Illinois Head Start Association

06/05/2026

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.

06/04/2026

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.

06/03/2026

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

06/03/2026

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.

06/03/2026

The hardest conversations start as conversations with yourself. Day 2 of the Vanessa Rich Leadership Experience went into the wilderness of the mind, naming the negative thoughts and quiet stories that poison how we lead. We took the work outside, into the open air and sunshine along the river, because the best thinking doesn't always happen inside four walls. Then we turned to each other, because saying those thoughts out loud with people who know the work is often the antidote. Tomorrow we build the power suit to carry it forward.

06/02/2026

Day 1 of the Vanessa Rich Leadership Experience opened the way it always does, with Vanessa's own voice and a story about a single brick. It set the tone for the afternoon as leaders from across Illinois stepped into the wilderness together. We closed the night at Illuminate Space with candles, conversation, and a grazing table, thanks to Kaplan Early Learning Company. Two more days, one brick at a time.

06/01/2026

Head Start HIRES & Jobs Board JUN'26

Join others with a heart for Head Start! These Illinois employment choices are posted from both Chicagoland & Downstate - https://www.viethconsulting.com/msg_detail.php?mid=219107945.

Check our links frequently as member agency websites may have NEW opportunities any time. Share with your family and friends to encourage their interests in a Head Start / Early Head Start Career today.

05/26/2026

One-on-one coaching paired with every session is what sets Smarter Tools for Head Start apart. The 8-session A.I. series, built with Early Intel exclusively for Head Start and Early Head Start programs, runs June through December and covers strategic planning, program design, health data, ERSEA, and family engagement. Your full management team is included. Registration closes May 28.

Tag your program director or leadership team so they catch this before the May 28 deadline.

IHSA Members: A new professional development opportunity is available for your leadership team.

Smarter Tools for Head Start is an 8-session A.I. series running June through December 2026, developed in partnership with Early Intel and designed exclusively for Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Every session is paired with one-on-one coaching and covers a real program function — from strategic planning and program design to health data, ERSEA, and family engagement.

Your full management team is included, with flexibility for team members to attend the sessions most relevant to their role. Registration deadline: May 28. Space is limited.

Find out more or Register here: bit.ly/4uzZNW3

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, we take time to pause and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. To the families who carry their memory every day, and to the communities they left behind, we are forever grateful.

05/22/2026

Head Start turns 61 this year. Since 1965, the program has been helping children and families build foundations for the future.

Chuck Mills is one of those children. He grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Gilead, Illinois, and Head Start was the turning point that helped him and his sister rise out of poverty. Chuck went on to fly Marine One for two presidents.

Sixty-one years of stories like Chuck's. Hear him tell his in his own words, part of The Voices of Head Start oral history project:

An interactive map compiling oral histories from the Head Start community from 1965 to the present.