Wisconsin Head Start Association (WHSA)

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Wisconsin Head Start Association (WHSA) Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Wisconsin Head Start Association (WHSA), Nonprofit Organization, 2096 Red Arrow Trail, Fitchburg, WI.

Our purpose is to gather and disseminate information about Head Start, provide assistance to state, regional, and national Head Start agencies and organizations, to advocate and carry out activities that support educational goals for children.

Thank you to everyone who took action. The public comment period on the proposed changes to the Head Start Program Perfo...
10/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who took action.

The public comment period on the proposed changes to the Head Start Program Performance Standards closed on October 6, and our Head Start community showed up.

Your comments joined more than 40,000 submitted nationwide, adding up to a public record HHS is now required to review and respond to before any final rule is issued. Staff, families, directors, and community partners each shared what Head Start standards mean in their own words, and that matters.
Across WHSA’s two action alerts, you took 758 actions:

• 248 formal comments submitted to the Federal Register
• 510 messages sent to elected officials

That includes 110 comments and 510 messages through our Contact Your Elected Officials action alert, and 138 comments through the 20-Day Comment Challenge.

Nothing is changing right now. Programs continue operating under the current standards, and any changes would only take effect after a final rule is published with an effective date.

Thank you to everyone who wrote, shared, and encouraged others to take part. We’ll keep you updated as next steps unfold.

Day 20 of WHSA's 20-Day Comment Challenge: deadline day.Over these 20 days, the same pattern has kept showing up. With m...
10/06/2026

Day 20 of WHSA's 20-Day Comment Challenge: deadline day.

Over these 20 days, the same pattern has kept showing up. With most federal standards gone, Wisconsin children would see fewer hours and fewer days in quality care, fewer services, delivered by fewer staff who are paid less. That is not good for kids, staff, communities, or Wisconsin.

Today's prompt: if you've commented on other days, name what connects them in your own words. If you haven't yet, today is the day.

👉 Add your comment: https://takeaction.io/whsaonline/public-comment-challenge-your-comment-matters/

📖 Today's full prompt:
https://whsaonline.org/2026/09/day-20-today-is-the-last-day-to-comment/

🗓️ See the challenge: https://whsaonline.org/comment-challenge/

A quick note on what "comment" means here: not a comment on this post, but an official one added to the Federal Register through our action alert, the kind that becomes part of the public record.

Comments are due today, and every one becomes part of the official record HHS has to read before this rule can be finalized.

Teacher-to-child ratios aren't red tape. They're how we keep young children safe.In a new op-ed, WHSA Executive Director...
10/05/2026

Teacher-to-child ratios aren't red tape. They're how we keep young children safe.

In a new op-ed, WHSA Executive Director Jennie Mauer and Ruth Schmidt of the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association explain what HHS's proposed Head Start rule would mean for Wisconsin. The proposal would remove about 90% of Head Start's standards and replace federal ratio requirements with state licensing rules. It would also cut supports for children with disabilities and multilingual learners and limit what programs can spend on everyday operations.

As Jennie and Ruth write, caring for young children is skilled, demanding work, and keeping kids safe depends on having enough adults in the room.

📰 Read the op-ed: https://bit.ly/HS-NPRM-Op-Ed

The public comment period closes tomorrow, October 6. Submitting a comment on the Federal Register puts your voice in the official record HHS must review. One specific point in your own words is enough.

👉 Comment here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/07/2026-16134/reducing-federal-burden-for-head-start-programs -comment

Day 19 of WHSA's 20-Day Comment Challenge: last chance to comment!Comments are due tomorrow, October 6. If you haven't s...
10/05/2026

Day 19 of WHSA's 20-Day Comment Challenge: last chance to comment!

Comments are due tomorrow, October 6. If you haven't submitted yet, today is the day. Pick any topic from the past 18 days, or one of your own. Tell us how you're connected to Head Start, name one provision, and say what it would change for you, your program, or your family.

👉 Add your comment: https://takeaction.io/whsaonline/public-comment-challenge-your-comment-matters/

📖 Today's full prompt:
https://whsaonline.org/2026/09/day-19-last-chance-to-comment/

🗓️ See the challenge: https://whsaonline.org/comment-challenge/

A quick note on what "comment" means here: not a comment on this post, but an official one added to the Federal Register through our action alert, the kind that becomes part of the public record.

Comments are due October 6, and every one becomes part of the official record HHS has to read before this rule can be finalized.

Day 18 of WHSA's 20-Day Comment Challenge: the parental authority framing.The proposed rule is framed around parental au...
10/04/2026

Day 18 of WHSA's 20-Day Comment Challenge: the parental authority framing.

The proposed rule is framed around parental authority and letting states decide. Today's prompt asks you to answer that framing directly: does removing the ratio requirement actually give you more say over your child's classroom, or just less information about it? Programs would still have to post their ratio, so is posting a number the same as protecting a child?

👉 Add your comment: https://takeaction.io/whsaonline/public-comment-challenge-your-comment-matters/

📖 Today's full prompt:
https://whsaonline.org/2026/09/day-18-the-parental-authority-framing/

🗓️ See the challenge: https://whsaonline.org/comment-challenge/

A quick note on what "comment" means here: not a comment on this post, but an official one added to the Federal Register through our action alert, the kind that becomes part of the public record.

Comments are due October 6, and every one becomes part of the official record HHS has to read before this rule can be finalized.

Day 17 of WHSA's 20-Day Comment Challenge: two rules, the same staff.Two separate federal proposals would land on the sa...
10/03/2026

Day 17 of WHSA's 20-Day Comment Challenge: two rules, the same staff.

Two separate federal proposals would land on the same Head Start staff. One would end the 2024 pay and benefit rules. This one would end training requirements, coaching, the Child Development Specialist role, and required staff breaks. ACF added up what both rules together would save, but never asked what they'd do to hiring or to keeping good people. Today's prompt: say what both rules together would actually mean for the staff at your program.

👉 Add your comment: https://takeaction.io/whsaonline/public-comment-challenge-your-comment-matters/

📖 Today's full prompt:
https://whsaonline.org/2026/09/day-17-two-rules-the-same-staff/

🗓️ See the challenge: https://whsaonline.org/comment-challenge/

A quick note on what "comment" means here: not a comment on this post, but an official one added to the Federal Register through our action alert, the kind that becomes part of the public record.

Comments are due October 6, and every one becomes part of the official record HHS has to read before this rule can be finalized.

Only a few days left to register for Communities of Practice!Whatever you're working through this year, chances are some...
10/02/2026

Only a few days left to register for Communities of Practice!

Whatever you're working through this year, chances are someone in another Wisconsin program is facing it too. Communities of Practice give you a space to work through it together.

✅ Full series: $340 (Fall, Winter, New Year + Spring Keynote)
✅ Not ready to commit? Single sessions start at $95

Fall sessions begin October 8. Register today so your session details arrive in time: https://whsaonline.org/communities-of-practice/

Day 16 of WHSA's 20-Day Comment Challenge: waiver authority.The proposed rule would let a program ask HHS to waive almos...
10/02/2026

Day 16 of WHSA's 20-Day Comment Challenge: waiver authority.

The proposed rule would let a program ask HHS to waive almost anything in it, only nutrition, physical activity, and eligibility are off limits. The rule never says how HHS decides, what a program has to show, or whether an approved waiver is ever made public. Today's prompt: if you've been through a waiver request, write about what you had to document, how long it took, and whether anyone explained the decision. If you haven't, say what you'd want to know before your program asked for one.

👉 Add your comment: https://takeaction.io/whsaonline/public-comment-challenge-your-comment-matters/

📖 Today's full prompt:
https://whsaonline.org/2026/09/day-16-waiver-authority/

🗓️ See the challenge: https://whsaonline.org/comment-challenge/

A quick note on what "comment" means here: not a comment on this post, but an official one added to the Federal Register through our action alert, the kind that becomes part of the public record.

Comments are due October 6, and every one becomes part of the official record HHS has to read before this rule can be finalized.

Day 15 of WHSA's 20-Day Comment Challenge: health, oral health, and mental health specificity.Right now, federal rules r...
10/01/2026

Day 15 of WHSA's 20-Day Comment Challenge: health, oral health, and mental health specificity.

Right now, federal rules require specific health, oral health, and mental health services in Head Start. Under the proposed rule, that detail shrinks significantly. Today's prompt: describe a screening, referral, or consultation your program provided that you doubt would happen without a federal requirement behind it.

👉 Add your comment: https://takeaction.io/whsaonline/public-comment-challenge-your-comment-matters/

📖 Today's full prompt:
https://whsaonline.org/2026/09/day-15-health-oral-health-and-mental-health-specificity/

🗓️ See the challenge: https://whsaonline.org/comment-challenge/

A quick note on what "comment" means here: not a comment on this post, but an official one added to the Federal Register through our action alert, the kind that becomes part of the public record.

Comments are due October 6, and every one becomes part of the official record HHS has to read before this rule can be finalized.

WHSA Communities of Practice - join for every group, or stick to just a few. You'll meet with peers who you can continue...
10/01/2026

WHSA Communities of Practice - join for every group, or stick to just a few. You'll meet with peers who you can continue to learn and grow with!

📚 Coaches & Education Managers/Specialists: coaches, education managers, and specialists

🏡 ERSEA & Family Services: ERSEA staff, family advocates, and family services managers

🍎 Health & Nutrition: health managers, nutrition staff, and health coordinators

💛 Mental Health & Inclusion + Disabilities: mental health staff and consultants, disabilities and inclusion coordinators

👥 Human Resources & Staff Engagement: HR managers and staff who support hiring, retention, and wellness

📊 Data Management: data managers and staff who handle reporting and program data

Register by Monday, October 5: https://whsaonline.org/communities-of-practice/

Address

2096 Red Arrow Trail
Fitchburg, WI
53711

Telephone

+16084426879

Website

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