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The Office of Head Start has encouraged programs to consider a change in scope as one way programs can right-size their budgets giving an opportunity to improve the staff wages. This is how we do it….

President and Chief Executive Officer at Children & Families First, Maria Layne-Stevens will share their process on how they improved staff wages by completing a change in scope, ALL while having open lines of communication with OHS. Attendees will identify strategies to work with what they have locally to make informed decisions and learn more about the advocates who continue to push for increased funding for Head Start programs across the nation.

Improving staff wages is one of the initiatives of the NHSA’s Workforce Development Hub. The Hub is a comprehensive resource and think tank, set up to provide real solutions and support the development of a national workforce pipeline for Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

Presenter:

Maria Layne-Stevens is the President and CEO at Children & Families First. Drawing on her passion for young children and families and her experience as a product of Head Start, she leads her team in executing the strategic direction of the largest Head Start provider in the State, which is also a source of comprehensive services for more than 6,000 families in Guilford and Rockingham Counties. For more than 25 years, Maria has been deeply engaged in issues around early childhood education and she continues to advocate for equitable social, economic and educational outcomes for underserved populations.

Known for being a visionary, Maria has been instrumental in the development of the agency’s programs and staff, successfully growing the budget by $3.5 million over the last five years and securing capital funding in excess of $3 million to build new facilities and complete major renovations at four facilities since 2015.

Maria holds a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences from Ohio University, and a master’s degree in Psychology with a specialization in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Capella University.