Early Math Initiative

CHSA was recently awarded a grant for a statewide Training for Trainers, to be offered through CHSA’s regional Clusters in 2015 and to support programs during the 2015-16 school year.  The project will focus on professional development for both teachers and family service workers, supporting parents engaging their children in activities that build early math thinking.  

A consultant job announcement and project description are available at:

Project Manager Job Announcement

Early Math Initiative Project Description

2015 Awards Nomination Form- Nominate Today! Deadline: November 26, 2014

One of the many benefits of membership in the California Head Start Association is the opportunity to participate in our statewide awards program. The winning nominees will receive their awards at the Annual Education Conference Awards Dinner on Thursday, February 5. This year’s theme- 50 Years of Opportunity provides a great setting to help honor the exceptional people in your program who have played a role in creating opportunities for our Head Start families. 

We are pleased to invite you to nominate up to seven special individuals from your program or community for the following awards:  Administrator of the Year, Program Services Staff of the Year, Educator of the Year, Support Staff of the Year, Parent of the Year, Friend of Head Start and Lifetime Special Award

Nomination Deadline: November 26, 2014

Link to the Nomination form

September 23 is National Voter Registration Day 2014

 
This fall is a valuable opportunity for Start staff and parents to exercise their civic rights.  CHSA encourages programs to share information on Voter Registration Day and to check out: voting registration resources on the CHSA website.

Supporters can follow National Voter Registration Day activities through social media on September 23 by searching #CelebrateNVRD.

For more information visit: NVRD

Opinion L.A. - Don't cut funds for preschool again, Gov. Brown

A pro-early education piece posted on the LA Times Opinion Blog by Joel Silberman articulates the case for early education and makes a direct call to Brown not to veto the new funding the legislature passed.

Read the post: Don't cut funds for preschool again, Gov. Brown

 

A Call to Action on Behalf of Babies

A Call to Action on Behalf of Babies

For Our Babies is a national movement promoting healthy development in U.S. children from conception to age 3. It's mission is to advocate for the types of environments, experiences, and relationships that infants and toddlers need in order to thrive. To learn more visit: fourourbabies.org

WestEd recently published an article about the rationale behind the For Our Babies campaign and the call for comprehensive support for infants and toddlers. To read the article visit: A Call to Action

CHSA Statement on SB 837 (Transitional Kindergarten)

California Head Start Association statement identifying questions and concerns about SB 837 (Steinberg): Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2014

View : SB 837 CHSA Statement

Board Officer Nominations

The CHSA Board of Directors is accepting Board Officer nominations for the 2014-16 term - deadline April 21, 2014.  Filing information and form available at: 2014 CHSA Election Procedures and Nomination 

How Preschool Got Hot

All of a sudden, early childhood education is really, really popular. Everybody’s favorite. If early childhood education were an actor, it would be Tom Hanks or Meryl Streep. If it were a video game, it would be Candy Crush or Angry Birds, minus the spyware.

The other night at the State of the Union speech, President Obama mentioned “high-quality early education” and John Boehner applauded. Boehner applauded early education! Paul Ryan likes it, too.

Read the New York Times Column by Gail Collins

Pre-K Movement Gaining Ground

Against all odds, prekindergarten is gaining ground.

President Obama called again in his State of the Union address for Congress to support high-quality preschool for all, noting that 30 states are already moving ahead on this front (including New York).

“Research shows that one of the best investments we can make in a child’s life is high-quality early education,” Obama said. The House speaker, John Boehner, who sat stonily through most of Obama’s speech, applauded that line. Congress also unexpectedly increased financing this year for early education.

Read the New York Times Column by Nicholas Kristof