Emily Wagner

Mass Transit • 2023-10-20

National Initiative by community leaders kicks off to provide safer transit for preschoolers

In an effort to ensure families of infants and children have greater access to public transit, a partnership bloomed between a host of national civic, social and public services organizations. The National Head Start Association (NHSA) and the Civic Mapping Initiative (CMI), powered by the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, partnered to produce an interactive, national map and analysis measuring the distance between each Head Start location and the nearest fixed-route transit stop.

The New York Times • 2022-09-12

How Poverty Programs Aided Children From One Generation to the Next

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — When Cecelia Jackson was born nearly three decades ago, about a quarter of American children were poor, a head count of hardship that for most of her childhood included her. Her father, a truck driver with a grade-school education, injured his arm when Ms. Jackson was young, then raised five children on a disability check. Food ran short, worries long, and she remembers exactly one vacation, an eight-hour drive to the beach.

The New York Times • 2022-09-07

At Head Start, Masks Remain On, Despite C.D.C. Guidelines

PERTH AMBOY, N.J. — The Biden administration has taken credit for a relative return to normalcy in schools over the last year of the coronavirus pandemic. But in one of the few education programs the federal government directly oversees — Head Start preschools and child care centers for low-income families — mandatory masking rules are still on the books for teachers and children as young as 2-years-old.

That requirement is out of line with current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Contro

New America • 2022-06-28

Democrats Propose Historic Child Care Investment Through Reconciliation

It’s been more than two years since child care program closures shined a spotlight on our nation’s fragile child care system. And while other aspects of the economy have shown signs of recovery, the child care sector continues to be in crisis.

K-12 Dive • 2022-06-28

'We can't out-pay Walmart': Head Start classrooms close after staff turnover

Increased staffing shortages following COVID-19 classroom closures are leading some Head Start programs to once again shutter their doors — this time, permanently. "We're facing a major workforce crisis," said Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association. "We don't have the qualified staff that are able to keep up with the amount of children that we would want to be serving."

Tulsa World • 2022-06-28

Column: Early childhood workers in critical need of pay boost

June 9, 2022 – Recently the National Head Start Association urged Congress to take action to address the dramatic workforce issues facing Head Start providers nationwide. Long-neglected workforce underinvestment, conflicting COVID-19 protocols, and the rising impact of inflation have caused providers to struggle to meet the needs of the nation’s most vulnerable children and their families.

Times Union • 2022-06-05

Head Start in 'crisis' as public schools hire the agency's teachers

A nationwide shortage of public school staff has trickled down to Head Start, which is losing many of its most experienced teachers to higher-paying school district jobs. In Albany, Head Start is running with about 70 percent of its normal staff.

EdSurge • 2022-05-18

‘We’re Sounding the Alarm Bells’: Head Start Report Underscores Workforce Crisis

Earlier this month, as thousands of early childhood educators and advocates gathered in Baltimore for the 2022 National Head Start Annual Conference, attendees exchanged first-hand accounts and anecdotes from the field, sharing what the last couple of years have been like for them and what it’s like right now.

Tommy Sheridan, the deputy director of the National Head Start Association (NHSA), a nonprofit advocacy and professional support organization for Head Start, was hearing stories about jus

The Hill • 2022-03-07

For a full recovery, the US must address its child care crisis

(This article was ghostwritten by Emily Wagner.) On Tuesday — in the face of converging crises of war, the ongoing global pandemic and an uneven economic recovery — President Biden acknowledged that this is a tough time for all Americans. But here’s the truth: Families with children under five are struggling more than everybody else.

The Hill • 2021-09-08

Universal preschool plan should prioritize equity and model Head Start

(This article was ghostwritten by Emily Wagner.) Right now, through the American Families Plan, President Biden is calling for a national partnership with states to offer free, high-quality preschool to all three- and four-year-olds. This proposal to scale learning opportunities for all children has the potential to transform society.