The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) just announced an exciting grant opportunity for agencies to implement and enhance family engagement activities in their state. The Application for New Grants Under the Statewide Family Engagement Centers Program opened for competition on December 20, 2021 and applications are due February 17, 2022.
As 2021 comes to a close, we thank you for the critical role your programs play in serving children and families. We have enjoyed getting to know programs through our work together, at conferences, and in conversations. And, we appreciate you reading our blog!
2021 was a year of opportunities and challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic shined a spotlight on the importance of child care and also the challenges faced by the industry. The challenges the Head Start community faced in 2021, and will continue to face in 2022, are truly unprecedented. In fact, the Office of Head Start reports greater need than ever among children and families.
Child care providers play a critical role in supporting other essential industries, as was seen during the COVID-19 crisis. The child care system remains increasingly fragile due to the economic impact of the pandemic. Many programs are faced with closure and are unable to sustain operations with diminishing enrollment and staffing shortages. Yet, many child care providers have remained open to support the needs of working families in their community.
The webinar on September 23, 2021 was the first glimpse into changes for FY2022 monitoring. Following the webinar, the Office of Head Start (OHS) released Fiscal Year FY2022 Head Start Monitoring Protocols. The Virtual Expo opens in October. It is a great time to familiarize yourself with the protocols, particularly if your program anticipates a FY2022 review.
This year’s National Head Start Association (NHSA) Fall Leadership Institute took place virtually, September 20-23,2011. New and exciting information was shared, including updates on potentially historic increases in funding for Head Start and the child care community.
Promoting excellence in early childhood education to support families and strengthen communities.