Building Community.
Dedicated to training and advocacy for those who impact the lives of children and families.
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Head Start is a national child development program for children from birth to age 5, which provides services to promote academic, social and emotional development for income-eligible families.
The Virginia Head Start Association dedicates itself to training and advocacy which enhances and fosters growth of individual members, member agencies, partners and others who impact the lives of children and families.
Every day this shutdown continues, children and families are paying the price across the country. Head Start is not a political issue. It is a lifeline for working families.
This shutdown is pulling the rug out from under families who rely on Head Start. Parents are losing child care, teachers are losing paychecks, and children are losing the safe, nurturing environments that help them grow and thrive. These are real people facing real consequences, and they deserve better.
We need your help to send a loud, unified, and persistent message: The shutdown is threatening Head Start. Congress must end it now and ensure no more closures.
Please take a moment to email your Members of Congress and urge them to act! End the shutdown now, reopen classrooms, and prevent further closures.
Take Action– email Members of Congress with this fillable form:
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The Virginia Head Start Association strives to engage all partners, including parents, teachers, family service workers, and managers to keep the success story of Head Start alive for elected and public officials, community partners, and taxpayers. Head Start is publicly funded but this funding should not be taken for granted. Head Start parents and advocates play a key role in establishing and maintaining positive communication with the legislative and administrative branches of government.
The Virginia Head Start Association is an intricate part of advocacy that wholeheartedly supports all Head Start programs, staff, children, and families across the commonwealth. The mission speaks for itself by providing quality professional development, opportunities for networking, valuable resources, encouragement, and support during challenging times. The Executive Director is so dedicated to the overall […]
The Virginia Head Start Association is the backbone to all our programs here in the Commonwealth by providing a base and support as we navigate the ever changing world of early child education and development. Through the VAHSA I have not only gained incredible colleagues, but amazing friends. Our network of members promotes collaboration, encouragement […]
The Association provides for Head Start leaders what we provide for children and family: support, encouragement, and hope.
As a community partner, I am proud to be part of the Virginia Head Start Association, serving the families and children in our state.
The Virginia Head Start Association is a pillar of strength for the Virginia Head Start Community. VAHSA provides professional development opportunities which include diversity and inclusion for Head Start staff and the opportunity for staff and parents to serve on the association’s board. Also, the association is a team player advocating for funding and resources […]
The work of VAHSA allows us to network with all service areas all across the Commonwealth by creating opportunities to network, train, brainstorm, and communicate across all the Head Start Communities. Doors are open across our state and country because of our Association and its leadership.
The work and support of the association has been instrumental to me in every role I’ve been in Head Start; a teacher, an education manager, and now as director. It’s been especially hard during the difficult times of COVID. The association is one of the reasons I continue. The thought of having someone(s) out there […]
Alexandria, Va. – With the federal government finally reopened after more than 40 days of gridlock, the National Head Start Association (NHSA) honors the extraordinary efforts of the Head Start community — local program leaders, teachers, family service staff, and parents — who refused to let politics interrupt a child’s learning, meals, or sense of […]
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ALEXANDRIA, VA — The National Head Start Association (NHSA) is alarmed by today’s announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) that will require Head Start programs to check the citizenship or immigration status of children prior to their enrollment. This decision undermines the fundamental commitment that the country has made to […]
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On July 3rd, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the budget reconciliation bill—known as the “Big Beautiful Bill”—which President Trump signed on July 4th. There are many harmful impacts this legislation will have on the families served by Head Start programs.
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“The president championed Head Start during his first term, providing critical resources to help families and their children build a strong foundation for lifelong success,” said Yasmina Vinci, executive director for the National Head Start Association. “This letter from families and alumni is a call to continue that commitment. Now is the time to protect […]
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Today, President Trump released his administration’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026, which includes flat funding for Head Start, meaning our programs would be funded at the same level for the third straight year. The budget will go next to Congress for their consideration over the summer. While we are relieved that Head Start funding […]
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In the six decades of Head Start’s existence, it has served nearly 40 million children and their families. But supporters and alumni are quick to point out that the program for children from low-income families provides more than preschool opportunities. “It is more than child care and early learning, it’s a lifeline for children and […]
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After an early draft of President Donald Trump’s budget threatened to defund the Head Start program, Jennifer Garner leapt into action to lobby Congress and save the program that serves millions of children and families struggling to make ends meet. Reporting for TODAY, NBC’s Jacob Soboroff joins Garner for a closer look at the organization […]
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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Head Start programs across Virginia could soon face major challenges. Proposed federal cuts by the Trump administration would impact thousands of children who rely on this early education and care. “The program really offers a lot of training along the lines of financial literacy and parent development for the chance for […]
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The Trump Administration, which has promised to dismantle the Department of Education, has come after higher education—freezing funding for elite universities and revoking international student visas. Now, it’s targeting early childhood education. As the White House prepares to send Congress its 2026 fiscal year budget request, a 64-page internal preliminary budget proposal obtained by the […]
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HHS would be asked to absorb a $40 billion cut, about one-third of its discretionary budget.
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Worries are growing over funding for Head Start, the decades-old federal program that provides childcare, nutrition assistance and other services to the nation’s poorest families. Why it matters: Shuttering the program — something the White House is reportedly considering — would be “catastrophic,” says Casey Peeks, senior director of Early Childhood Policy at the liberal Center for […]
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WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is considering a budget proposal that would zero out funding for Head Start, a program created during Lyndon B. Johnson’s “war on poverty” that offers child care and preschool education to low-income families, according to an official familiar with the plan. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the […]
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The Administration for Children and Families released a final rule in the Federal Register, Supporting the Head Start Workforce and Consistent Quality Programming. The rule updates the Head Start Program Performance Standards (the Performance Standards) to respond to concerns affecting the sustainability of Head Start programs. Changes to the standards increase wages and benefits for Head […]
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Kim Hill Elected President Of Virginia Head Start Association Board Of Directors Kim Hill, People Incorporated’s Associate Director of Child and Family Development, has been elected as the new President of the Virginia Head Start Association (VAHSA) Board of Directors. Kim has been a member of the VAHSA Board since November 2017. She was elected […]
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The Virginia Head Start Association recently hosted our Health Conference in Charlottesville, Virginia, welcoming health specialists, family service Head Start specialists, and other health professionals. The conference was pleased to have Rashanda Jenkins as the main presenter, a Region 3 TTA Health Specialist with over 13 years of experience serving the HS/EHS community. Ms. Jenkins […]
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In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we want to share a profile of some attendees to our Annual Conference, The Chickahominy Tribe of Charles City, Virginia. While it is important to learn about the past and refocus our lens through the eyes of those who experienced it; it is also critical to see the […]
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Meet our Northwest parent Board Rep: Kerri Banks Kerri is our Northwest region Parent rep on our board. She is a parent with Skyline CAP Program. Kerri started with Head Start about 6 years ago when my son enrolled after he turned 3. Since then she has been on the policy council and just finished […]
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While you can see all of our Board and meeting minutes on our Leadership page here: https://headstartva.org/about-us/our-leadership/ We want to share a little bit more about a few of our Members! The Virginia Head Start Association Board of Directors is comprised of representatives of four regions – Southeast, Southwest, Northeast, and Northwest – and individuals […]
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We have many new program Directors for 2022 and we would like to welcome and support them here on our VAHSA website. If you know of anyone who should be profiled here, please email Melissa at mpalombi@headstartva.org. Sharon Shuttle People Incorporated of Virginia Director of Child & Family Development As a former Head […]
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We are pleased to announce the 2022 winners of our Annual Nancy Elmore Scholarship recipients. The Nancy Elmore Scholarship is a wonderful opportunity for two people to receive some financial assistance with their continuing education expenses. Named in honor of Nancy Elmore, who has been an integral part of Virginia Head Start programs for many years, the […]
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Reconceptualizing Social Determinants of Health and Working Towards Systemic Change . . . is one of the many engaging offerings we have lined up for our Virtual Health and Family Institute Conference which will run the week of March 28-April 1, 2022. Presented by Dr. Anjali Gowda Ferguson, PhD, attendees will have an […]
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The 2020 VAHSA Parent Ambassadors visited Richmond on January 22 to share their compelling stories with State Delegates and Senators about how Head Start has impacted their lives. They valued the opportunity to meet with State Legislators and shared powerful and inspirational examples of how families partner with Head Start to help prepare their children […]
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Our group with First Lady Pam Northam Virginia Head Start Parent Ambassadors joined other ECE stakeholders in advocating for early childhood education at the State Capitol. They brought their children on a “playdate” with delegates, senators, and the First Lady of Virginia to thank them for their investments. Head Start Director Yesenia De La Cruz […]
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By Jennifer Lazzo Head Start. It’s an easily recognizable name, but do you know what the program is designed to do? Head Start provides young children from low-income families and children with disabilities with one free year of education, preparing them to enter kindergarten ready to listen to instructions, play well with fellow students and lead by example. The […]
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The Governor and First Lady announced an Executive Directive to establish an Executive Leadership Team on School Readiness, which will be co-chaired by Commissioner Duke Soren and Chief School Readiness Officer Jenna Conway. The team is being tasked with two core objectives: Ensure that all at-risk three-year-olds and four-year-olds in Virginia have access to a […]
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Virginia First Lady Pamela Northam, and Chief School Readiness Officer Jenna Conway, visit Head Start classrooms and other early childhood facilities in a Back to School Tour. In June 2018, First Lady Pamela Northam announced a new initiative to bolster early childhood education in Virginia and improve student outcomes for youth across the Commonwealth. The […]
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Dr. Deborah Bergeron, Director of the Office of Head Start, visited Prince William County Head Start program on June 5, 2018. Dr. Bergeron visited three Head Start classrooms to learn more about a collaboration between Head Start and the high school students enrolled in ECE at Gar-Field High School, an inclusion classroom at Mullen Elementary […]
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