About Virginia Head Start
Virginia Head Start State Collaboration Project
The Virginia Head Start State Collaboration Project is administered by the Virginia Department of Social Services. It is located within the Division of Child Care and Development. For more information, visit the Virginia Head Start Collaboration Office on the VDSS website.
The overall goal of the Virginia Collaboration Project is to establish and nurture partnerships and collaborative efforts to build an effective early care and education system committed to achieving positive outcomes for children by working with Head Start and other programs, families, professionals and communities.
In addition, the Virginia Collaboration Project works with VAHSA to ensure that there is Head Start representation on the many ECE related advisory boards and committees operating at the state level. VaHSA members also serve on the Collaboration Project along with other early childhood representatives.
See the Advisory Council Members (below).
Head Start State Collaboration Office Documents
The findings of these documents will guide the work of the HSSCO for the next five years.
 What's New (under six months old)
- Virginia’s Head Start Five Year Self Assessment Report: Program Years 2006 – 2011 (December 2011, Word .DOCX)
This document is the required five year assessment of the Virginia Head Start State Collaboration Office for the last five program years.
- Preparing Virginia’s Preschool Children for School Success: Aligning Expectations and Measuring Quality
This document addresses the ACF/OHS “School Transitions” priority and the outcome of “… promoting continuity of services between the Head Start Child Development and Learning Framework and State early learning standards….”
- Virginia Head Start and its Partners Head Start Program Analysis of Single Point of Entry, Blended Classrooms and Braided Funding
- Five Year Grant Renewal Refunding Application (June 2011, Word .DOCX)
- Year 1 bolded Strategic Plan (June 2011, Word .DOCX)
HSSCO Application
HSSCO Annual Needs Assessments
- Focus Group Report 2010-2011 (March 2011, Word .DOCX)
Focus groups with Head Start parent centers and policy councils were held in four Virginia Head Start Association-defined regions of the state during November 2010 through February 2011. Henrico, Orange, Rocky Mount, and Fredericksburg hosted parent center focus groups and Manassas, Charlottesville, Hampton/Newport News, and Radford hosted policy council focus groups.
- Needs Assessment Survey Results, 2009-2010 (March 2011, Word .DOCX)
The Head Start State Collaboration Office conducted a needs assessment of Head Start Programs within the Commonwealth of Virginia (N = 43). The assessment included (a) examining the type and degree of relationship that grantees had with community partners and (b) identifying tasks that grantees considered difficult.
HSSCO Semi-Annual and Annual Reports
Other HSSCO Resources
- Virginia Head Start and its Partners Head Start Program Analysis of Single Point of Entry, Blended Classrooms and Braided Funding
- Solving the Preschool Puzzle Guide (April 2008, PDF)
Advisory Council Members
Reba Bolden - Virginia Community Action Program (VACAP) Head Start Committee; Community Action Agencies
Jennifer Branch - Northeast VAHSA Representative
Toni Cacace-Beshears - Child care nonprofit, Virginia Infant/Toddler Specialist Network
Mary Davis, Southwest VAHSA Representative
Shikee Franklin - Southeast VAHSA Representative
Bethany Geldmaker - Virginia Department of Health (VDH)
Kim Gregory - Virginia Western Community College, Virginia Infant/Toddler Specialist Network
Bonita (Bonnie) Grifa - Infant & Toddler Connection of VA (Part C), Infant & Child MH Committee of VA
Susan Flemmons - Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) in Henrico County
Ann Janney-Schultz - Virginia Head Start Early Childhood Education Manager
Aleta Lawson - Dept. of Social Services Division of Child Care & Early Childhood Development
Mary Landis - Virginia Association of Early Childhood Education (VAECE)
Karen Lange - Military Child Care Liaison (from NACCRRA)
Dan Lewis - Virginia Community College System (VCCC)
Maxine McKinney - Virginia Head Start Association (VAHSA), Executive Director
Phyllis Mondak - Virginia Department of Education, Early Childhood Special Education Programs
Cecil Overton - Virginia Department of Education, Early Childhood Special Education Programs (alternate)
Beckie Phillips – Northwest VASHA Representative
Ed Rossmoore - Rural Family Development (Migrant Head Start Programs)
Ann Rasmussen - Voices for Virginia’s Children – Early Care & Education Policy
Novella Ruffin - Virginia Cooperative Extension
Amanda Scudder - United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg, Smart Beginnings Greater Richmond
Myrna Simmons – Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) in Norfolk Public Schools
Vacant - Virginia Head Start Collaboration Office, Director
Cheryl Strobel - Virginia Department of Education, Virginia Preschool Program and Title 1
Sharon Veatch - Virginia Child Care Resource & Referral Network (VCCRRN)
Jackie Wake – VAHSA Health Advisory Committee |
