Relationships First: High-Quality Interactions for Effective Head Start Programs

Presented by Sherri Drake, Former Educator, Current Vice President of Services, Teachstone; and Suzann Morris, Vice President of Policy, Teachstone Today’s Head Start programs are managing staggering amounts of change every day. At the same time, millions of children and families depend on programs’ stability in an increasingly unpredictable world. How does a program do both? At the core of every educational experience are interactions between educators and children. In fact, hundreds of research studies have shown that those moments between teachers and students can give children a leg up in the classroom and in life. Through a lens of relationships and interactions, it’s also clear to see: Programs that prioritize high-quality interactions have an unshakeable foundation that makes all other investments effective. Head Start programs that leverage this foundation and invest in relationships unlock key elements of success. In this edWebinar, we explore how support of high-quality interactions results in: Programs that fluidly adapt to an ever-changing landscape in early education Resilient staff, families, and children, leading to more positive outcomes Program-wide approaches to ensure the success of complex initiatives Discover how a consistent relationship-first approach and a focus on meaningful interactions enable a program to navigate change effectively. Viewers examine how interactions support key elements such as children’s learning, resilience, and family trust—and how leaders can prioritize and protect this foundation while managing multiple initiatives, promoting adoption, fostering staff buy-in, and achieving positive child outcomes in their programs.