National Head Start Association

Location: US National

Child care associations promote the education and well-being of children, families, and child care providers.

Since the National Head Start Association (NHSA) began 50 years ago, it has become the only not for profit association devoted to the transformational work of Head Start. The NHSA ensures that policy makers at all levels hear the stories or those involved with the association, from parents and teacher to alumni.

Assisting over 32 million families and children, Head Start has a commitment to every child to ensure they receive the opportunities to succeed in life as well as educationally. Head Start provides these opportunities through unique programs such as the “whole child/whole family program”. The programs created by Head Start become the building blocks for community initiatives nationwide.

Head Start creates their programs to contain four components; education, health, parent involvement, and social services. The NHSA aims to to assist with the growth of children: socially, emotionally, as well as intellectually through a variety of learning experiences. The organization strives to provide children with proper immunization, dental, medical, as well as mental health services. In order to achieve these goals, it is crucial to involve families and communities in the implementation of activities and policies, as well as allowing all families to determine which services and programs would best fit the needs of individual children and the family as a whole.

For more information visit the National Head Start Association website.