First Set of Foundation Training Guides To Be Issued

The first set of foundation guides to be issued later this year will be: Laying a Foundation in Health and Wellness- explains how important health is to Head Start's central mission of ensuring social competence by: encouraging a comprehensive view of health service that begins with basic health needs, builds to include the prevention of illness and injury, and expands to promote positive healthy behaviors; and clarifying how all staff contribute to the health of children, families, and fellow staff members though daily activities and role modeling. Setting the Stage: Including Children with Disabilities- orients Head Start staff to the concept of inclusion and it implications for Head Start services to children with disabilities and their families. It also reinforces the program-wide effort to include children with disabilities in the Head Start program, and strengthens staff skills to foster and sustain meaningful inclusion. Engaging Parents- focuses on creating a common vision for parent involvement by: adapting parent involvement activities to make them more accessible and inviting to parents, using observation and listening skills to identify how each staff person contributes to and supports parent involvement, and analyzing current parent involvement practices to identify program strengths and potential areas for improvement. Building a Supportive Community- concentrates on the significance of building strong relationships with which to provide the required support for families, both with in Head Start and in the broader community, and expands staff's current level of understanding and skill in relationship building. Nurturing Children- assists staff with child development principles which: support families, help children develop awareness and respect for differences among diverse people, and nurture children in ways that make each child feel safe while encouraging the development of critical thinking skills within the child. The remaining foundation guides will focus on diversity, management, and transition.

The first set of skill-based training guides, which are being developed under the seven Head Start Training Contracts, will be released to Head Start programs later this year. When completed over the next three years, the full set of guides will provide a comprehensive, high quality content base which Head Start programs and staff can draw upon to design and implement training and staff development activities to meet their local needs. Two types of training delivery strategies are offered in the guides: the workshop, which fosters development of skills through activities which build on learning through group interaction; and coaching, which fosters the development of skills through tailored instruction, demonstrations, practice, and feedback from working closely with a peer or supervisor. In addition, the guides build on and incorporate existing training and informational resources from Head Start as well as other human service delivery areas, including child care, maternal and child health, and social services. The complete training package will include a series of: Foundation Guides, which will focus on the key values and behaviors needed by all staff to support the comprehensive Head Start approach to working with children and families, such as how to engage families or how to apply basic child development principles; and Technical Guides,which will address more complex skills and specific knowledge, such as how to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, conduct child screenings, and perform family assessments.

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