Stigma around substance use and recovery is still a barrier to asking for help and getting services. In Head Start programs, we know recovery is possible. This webinar highlights ways to promote recovery by reducing stigma. It also showcases resources on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) for staff and families.

This powerful webinar presented by Kristie Pretti-Frontczak, Ph.D. Jennifer Grisham, Ed.D. and Lynn Sullivan, M.Ed. will share key practices that are necessary to assess young children of all abilities in inclusive early childhood settings. The webinar will cover practical strategies for assessing young children using authentic assessment practices by collaborating with families and other professions and ensuring equity across assessment purposes. The presenters will offer specific tips for implementing authentic, collaborative, and educationally equitable practices in inclusive early childhood programs.

This training will provide participants an introduction to trauma and its impact on human development across areas of functioning, as well as the core principles of trauma and resilience informed care. Participants will practice strategies to enhance their capacity for trauma and resilience informed care in themselves and their organizations. Participants will also learn strategies to promote resilience, reduce stress, and prioritize wellbeing for themselves and others.

In this second Exploring Fatherhood in the 21st Century webinar, we're looking at how personal and professional knowledge and experiences influence relationships with fathers and men in Head Start programs. Father engagement can thrive in program environments that honor diversity in family structure, culture, gender, gender expression, and community. Fathers feel accepted when staff are open to them and exhibit respectful curiosity about each person as an individual. This webinar features reflective practices that support relationship-building with fathers and father figures in early childhood settings.

In this eye-opening webinar, participants will learn about the importance of creating gender inclusive early learning environments and the concrete actions they can take to create environments that support all children’s healthy gender development. The presenters will guide you to reflect on you own gender identity, expression, and embodiment and how your perception of gender impacts your expectations of children. You will learn about the impact of strict gender roles and stereotypes on young children and adults. The constellation theory of gender development will be introduced as a more inclusive understanding of gender that is big enough for us all.

Head Start and Early Head Start staff are uniquely positioned to partner with families in navigating the obstacles of poverty while prioritizing equity. Through trusting and positive relationships between families and staff, families can gain increased access to resources, enhance their well-being, and support their journeys toward economic mobility. In this 3-part series, we will focus on the OHS Priority of Advancing Equity by identifying and reducing systemic barriers for historically underserved and marginalized populations.