Letter from FHSA Executive Director
 I had hoped we would have clear definitive election results by the time I had to write this. Unfortunately, we do not. What I am definitive about is that FHSA's mission and values remain the same. We are here to support Head Start programs in delivering high-quality services for Florida's children and families. We will continue to advocate and address pregnant women's needs, children birth to school age, and their families from at-risk backgrounds. Let commit to staying connected and advocating for Head Starts' work to improve children's health and nutrition and prepare them to succeed in kindergarten and beyond.
I want to give a big shout-out to the programs that shared how you celebrated Head Start Awareness Month. I am happy to share them all with you. You can check them out in What's Happening Around the State.
FHSA is excited to welcome its newest member, Image Learning. Image Learning provides digital curriculum programs that ignite engagement, amplify confidence, and maximize students' personal relevance in grades PreK–8. To learn more about their program, click here.
Starting November 9 through December 11, 2020, NHSA will be seeking applicants and nominations for its 2020 BOLD Leadership Prize. NHSA goals of this initiative will be to recognize Head Start leaders–administrators, teachers, and staff members–who found innovative solutions to get through the challenges of 2020, all while exhibiting bold leadership. More information to come, so stay tuned.
Wanda Minick
Executive Director
FHSA
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Updates from the Office of Head Start 
OHS Publishes Administrative Simplification for Consolidating Head Start Grants
On Wednesday, October 28, 2020, the Office of Head Start (OHS) announced the opportunity to request to consolidate multiple Head Start grants awarded to a grantee.
Grantees interested in consolidating multiple Head Start or EHS-CC Partnership grants should contact their Regional Office to learn more about the options available. Along with the many benefits of reducing multiple grants, grantees will continue to assume some risks that accompany the decision to operate under one award.
These benefits and risks are further described in ACF-PI-HS-19-02: Administrative Simplification for Consolidating Head Start Grants.
ICYMI: Dr. B VLOG The Importance of Vaccines and Flu in Particular
Head Start programs educate parents and help them become their child's best advocate in education and health.
Key takeaways from the VLog
- Ensure parents have their medical home identified. Serve as the liaison between the parents and the doctor's office and get them connected.
- If you can't get to the doctor's office, another alternative is to visit your local drug stores licensed pharmacists. In early September, the Trump Administration, through the Public Readiness and Emergency Prepared – Preparedness Act, allows licensed pharmacists to administer vaccines to children three and above.
- Did you know children who are vaccinated before two are protected from 14 major childhood illnesses?
- The CDC is encouraging everyone to get the flu vaccine this year. Children six months and older can get the flu vaccine. Help protect yourselves as we enter into this year's flu season.
Visit the OHS COVID-19 resource page for the most current and updated information.
Updates from the Florida Head Start Collaboration Office 
November is “National Adoption” month, and the Florida Head Start Collaboration Office has partnered with several Head Start/Early Head Start programs in the state to participate in the Region IV Adoption Challenge. This initiative is with the Children's Bureau intending to increase national awareness and draw attention and support for the thousands of children and youth in the U.S. foster care system.
Those programs participating are as follows:
- 4C Head Start/EHS
- Children First
- Children’s Home Society
- Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach Early Head Start
- Indian River Head Start
- Lutheran Services of Florida -Duval
The purpose of this challenge is for Collaboration Offices to recruit and partner with Head Start and Child Welfare to promote teen adoptions. If you are interested in learning more about this drive, contact Mimi Jefferson, Florida Head Start Collaboration Director, at (850) 755-82015 or email [email protected].
Updates from the Office of Early Learning
November is Family Engagement Month
The Office of Early Learning will celebrate and encourage families to be engaged in their child's learning, development, and well-being. Research shows families engaged in their children's school activities alongside their teachers tend to succeed in school and life.
Check out these great resources from OEL on how you can help your families remain engaged not only during November but throughout their children's lives.
Click here to view OEL November Parents' Pages! This edition is complete with November Celebrations, Step Up for Students Scholarship, National Adoption Month, and so much more.
FHSA Fall Leadership Training
This year's Fall Leadership Training looks a little differently, but we hope that won't deter you from taking part in these exceptional learning opportunities.
On November 19 & 20, FHSA is hosting it's first-ever Data  Camp training. This unique two-day professional development opportunity is designed for program directors and data managers, focusing on the many changes to Head Start/Early Head Start with regards to data and continuous quality improvement. It is required that organizations send a team of two, the program director and the data manager. Applications are currently being accepted through November 11th. Seating is limited so apply early. To get started, visit our webpage www.flheadstart.org/fall-leadership-training.
When: November 19 - 20, 2020 , 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. each day (ET)
Costs: $500 FHSA Members | $600 Non-Member Rate
FHSA has partnered with FirstDay learning to provide a monthly training series! Designed focusing on mental and emotional health and trauma-informed practices, FirstDay Learning’s proactive training modules help teachers prevent challenging behavior before it happens. This series will feature a new topic each month. The next class is on November 18 and will focus on Classroom Relationships. You can view the complete schedule here.
When: October 28, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. (ET)
Costs: $ 127 FHSA Members | $ 149 Non-Member Rate
FHSA members, when registering, use this code: FDLFLAHS20 to obtain the discounted rate.
 FHSA has teamed up with Generation Wellness to provide the Workplace Wellness Academy. The Workplace Wellness Academy is a two-hour online course of 5 modules that equip Head Start staff with 20+ tools for less stress and more success both at home and work. Course access is good for 30 days after purchase. The program provides a certificate of completion and meets the Head Start Performance Standards on Health & Wellness.
When: Courses available through December 15, 2020
Costs: $ 79 ($20 discount off regular price)
Thank you to our Fall Leadership Training Sponsor
What's Happening Around the State
We love it when programs share what they are doing so we can share with the rest of you. Check out how programs celebrated #HeadStartAwareness month, Hispanic Heritage, and voting.
Mid-Florida Community Services Head Start/Early Head Start really ramped up their #HeadStartAwareness campaign by highlighting the many aspects of Head Start’s comprehensive services through Teachable T-Rex. They also hosted spirit week with a different theme for each day.
Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County celebrated #HeadStartAwareness with a family engagement project. Check out this great video on how to make a banana smoothie.
East Coast Migrant Head Start tweeted out a video of the importance of Head Start and keeping its legacy alive. One of the building blocks to success in young children is access to education. Head Start programs make it possible to bridge the gap and offer children in low-income families a quality education. #ECMHSP #HeadStartAwareness
Fiesta in America, check out how Paradise Christian School Hialeah celebrated Hispanic Heritage 2020, COVID-19 won't keep them from enjoying Early Childhood Experiences.
Orange County Head Start/Early Head Start shared various activities their programs held during October. You can view them below.
October 21, 2020, TALLAHASSEE, Fla – Today, First Lady Casey DeSantis, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and Prevent Child Abuse Florida recognized October as Safe Sleep Awareness Month, highlighting preventative measures to decrease sleep-related infant deaths, the leading cause of death for children under the age of one in Florida. In fact, in 2019, there were at least 69 confirmed infant deaths in Florida as a result of unsafe sleep.
Mucarsel-Powell Applauds Over $2 Million Head Start Grant For Local Community Center
October 14, 2020, MIAMI, FL – Today, U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26), member of the Hispanic Caucus’ Education and Labor Task Force, announced a $2,387,473 Health and Human Services (HHS) Early Head Start grant for Le Jardin Community Center. Le Jardin Community Center provides low-income children and families of diverse backgrounds opportunities to learn, develop, and increase their likelihood of success in the future.
“I have seen firsthand the impact Le Jardin has on our community, and I could not be prouder to continue to bring funding for their important work for South Florida,” said Mucarsel-Powell. “Head Start programs have been critical in putting children across our district on a path to success through education, nutrition programs, and access to mental health resources. I look forward to seeing these funds boost those efforts and ensure Le Jardin can continue its critical work with our students through this crisis.”
Help Me Grow® Florida Launches Online Milestone Checklist.
Help Me Grow has a new online milestone checklist to celebrate  the development of your child or children in your classroom! Visit this link to check it out.
Operated by the Children's Forum, Help Me Grow® Florida promotes early identification of developmental, behavioral, or educational concerns, then links children and families to community-based services and supports at no cost to parents and caregivers.
Updates from NHSA
NHSA’s 38th annual Parent and Family Engagement Conference is scheduled for November 30 - December 3, 2020.
This conference will explore a wide range of new resources and thinking on the forefront topics of young children and how Head Start programs can address the needs of children, families, and staff. While the NHSA team is busy finalizing the full program, you can take a sneak peek at some of the sessions here.
2020-2021 Application for Gro More Good Garden Grants is now open!
The National Head Start Association has partnered with Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and KidsGardening to bring the life-enhancing benefits of gardens to more children and families in the Head Start community.
This Initiative will award $2,500—$5,000 in grant amounts depending on the need for existing garden projects and help launch new garden projects. Applications are being accepted from November 1, 2020, through December 18, 2020. All Head Start programs (i.e., Head Start, Early Head Start, Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Migrant and Seasonal programs) that are NHSA members are encouraged to apply. Click here to get started.
Don't forget to register for NHSA Kitchen Table Talks on Wednesday@ 2:00 p.m. You can register here.
Employment Opportunities
VPK Teacher | Children First, Inc., Sarasota, FL
Teacher II, III, IV | Episcopal Children Services, Clermont, F
Behavior Specialist | Mid Florida Community Services, Inc., (4 positions available)
>>> See More Job Openings
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