About Region vii head start association
Region VII Head Start Association: Providing Quality Services for Children and Families
The Region VII Head Start Association is a non-profit organization that aims to provide quality services for children and families by promoting and supporting the effectiveness of State Head Start Associations, Local Head Start Programs, and members. The association is committed to ensuring that every child has access to high-quality early childhood education, health, nutrition, and social services.
Head Start is a federally funded program that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and social services to low-income families with children from birth to age five. The program was established in 1965 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty initiative. Since then, it has helped millions of children from disadvantaged backgrounds get a head start in life.
Region VII covers eight states in the Midwest region of the United States: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota Minnesota Wisconsin. The Region VII Head Start Association serves as an advocate for these states' local programs by providing training opportunities for staff members at all levels.
The association's mission is to ensure quality services for children and families by promoting and supporting the effectiveness of State Head Start Associations (SHSAs), Local Head Start Programs (LHSPs),and members. It works closely with SHSAs across the region to identify best practices in early childhood education and share them with LHSPs.
One way that Region VII supports its members is through professional development opportunities. The association offers training sessions on topics such as child development; family engagement; health; mental health; disabilities; cultural competence; leadership development; management systems; fiscal management ; governance ; data analysis ; community partnerships ; advocacy , etc., which help staff members improve their skills so they can better serve their communities.
Another way that Region VII supports its members is through advocacy efforts at both the state and federal levels. The association works closely with policymakers to ensure that funding for Head Start programs is maintained and that regulations are in place to support high-quality services for children and families.
Region VII also provides technical assistance to LHSPs. This includes helping programs develop policies and procedures, providing guidance on program planning, monitoring compliance with federal regulations, and assisting with data collection and analysis.
The association's commitment to quality is reflected in its accreditation process. Region VII Head Start Association has been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) since 2001. NAEYC accreditation is a rigorous process that evaluates early childhood education programs based on ten standards related to curriculum, teaching, assessment of child progress; health; teachers' qualifications ; family engagement ; community relationships ; physical environment ; leadership management . Accreditation demonstrates that a program meets high standards of quality in all areas.
In conclusion, the Region VII Head Start Association plays a vital role in ensuring that children from low-income families have access to high-quality early childhood education services. The association's commitment to promoting best practices through professional development opportunities, advocacy efforts at both the state and federal levels , technical assistance ,and accreditation demonstrates its dedication to providing quality services for children and families across eight states in the Midwest region of the United States.