Illinois Head Start Association

Tomorrow, Thursday, June 11th, is the DEADLINE to submit comments on the Wage & Benefit NPRM. Please take a minute or two to ADD your valued comments. Our comments, on the compensation NPRM, are due by 11:59pm ET. For more on this - and other news - the weekly Scoop is found HERE - https://www.viethconsulting.com/msg_detail.php?mid=220007337
!!! NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT - LET'S DO IT !!!

On May 12, 2026, the federal agency (HHS) put out a plan to drop the 2024 rules that set higher pay and benefits for Head Start staff. Those rules support the work you do every day. You teach children. You check their health. You help families find food, housing, and care.

Good pay helps programs hire and keep staff. Child care pay is already low, and when pay is low, people leave. That makes it hard to run a strong program. Dropping these rules is the wrong move. Programs can't raise pay on flat budgets. The requirement needs funding behind it.

The Illinois Head Start Association, along with our partners in Together for Head Start, is asking the whole Head Start workforce to sign the staff sign-on letter. It asks the government to drop this plan and fund the workforce. The letter goes on the record to HHS as an official comment, and to Congress and the news media.

Add your name. Then send it to your coworkers: https://bit.ly/49MPh

Head Start is not one thing. It is early education, health screenings, dental care, nutrition, mental health support, family goal-setting, and community connections, all in a single program. Few programs bring all of this together for children from birth to age 5 and their families. That is what makes Head Start different.

Find a Head Start program near you at ilheadstart.org.

That's a wrap on the 2026 Directors Institute! Three days in Geneva, full of learning, real conversation, and connection among Illinois Head Start leaders.
This morning, Lauren Lawson-Zilai of Zeal Communications gave directors practical tools for handling crises and media, from crafting a clear message to keeping the trust of families, funders, and partners when it matters most.

We closed with State of the State, where Lauri Morrison-Frichtl and Donna Emmons walked through where Illinois early childhood stands now, from Smart Start Workforce Grants to the new Illinois Department of Early Childhood.

Three days, dozens of directors, one shared commitment to the staff, children, and families Head Start serves. Thank you to everyone who showed up and made it what it was. The work you do for children and families across Illinois matters, today more than ever. The work continues.

A special thank you to the staff at the Herrington Inn & Spa for their warm hospitality and a beautiful setting on the Fox River.

Day 2 of the 2026 Directors Institute focused on the issues shaping Head Start's future.

The morning opened with Advocacy in Action, where our J&J Legislative lobbyists showed directors what their work for IHSA and its members really involves. Rather than a standard update, directors stepped into it themselves through role play, learning how the case for Head Start gets made in the Illinois legislature.

Lauri Morrison-Frichtl and Donna Emmons then facilitated Future of Head Start, a hard look at leading through federal uncertainty, flat funding, and proposed changes to program requirements.

In the afternoon, Ann Linehan, former Acting Director of the Office of Head Start, joined for Heart to Heart, a candid discussion on resilience, leadership, and the future of Head Start.

A demanding day, faced together. A reminder that no Head Start leader is in this alone. One more to go.

Day 1 of the 2026 Directors Institute is in the books. Directors from across Illinois gathered at the Herrington in Geneva for a day that started with reflection on what it takes to sustain the heart of this work, led by Yolanda Winfrey. The afternoon turned practical with Rhett Cecil of the Indiana Head Start Association, who walked through the Economic Impact Tool and how to use it to show what Head Start delivers for communities. Directors wrapped the day connecting with peers in downtown Geneva. More to come Thursday and Friday.

VRLE Class of 2026. Fifty-five Head Start and Early Head Start leaders, three days in the wilderness, one journey together.

That's a wrap on the Vanessa Rich Leadership Experience. Over three days, our Head Start and Early Head Start leaders stepped into the wilderness, named the doubts and stories they carry, and built the power suit to carry it all home. Same leaders who walked in Monday, a little more ready for the work ahead, for the children, families, and teams who need them. 💪🏽

👏🏽Thank you to every leader who showed up, and to everyone who made these three days possible. In the spirit of Vanessa's words, we each craft our one brick as well as we can, and trust the next to carry it forward.