Letter from the Executive Director 

As we wrap up another year, I want to reflect upon the work FHSA has done to support programs in Florida. 

• FHSA provided our members with over 160 WYNTK Top 3 @3s to inform you about the happenings in the Head Start community.
  
  
• Served over 500 Head Start/Early Head Start personnel with Professional Development services. 
  
  
• Increased social media activity and engagement by 30%. 
  
  
• Rolled out new member benefits such as social media toolkits to assist programs with staff recruitment and children/family enrollment and #ThankfulThursday member spotlight, where we recognized over 40 Head Start staff and community partners. 
  
  
• Recognized 24 award recipients through FHSA Annual Awards program. 
  
  
• Completed the 2023 Head Start Compensation & Benefits Study.
  
  
• Met and hosted over 100 Congressional member visits with Head Start/Early Head Start Programs.
  
  
• Participated in various statewide meetings and events elevating the Head Start voice. 
  
  
• Created the Head Start Dashboard to tell the story of Head Start/Early Head Start and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start/Early Head Start in Florida and to provide our members with reports they can share with their local community leaders and legislators about their impacts on their communities. 
  
  
• Hosted countless meetings over the year to keep members informed and engaged in FHSA activities. 

What's in store for 2024? I am glad you asked. The FHSA board of directors held their strategic planning retreat in October and met on November 20 to approve the association's revised mission/vision and purpose and established its four main strategic goals. The board also elected a new Vice President, Sean Murnane, Orange County Head Start and Secretary, Bob Bialas, Lutheran Services of Florida. Congratulations to them both.  2024 will also bring a huge celebration to FHSA as we will be celebrating our 25th anniversary. If you would like to take part in the planning our annual conference which will be held October 1-4, 2024, in Orlando, consider joining FHSA professional development committee. 

Before we wrap up 2023, we need to take care of a very significant proposal. The Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) the Office of Head Start released last month. By now, we hope you have had the opportunity to review or at least engage in the NPRM webinars hosted by the Office of Head Start and the National Head Start Association. If not, I have provided a link to an NPRM toolbox with the most current information. Bookmark this folder for quick reference. As new information is released, I will upload it into this folder so you have all the information in one concise place. FHSA will be submitting formal written comments on the proposed new rules. We encourage programs to participate in the NHSA survey. The deadline to complete the survey is December 12. NHSA will share Florida's survey responses with us, and we will use your feedback submitted in the survey to guide our comments. FHSA will send a copy of our comments to all in early January, as the deadline to respond to the NPRM is January 19, 2024. If you want to discuss this with me one-on-one, don't hesitate to contact me at (850) 694-6477 or email [email protected].  

On behalf of the FHSA board of directors and staff, we wish everyone a very happy and healthy holiday season.  

In Fellowship, 

Wanda Minick
Executive Director 
FHSA

On November 20, 2023, the Office of Head Start released proposed changes to the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) in a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), Supporting the Head Start Workforce and Consistent Quality Programming. The Federal Register will be taking comments through January 19, 2024.  

Significant changes are being proposed in the NPRM in three critical areas: workforce support, mental health, and other quality improvements. 

Workforce Supports:

• Require programs to offer competitive wages for staff by August 2031. 

The proposed standard would include programs to: 

• Pay education staff annual salaries comparable to public school preschool teachers;
• Pay all staff a wage sufficient to cover basic costs of living; 
• Provide or facilitate access to comprehensive benefits for full-time staff, including health insurance, paid leave, and short-term behavioral health services.

Mental Health:

• Create a multidisciplinary team responsible for addressing mental health;
• Reduce barriers to obtaining mental health consultation;
• Ensure a proactive and preventative approach to identifying and supporting children's mental health needs. 

Quality Improvements:

• Cap for family service worker caseloads;
• Enhancements to promote child safety;
• Requirements for lead testing in water and paint;
• Revisions to the community assessment process;
• Requirements to identify barriers to program attendance.

Visit the ECLKC dedicated webpage that includes summaries of the proposed changes to the HSPPS, providing clarifying and promotional information and resources. Remember, the current HSPPS remains in effect until a final rule is published.

The FHSA and the Florida Head Start Collaboration Office are hosting its 2024 cohort for its Family Service Credential, SSCBT (Social Services Competency-Based Training Program) on January 28 - February 2, 2024, offering Modules I-II. Module III will occur March 25-27, 2024. All registrants must commit to the entire training to receive an industry-recognized Social Services certification from Tennessee State University.  

The Tennessee State University Social Services Competency-Based Training Program aligns with the Head Start Program Performance Standards 1302.91(e)(7) for Staff and Supervisors who work with families and addresses the core skills necessary for working in various family support and community services settings.  

The training will be held at the Jesse Ball DuPont Center in Jacksonville, Florida. The registration deadline is January 12, 2024, or until the class reaches capacity. 

FHSA is a proud sponsor of Children's Week Florida™, the statewide event uniting early care and education partners to create a larger-than-life visual inside the Capitol Rotunda. The Celebration of the Hands display is constructed from thousands of beautiful hand artwork from young children, youth, teens, teachers, parents, legislators, families, and advocates across the state. This incredible and unique piece of art serves as a daily reminder to all Capitol visitors that our children's future rests in our hands. We hope our Head Start and Early Head Start programs will join the celebration by contributing beautiful hand artwork. Click here to download the 2024 Celebration of the Hands Tips and Instruction to learn more about how your program can participate. 

The Market Rate Survey is the process where local child care providers share their private pay rates with the early learning coalitions via DEL’s statewide information system (EFS Mod). This information is taken into consideration when determining School Readiness (SR) reimbursement rates for providers that serve SR children. These webinars will explain the provider profile update process in EFS Mod, cost of care requirements for collecting data as required in s. 1002.90 F.S. and how the market rate is calculated. 
 
The webinars will be held on December 19 at the times below. The presentation and content will be the same for both webinars. Please select the below link to register for the webinar that best meets your availability. 

• Webinar 1: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. EST, to register click here
• Webinar 2: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EST, to register click here

Join the National Head Start Association (NHSA) for their 51st Annual Conference on April 15-18, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. The event will boast hundreds of sessions, special events, celebrations, entertainment, and networking opportunities with Head Start colleagues from across the county. 
 
Interested in sharing your Head Start knowledge with your colleagues? Consider submitting an abstract. The deadline to apply is January 12, 2024. 

Strong outcomes for Head Start children and families depend on well-qualified staff, and compensation is critical to recruiting and retaining that staff. Although workforce issues have stabilized somewhat compared to two years ago, elevated turnover and vacancy rates continue to impact Head Start’s ability to serve children and families in need best. We urge Congress to focus on making impactful investments in the future by fully funding Head Start. 

In a series of reports from 2022 and 2023, NHSA has documented the workforce challenges currently facing Head Start and Early Start, including the impact of low compensation, turnover and staff vacancies, increased child need, and more. To review these reports, click here. 

Click the link below to see what legislation NHSA is tracking. 

We envision a future where all Head Start families thrive. 

Empower members to advocate, lead, and enhance the education, health, and social services provided to families by Head Start. 

1. To provide high-quality professional development for Head Start, Early Head Start, and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start personnel, parents, and community members; 
   
   
2. To advocate for policies that address the needs of vulnerable families with young children; and, 
   
   
3. To provide a statewide forum for addressing the challenges faced by Head Start leaders in serving children from birth to age 5 and their families. 

Upcoming Events

December:

Member Information 

Change of address, email or any information? You will need to login to your profile in our organization. 

Important Links

• FHSA Career Center
• Calendar of Events
• Call for Volunteers
• FHSA Online Store

We know your Head Start program has impactful stories to share, so why not share them with your state association, which is leading the charge in getting your voices heard.  

FHSA creates content year-round to celebrate, educate, and inform policymakers and partners about the work being done in Head Start. Let's elevate the Head Start voice! 

Let's share the impactful work of Head Start and tell the stories of the children and families whom you have been able to help thrive.  

Let's collaborate by emailing your stories to [email protected]. 

The Florida Association of Communication Action will host their 44th Annual Training Conference on May 15- 17, 2024, in Orlando, FL. 

Their theme is Back to the Future: Keeping the Community Action Promise Alive. 

They are seeking training proposals with a Head Start and Early Head Start focus.  The deadline to submit is January 15, 2024. 

On November 15, the Senate voted 87-11 to pass a continuing resolution (H.R.6363) funding the federal government through early 2024. The continuing resolution funds Head Start through February 2, 2024, which means Head Start will remain flat funded. 
 
Congressional members will be home during December. The holidays are a great time to invite them to your program's festivities.  Have them read a book to your kiddos. Visit them in their office. Head Start funding depends on each member being well informed of your significant work to serve Florida's children and families. 

If you need any assistance with securing the visits or appointments, don't hesitate to reach out to [email protected] or visit FHSA advocacy webpage to access to toolkits on hosting a visit.