We’re still celebrating 60 years of Head Start’s service to children and familes! Earlier this month, QUALITYstarsNY was proud to attend the New York State Head Start Association’s (NYS HSA) Annual Conference in White Plains, NY. As part of the celebration, the NHY HSA recognized several programs across New York State who have been operating for 60 years. Among the honorees were QUALITYstarsNY participants, West Harlem Head Start and Head Start of Rockland County, who received plaques in commemoration of their decades of service.
Another highlight of the event was a tribute and award given to Carolyn Baker, Office of Head Start Regional Program Director for Region 2. She will be retiring after over 50 years of leadership and advocacy in early childhood education. Her championing of high-quality services for children and families in New York State will be remembered for years to come.
Looking ahead, we are excited to celebrate three of our programs who were awarded mini-grants to support projects focused on program quality. Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency will be using the award to support social-emotional development by installing buddy benches in their program. West Harlem Head Start will be educating and coaching their teachers on implementing Bank Street’s emotionally responsive practice of integrating teddy bears in classrooms.
