID-19 crises.

May 14, 2020

Please join us on Monday, May 18 at 3:00 pm EDT to kick off our celebration of Head Start’s 55th anniversary.  To honor this milestone, NHSA is launching an anniversary campaign to pay tribute to the impact Head Start has had on millions of lives and to celebrate the unlimited future legacy of Head Start’s current children and families. 

April 15, 2020

Indiana Head Start Association 

Newsletter April 2020 

March 09, 2020

Attached are the registration forms as well as, the agenda for the Head Start Director & Program Management Conference in July!

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Our annual membership meeting will also be held at this conference – please try to attend! You can begin registering at the Early Bird rate NOW!!!

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The IHSA Conference & Training Committee has worked hard to secure speakers from all over the US to present at this conference and we have some great workshops lined up as well as the Opening Session by Tommy Sheridan with NHSA!!

Also, watch for info coming soon from Christine Garza (Early Learning Indiana) on how to participate in the Dollar Per Child fundraiser at this Conference! Dollar Per Child has succeeded in securing COLA  (cost of living allowance) funds as well as, program improvement dollars for the upcoming school years! If you don’t know about Dollar Per Child – go to NHSA.org and search Dollar Per Child! Everyone should support Dollar Per Child as if their job depends on it……………because it does!!

March 09, 2020

Good Afternoon Indiana Head Start Association Southern Cluster Friends,

First of all, I want to thank all the programs in the Southern Cluster for paying their 2020 IHSA Membership Dues!

Southern Cluster is at 100% membership!  (IHSA is at 92% membership for all programs in the State!)

Thank you, Directors, for paying so quickly!!!

Secondly, please remember the 2 day Cluster event in Jeffersonville in April!

Last I knew registration was very limited for sign up soon if you want to participate!

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February 21, 2020

Hello IHSA Southern Cluster Friends,

We have been approached with an opportunity for a FREE Professional Development Opportunity!

Playworks has received a grant from the Indiana Department of Health to offer a FREE two-day

training in 3 locations in the State and Jeffersonville was selected for our area!  The training will

be on positive outcomes and social/emotional skill growth using tools and methods

derived through play!

Registration was limited to 50 participants and only 10 spots remain!

Please see the attached flyer for more info and ACT FAST if your program is interested because this information will be released to other childcares, public school preschools, First Steps providers and others in the Early Childhood arena next week.  They are opening it up to us FIRST!

Have a great Friday!

February 07, 2020

The following programs have paid their 2020 membership dues:

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• Area Five Agency on Aging and Community Services, Inc.

• Carey Services, Inc.

• Community Action of East Central Indiana, Inc.

• Community Action of Northeast Indiana, Inc.

• Community Action Program Inc. of Western Indiana

• CAPE – Community Action Program of Evansville

• Early Learning Indiana, Inc.

• Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community School District

• Hamilton Center, Inc.

• Interlocal Community Action Program, Inc.

• Marshall Starke Development Center, Inc.

• Ohio Valley Opportunities, Inc.

• Southeastern Indiana Economic Opportunity Corp.

• Cardinal Services

• Community Care in Union County, Inc.

• South Central Community Action Program, Inc.

• Hoosier Uplands EDC. Head Start

• KIRPC

• Fremont Community Schools

• Lincoln Hills Development Corp.

• Geminus

• Floyd County Birth to 5

• Kokomo Schools

• Tri-Cap

• Human Services, Inc.

• Bona Vista

• Marion Community Schools

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As of 1/30/2020, 

• Telamon

• Fayette County School Corp.

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As of 2/7/2020,

• Community & Family Services, Inc.

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As of 2/21/2020

• CASI (Community Action of Southern Indiana)

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As of 2/26/2020

• Pathfinder Services

• Elkhart and St. Joe Consortium

December 10, 2019

2020 Census PSA: How Will 2020 Census Data be Used?

December 10, 2019

2020 Census PSA: Is My 2020 Census Data Safe?

December 10, 2019

2020 Census: What is the Census?

August 30, 2019

Greetings IHSA Members!

It gives me great pleasure to share with you information regarding our Fall Home Visitor Conference! We think this year’s conference will be a fantastic learning and networking opportunity for those programs that provide home-based programming. I’ve had the privilege of sending my program Home Visitors in the past and they always come back feeling enriched and excited about using the information they received. I highly recommend every program who has home visitors to consider sending them to this event!

Attached is the registration packet for the upcoming Home Visitor Conference. The packet includes the following:

1. Registration Materials

2. Agenda with sessions outlined, and

3. Accommodation’s information

I hope you will take advantage of this conference. I included the at-a-glance details below:

Head Start/Early Head Start Home Visitor’s Conference

October 23rd and October 24th, 2019

Embassy Suites North at 3912 Vincennes Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268

If you have any specific questions regarding the Home Visitor’s Conference, please reach out to: Ms. Kris Mathews at kmathews@hoosieruplands.org  

We hope to see you and your Home Visitors there!

August 13, 2019

IHSA Address Update. 

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IHSA has a new address! Please send any correspondences to the following address:

500 W Main Street

Mitchell, Indiana 47446 

June 25, 2019

The IHSA would like to give a huge thank you and congratulations to Cheryl A. Miller on her recent retirement as Executive Director. She has served in this position for over 17 years and was an active part of the Board for many years prior to that.

Cheryl is a passionate advocate for our low-income Head Start children and families and has worked to assure that their voices have been heard. She is a firm believer in Head Start and has never swayed from being one of our champions.

We wish Cheryl the best of all things as she moves into a "life of leisure"! Congratulations, Cheryl! On behalf of our membership, we thank you for your unending dedication!

June 20, 2019

​Kokomo High School’s senior graduates. All of these students were Head Start students!

April 29, 2019

This is a success story of a past HS child in the Area Five program

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Meet Scarlett Gonzalez, 18 yrs. old.

She is an Area Five Agency Head Start student who will be graduating high school this year in the top ten of her class as an academic honors student.

She will be one of the first in her family to attend college.

Scarlett was just awarded the Daughters of American Revolution Good Citizenship Award.

Her extra activities include Book Club, Logansport Children’s Choir, and Logansport Winter Percussions Ensemble.

She founded a new student club called Students Speak. This new group of students volunteered for an adoption event at the local Humane Society,

organized a “March for Our Lives” gun control event in our town, participated in the Women’s March in Indy, spoke this year in Indianapolis at their Climate Strike, 

and spoke at a local rally for children of immigration last summer.

Scarlett hopes these experiences will help her on her journey to earning a bachelor's degree, and an eventual master’s degree, at New York University this fall,

where she will be majoring in Public Policy and Environmental Studies. 

She also hopes to one day start a non-profit business that will help others.

Her father joined her in the interview. They added that her big brother also attended our Head Start program here and is also attending college.

They appreciate that children get a “Head Start” on education in our community.

Scarlett has even agreed to help give back to the Head Start children by helping them with their preschool garden this summer.

Please join Area Five Agency and Head Start in congratulating Scarlett on her academic accomplishments and on her good citizenship success.

March 26, 2019

A Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) to remove the requirement for all Head Start programs to serve 100 percent of their preschool center-based children for a full-school day and full school year (1,020 annual hours) by Aug. 1, 2021 was published in the Federal Register today, March, 26, 2019.

March 22, 2019

It’s an exciting time of year! March Madness is officially in full swing, and no, we’re not talking about college basketball. We’re talking about the federal appropriations season. 

So, what is the federal appropriations season, and why should the Head Start community care?

And—most importantly—how can you add your voice right now to the call for more funding from Congress to support Head Start?

Read NHSA’s latest blog post, “The Importance of Increasing Head Start Funding,” for answers to these questions and more.

Or you can take action immediately to tell your member of Congress to support Head Start!

March 20, 2019

Two weeks ago, Congressman Steve Stivers (R – OH 15th) authored a letter to the Ranking Members of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate LHHS Subcommittee, Committee on Appropriations.  The letter included the request to “continue to prioritize robust funding for Head Start.”  It also included a focus on the positive impact of Head Start, the immediate and long-term outcomes of Head Start, and information about the effective Head Start model.

Cheryl Miller contacted our Indiana lawmakers to request that they consider signing on to the letter.  We are pleased to let you know that Representative Susan Brooks (R, IN – 5) has signed on to the letter.  (We told you last week that Rep. Walorski has also signed it.) We hope others may.  Both of these Congresswomen signed on to a letter last year.

We want to express our appreciation to those of you whose programs are in her district and who have made contact with her.  We also want to thank Rep. Brooks for her support.

March 13, 2019

President Trump’s proposed budget was released on Monday.  “A Budget for a Better America.  Promised Kept.  Taxpayers First” is a picture of where the priorities for the current administration are.  Below is a link to the report on the budget:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/budget-fy2020.pdf.

Head Start is mentioned on page 48 – “The Budget maintains funding for Head Start and the Child Care Development Block Grant at HHS.”

Currently, the line item for Head Start is about $10.3 billion.

** Please note that the National Head Start Association is promoting an ASK of $11.1 billion.  The number one priority of this funding increase should be an investment in the workforce.  There would also be a focus on Quality Improvement Funds.  How does this all transfer to support for children, families, and staff?  NHSA has specifically focused on issues such as Mental Health Consultants, trauma-informed practices, and additional staffing because of challenging behaviors in the classroom (including a third full-time person in the class).

Last week, Cheryl Miller, Executive Director for IHSA contacted our lawmakers to let them know what we would like to see happen to Head Start funding.  Several sent back the form to complete as to appropriations.

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If you are so inclined, it would be helpful to have you contact them as well, to discuss some of the challenges you are facing in your programs.  If you do so, please let Cheryl Miller know.

Thanks.

October 30, 2018

Pace Community Action Center in Vincennes had a visit from Senator Todd Young this month. They were able to share information about their school readiness goals, how they were created, how they track and measure them. In addition they explained the health, dental, immunization benefits of our program. They shared information about all of the programs and services that Pace offers. When talking about our program he said, “You are awesome!”

Attached is a photo from the visit and the information that was shared.

August 24, 2018

Good news from the Senate as it passes its 2019 FY funding package.  The bill includes a $250 million increase for Head Start – this would be a $215 million increase in “workforce development” and a $35 million investment in duration.

Please remember that the House has not passed their bill yet, and their proposal is less - $50 million total. 

Keep your eyes on developments as they move toward passing the funding package in its entirety.

August 22, 2018

The Indiana Head Start Association and the Indiana Head Start State Collaboration Office are pleased to offer this training opportunity to you.   We believe that we have put together an outstanding agenda.  Please review the registration packet for information about the event.  The registration form may be completed and returned to me. 

*** Please note:  If you wish to use a credit card for payment, you will need to go through Eventbrite.  There will be an additional processing fee per attendee of $11.81.  Here is the link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/facing-the-crisis-gaining-understanding-of-the-challenges-of-drug-addiction-and-families-tickets-48920541657

Please note that the deadline for registration is September 14.  The deadline for reservations for the Embassy Suites has been changed to August 27.  (Hotel information is included in the registration  materials.)

We hope to see you at this training event, as we try to provide support and information about this critical issue.

Thank you.

Cheryl A. Miller, Executive Director

Indiana Head Start Association

1845 W. 18th St.

Indianapolis, IN  46202

317-916-0810

camiller@incap.org

317-916-0810

August 21, 2018

Greetings Indiana Head Start and Early Head Start Family! 

This is an exciting time for Indiana’s Head Start Association. To date we have every Head Start and Early Head Start program in the state signed up as active member of IHSA. In addition, we have filled all of IHSA Board of Directors positions with the exception of the following:

1.      1-EHS Staff Representative

2.      1-Community Representative

3.      1-Parent Representative to Region V

4.      1-Parent Representative to the IHSA Board

Therefore, the board is calling on all members to help identify and nominate committed individuals for these positions.

Attached to this email are the IHSA Nomination Letter as well as a IHSA Biographical Information Form. Please note the deadline for submitting nominations. The turnaround is quick! Also, be aware that it is VERY important that all nomination forms are signed by the nominee’s Executive Director or CEO.  Nomination forms not containing the proper signatures cannot be considered.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (219)757-1842 or email me at karen.carradine@geminus.org

I look forward to serving you as the new Chairperson of the Nomination and Election Committee.

July 27, 2018

Greetings!

The Indiana Head Start State Collaboration Office is pleased to offer a two day special event on Conscious Discipline.

Conscious Discipline® -

Getting On Board or Back on Track- The Big Picture

Intended audience: Head Start and Early Head Start Administrators, Coaches, Mentors, Teachers and Assistant Teachers, and Family Services Staff

In this two day training, we will meet you where you are, giving you the opportunity to get "on board" to start your journey or to get "back on track" by upgrading your current understanding of Conscious Discipline®, the highly effective social emotional curriculum to support work with children, families and Head Start/Early Head Start Programs.

As a result of this two day event, participants will be able to increase the fidelity of  their implementation of Conscious Discipline throughout their Head Start/Early Head Start program.

When: September 26th & 27th

Where: Indiana State Library- History Reference Room 211

How to Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/indiana-conscious-discipline-training-event-the-big-picture-tickets-47175383843

Event Registration is FREE

Please register by September 21st, 2018  

This event will accommodate up to 150 individuals. Please share with your networks and colleagues who might be interested.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have additional questions.

Lacey Kottkamp

Indiana Head Start State Collaboration Director

Office of Early Childhood and Out of School Learning

Indiana Family & Social Services Administration

402 West Washington Street|W-361, MS-02

Indianapolis, IN 46202

O:| (317)232-2944 C: | (317)509.9389

E: | lacey.kottkamp@fssa.in.gov

July 25, 2018

The Link Between Early Education And Indiana's Economy

As the link between high-quality early education and the economy becomes more and more clear, advocates of high-quality early education will soon have two more opportunities to learn about its real-world impact.

Mark your calendars for the following events:

• On August 1, 4C of Southern Indiana in Evansville will host Dr. James Heckman, a Nobel Memorial Prize winner in economics and an expert on the economics of human development, for a discussion about the economic impact of early education. Dr. Heckman will share his research and analysis on how early investments in children produce long-term benefits for children, families and the community. To purchase tickets, click here.

• On October 16, the third annual Indiana Early Learning Summit will take place, with a focus on how early education impacts the Hoosier workforce and overall economy. Held at Indianapolis’ Ivy Tech Campus, the half-day summit will include presentations from business and community leaders and statewide elected officials, as well as the release of a new economic report detailing the economic opportunities Indiana is missing by not investing more in early education. For more information or to register, click here.

The 2019 session of the General Assembly is quickly approaching, along with the need to reauthorize funding for the On My Way Pre-K program. Expanding our understanding of how early education affects Indiana’s economy and strengthens our workforce will be crucial.

Stay tuned for more updates on these topic and others. And please encourage leaders and advocates in your community to sign up here to receive this e-updates.

Thanks for all you do!
 
-Early Learning Indiana

July 20, 2018

IHSA 2018 Summer Leadership Institute. There was a great deal of information shared at our annual meeting today. The IHSA President, Shane Matlock, and Executive Director, Cheryl Miller, provided reports of our current status and upcoming work. It has been a wonderful few days of networking and training.

June 27, 2018

Almost one in 10 Indiana children are at risk of being overlooked as people are counted for the 2020 U.S. Census. 

June 26, 2018

Dear Colleague:

Cheryl Miller and I are very pleased to announce a special arrangement between the Indiana Head Start Association and the National Head Start Association. In July, NHSA is bringing two outstanding (but very different) leadership training events to Kentucky. 

From July 7th-12th at the Omni Louisville, NHSA will present the Manager and Director Academy and the Early Childhood Innovation Summit.

One very rarely encounters in one place and time a group of speakers and panelists with such national renown as we will have in Louisville. Most important, as the new standards expect not just fiscal staff but staff throughout the agency to understand the budgets and articulate their connection to program operations, we are delighted to have Belinda Rinker, Senior Policy Analyst at the Office of Head Start, share the OHS expectations, explain implementation and answer all questions on Head Start fiscal operations and the Uniform Guidance - in a half day intensive session. The challenging ERSEA practices and procedures will be demystified and explained by Steven Russell, the foremost expert of OHS' PMFO National Center.

Practitioners at the leading edge of innovation in early learning, such as Louis Hernandez, Henry Wilde, will be working with the participants of the Innovation Summit. We will also launch the Innovation Fitness Program for leaders of organizations that want to stay ahead of the fast-changing times for families and communities. 

To acknowledge NHSA gratitude to the Indiana Head Start community for their advocacy, to help IHSA members avail themselves of the talent we’re bringing to nearby Louisville, and to help IHSA recruit high-caliber trainers and speakers in the future, we will rebate to the IHSA an amount equivalent to 20% of the registration fees from everyone who attends from Indiana.

Find out more about the Academy and the Innovation Summit. 

I hope you will join us - along with your leadership team -  for this outstanding gathering of expertise.
 

In partnership,

Yasmina Vinci and Cheryl Miller

June 25, 2018

Yasmina Vinci, Executive Director of NHSA, has sent out this article about Head Start and some of the many ways programs are using data to impact quality. It’s great to have an article like this appear in Education Week, a highly regarded publication.
Please take some time to review the article and feel free to share!

June 02, 2018

The IHSA Summer Leadership Institute will be held on July 19-20 at the Embassy Suites North in Indianapolis. This conference offers Head Start managers and coordinators a chance to dig in deeper on specific issues, while networking with others with similar job duties. Session topics will be Brain Mapping: Understanding the Brain and Behavior, Staff Engagement and Retention, and Promoting Children's Math Inquiry through Play.

Head Start Children Race to the Finish Line in Their Box Cars. Southwestern Elementary School Gym was the Scene for Racing and Fun, as excited Children Raced Their Box Cars.

March 14, 2018

Take time to check out this great resource, Know The O, through Indiana FSSA. The Know The O Facts campaign is helping to reduce opioid stigma and was designed to help build awareness and understanding about opioid use disorder.

March 09, 2018

CLASP just released two reports:

Our Children’s Fear: Immigration Policy’s Effects on Young Children - https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/our-children%E2%80%99s-fear-immigration-policy%E2%80%99s-effects-young-children

Immigration Policy’s Harmful Impacts on Early Care and Education – this includes recommendation to help professionals in the early care and education community support immigrant families dealing with the consequences of the Trump Administration’s rhetoric and actions. https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/immigration-policy%E2%80%99s-harmful-impacts-early-care-and-education

March 09, 2018

CLASP just released two reports:

Our Children’s Fear: Immigration Policy’s Effects on Young Children - https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/our-children%E2%80%99s-fear-immigration-policy%E2%80%99s-effects-young-children

Immigration Policy’s Harmful Impacts on Early Care and Education – this includes recommendation to help professionals in the early care and education community support immigrant families dealing with the consequences of the Trump Administration’s rhetoric and actions. https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/immigration-policy%E2%80%99s-harmful-impacts-early-care-and-education

March 08, 2018

During the 2016–2017 program year, the Office of Head Start (OHS) used the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®) Pre-K Teacher-Child Observation Instrument during its on-site reviews of grantees. CLASS®-reliable reviewers visited a random sample of preschool classrooms to obtain grantee-level scores. This document provides descriptive statistics of the 2017 grantee-level CLASS® data.

March 07, 2018

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February 27, 2018

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February 12, 2018

From Cheryl Miller, IHSA Executive Director: Please take some time to read Sara Mead’s article in the U.S. News. She focuses on the possibility that the administration may consider immigrant families who have participated in Head Start as “public charges.” This is a complicated issue and has only just surfaced. We will try to keep you up-to-date as it moves forward. I certainly appreciate Sara’s quick response to this development. She has been a good friend to Head Start for many years.

February 05, 2018

Many of your supporters are shopping for Valentine's Day gifts. This is a great opportunity to increase Indiana Head Start Association Inc's AmazonSmile donations by reminding your supporters to shop at smile.amazon.com. 

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Support us when you shop for your Valentine. Go to smile.amazon.com/ch/35-1813337 and Amazon donates to Indiana Head Start Association Inc.

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Two newly released national reports on the cost, quality and availability of child care are shedding new light on the challenges Hoosier families with young children are facing. 

November 15, 2017

"All children in this country are far too important for our leaders to be tightfisted with their future," Head Start parent Nika Quiambao writes.

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"Now is the time for Washington to step up and step in on behalf of our most vulnerable early learners. Every eligible child deserves the Head Start advantage."

October 06, 2017

Nearly half of American children experience some adverse childhood experience. Sesame Street wants to help them cope.

September 13, 2017

Census Bureau Data Show Poverty Reduction, but More Progress is Needed

August 31, 2017

Indiana has a really cool MyPlate MyState icon! This is a great way to promote healthy eating and supporting locally grown foods. Throughout October, follow MyPlate on Twitter and Facebook for more ways you can engage with #MyPlateMyState; we will highlight state agricultural activities, emphasize seasonal foods, and celebrate fun food holidays, like Pumpkin Day! Additionally, every state and territory has a specific state page on ChooseMyPlate.gov; look to these pages for information on foods commonly grown, raised, or produced in your state and much more. These pages will give you ideas for ingredients to use for your #MyPlateMyState posts or tweets.

August 18, 2017

Superintendent McCormick to Hold Statewide Teacher and Community Meetings to Discuss Educational Initiatives and Provide Updates

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INDIANAPOLIS – Today Dr. Jennifer McCormick, Indiana State Superintendent of Public Instruction, announced she will hold a variety of teacher and community meetings to discuss educational initiatives and provide updates. A total of nine meetings will be held across the state.

In an effort to continue the conversation on education in Indiana, each meeting will provide the opportunity for Dr. McCormick to address Indiana’s approach in the areas of: accountability and school improvement, long-term goals, partnerships and consultation, assessment, supporting educators and students, academics, and school funding. Additionally, the meetings will include time for questions and answers.

All meetings are open to the public. Educators, parents, community members, and educational stakeholders are encouraged to attend.

For information regarding upcoming dates, times, and locations of meetings, or to RSVP, please visit: www.doe.in.gov/news/fall-2017-teacher-and-community-meetings.

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Media Contact: Adam Baker, Press Secretary

(317) 232-0550, abaker@doe.in.gov

August 10, 2017

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/what-did-the-gao-find-about-early-childhood-programs_us_598c9f94e4b0caa1687a5e77

July 20, 2017

You can now support the Indiana Head Start program through the AmazonSmile program.  Here is the link:

https://smile.amazon.com/ch/35-1813337.

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Spread the Word!

August 07, 2017

On Friday, April 14,  the National Head Start Association requested that state and regional associations sign on to a letter that they will be sending to Senator Mike Lee (Utah) and Representative Jim Banks (Indiana, 3rd district).  Please note that the INDIANA HEAD START ASSOCIATION HAS SIGNED ON.

NHSA states that the letter was written and co-signed "to express our significant concerns with the legislation you recently introduced, the Head Start Improvement Act of 2017 (S.185 and H.R. 1921, respectively) which would give states full control over Head Start."  NHSA goes on to explain our concerns about the impact block granting would have on Head Start and Early Head Start.

This is not the first time that the idea of block granting Head Start has come up.  Over the years, we have had to counter the suggestion by sharing possible consequences.  Some of those are:

*         Fifty different ways of administering Head Start/Early Head Start

*         Diminished funding (services) reaching our children and families due to another layer of bureaucracy

*         A focus on school readiness ONLY without providing comprehensive services

*         Funding that goes up or down, or even goes away, as we have seen in other states

*         Varying levels of quality

*         Impact on the Performance Standards - watering them down, or not having to follow them at all

NHSA hopes to have all state associations and regional associations sign on to the letter.  From what I have seen since the request came out, it certainly looks like that will happen.

Please remember how important it is that Congressmen and Senators hear from your programs.  Invite them to visit your centers.  Encourage parents to share their stories with them.  Share your child outcomes and other important data with your communities.  This is a continuing challenge, I know, but one we cannot risk responding to.  Thank you to the programs that have helped IHSA keep our lawmakers informed.

August 07, 2017

There are several programs that are crucial for low-income children, families, and senior citizens that have been reduced or eliminated from the President Trump's proposed budget. 

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First budget proposal identifies 62 programs to be eliminated including:

•             Community Services Block Grants ($715 million): CSBG is an anti-poverty grant program that the White House says duplicates emergency food assistance and employment programs.

•             Weatherization Assistance Program ($121 million): The program helps homeowners make their homes more energy efficient with grants of up to $6,500.

•             Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program ($3.4 billion): LIHEAP helps the elderly and low-income people pay their heating and power bills.

•             Community Development Block Grant program ($3 billion): CDBG has been a bread-and-butter funding source for local communities for 42 years, totaling more than $150 billion in grants over its history. "The program is not well-targeted to the poorest populations and has not demonstrated results," Trump's budget says.

•             Community Development Financial Institutions grants ($210 million): Trump's budget says the 23-year-old program to support community banks and credit unions is obsolete.

•             And many more 

June 06, 2017

Congratulations to the newly elected members of the IHSA Board of Directors.  These individuals will be installed at the IHSA membership meeting on June 29th.

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Marie Pace (CARS) was re-elected as IHSA Staff Representative to the Region V Head Start Association

Mary Goedde (CAPE) has been elected as the Early Head Start Cluster Representative.

Shane Matlock (Kokomo Schools) will become President of the IHSA Board.

John Pennycuff (ICAP) will become Past President.

Other members of the IHSA Board of Directors are:

Mary Lee Freeze (Brightpoint) – Secretary

Diane Poteet (CARS)- Treasurer

Debbie Beeler (Hoosier Uplands) – Director Representative to the Region V Head Start Association

Deb Gaetano (CASI) – Director Representative to the IHSA Board

Robin Curry-Shumaker (CAPWI) – Early Head Start Director Representative to the IHSA Board

Pam Richard (TRC) – Early Head Start Staff Representative to the IHSA Board

Lisa Kipker (Brightpoint) will join the Board of Directors as the Staff Representative to the IHSA Board.

Julie Worland (Kokomo Schools) – Northern Cluster Representative

Mary Ellen Brausa (ICAP) – Central Cluster Representative

Kris Mathews  (Hoosier Uplands) – Southern Cluster Representative

Sarah Haisley (TRC) – Parent Representative

Aaron Longanecker – Community representative

Thank you to the individuals who agreed to be nominated for positions on the IHSA Board.

August 07, 2017

The revised Head Start Performance Standards are out!

August 07, 2017

NIEER (National Institute for Early Education Research) has issues the "State(s) of Head Start" to describe and analyze in detail Head Start enrollment, funding, quality, and duration, state-by-state. The report focuses on the 2014-2015 program year but also provides longitudinal data beginning with the 2006-2007 program year.

The summary report for Indiana is linked to this.  Go to http://nieer.org/headstart to see the full report and view information for all 50 states.

March 16, 2017

Senator Joe Donnelly stopped by to visit, read, and play with Head Start children at CAPE in Evansville.  Thank you to Senator Donnelly for supporting Head Start programs in Indiana and across the nation!   And thank you to CAPE Head Start for showing off the great work that is being accomplished in our programs each day!

February 22, 2017

Yasmina Vinci, Executive Director of the National Head Start Association wrote a wonderful article for the Huffington Post!

August 07, 2017

ABCs of early education: Hollingsworth learns value of Head Start

August 07, 2017

NHSA’s Garden Grant aims to support early healthy eating habits in children by giving them the opportunity to experience growing their own food. Through this process we expect to inspire children to engage hands on with their environment and help create healthy eating habits early. We provide three different types of garden grants to Head Start programs who are members of NHSA.  Please follow the link for more information.