Head Start: Leading the Way for Children, Families and Communities
Head Start was announced 45 years ago by former President Lyndon Johnson. Since then, over 27 million children and their families have benefited from the comprehensive services of Head Start and Early Head Start. In the video above (click to watch), parents, former Head Start graduates and staff share how Head Start has shaped their lives and transformed their communities.
Donate to the Elmore Scholarship
Help further the educational opportunities of our members.
Visit our Jobs Board to see the job descriptions of positions available in the Head Start industry in Virginia and the region. And if you are a Head Start organization, send us your open jobs and we'll post them. Vist the VAHSA Jobs Board.
Staff Training
Southeast Regional Training -- Feb 13, 2012 from 9:00am - 12:00pm @ West Point United Methodist Church Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework. Register for this SE training.
Northeast Regional Training -- Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, 9:30 am to 2 pm in Fairfax. School Readiness Work Session. Register for NE training.
2011 VaHSA Health Institute -- Held in Lynchburg Nov. 2-3, 2011. See the PPTs and other resources on the Health page.
2011 Infant &Toddler Summit -- Held in Staunton Aug. 9 & 10. See the powerpoints.
2011 Kids Count Data Center
The Annie E. Casey Foundation and Voices for Virginia’s Children 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book, released August 2011, provides national and state-by-state data on key indicators of child well-being.
The Virginia General Assembly is now in session. Now is a good time to check out our Advocacy Resources. A great source of Virginia budget and legislative news for child advocates can be found at Voices for Virginia's Children.
Buy your ad NOW for the annual training conference program brochure. You don't need to attend the conf. to buy an ad. Deadline March 5, 2012.
Regional Training is ongoing and online registration is still available. See below for more info.
Success Story: Head Start alleviates worry for parent who is full-time nursing student. Read more.
Annual Baby Shower Event -- Stafford Head Start will use their mini-grant to support this popular event. Read more.
Head Start Teachers Go WILD! Thanks to a partnership with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, over 200 Virginia Head Start teachers have been trained in the outdoor curriculum Growing Up Wild. Read more.
Elmore Scholarship recipients announced -- Kristen Jenkins and Brandy Ferguson, both of the STEP, Inc. Head Start program, were the first recipients of the Nancy Elmore Scholarships, awarded June 20, 2011 in Virginia Beach. Read more.
VAHSA Awards Mini-Grants -- Eight lucky programs were tapped to receive $2000 mini-grants to assist them in achieving specific goals. The awards were presented by President Chris Austin at the June 2011 Directors and Board of Directors meeting. Read more.
NaCo Award -- Collaborative agreement to address the needs of all preschool children in the County of York receives award. Read more.
Reflection on Head Start: Read a letter printed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch by Ann Rasmussen, VOICES Policy Analyst. Read the letter (PDF)
Visit our advocacy page to learn how you can help spread the word about Head Start and it's many success stories.
Maxine McKinney, VAHSA Executive Director, attended the Johnson & Johnson – UCLA Management Fellows Advanced Management Institute. Read more.
The Resource Directory: The Soho Center and the Virginia Head Start Association are working together to help 16,000 young children across Virginia. Read more.
Consultant Directory in the works -- VAHSA is building a Consultant Directory to aid members and consultants. See the Consultant Directory page.
Find and Post Jobs
2011 Kids Count Data Center 
Head Start News
Upcoming Head Start Events
