by Jerry Parr | Aug 25, 2026 | Classroom Monitoring, Community Collaboration, Early Childhood, Head Start, NPRM, Strategic Planning
In May 1990, I participated in my first federal Head Start monitoring review at the Inter-Tribal Council of California, under Lee Fields, then the Region XI/XII branch chief. I could not have known then that I was entering Head Start monitoring at a moment of...
by Jerry Parr | Aug 21, 2026 | Community Collaboration, Head Start, Strategic Planning
On August 19, the World Forum Foundation and Willow Tree Early Education Team brought together Head Start and early childhood colleagues for a national virtual Town Hall. The purpose was simple. Not to predict what will happen with the proposed Head Start regulations....
by Jerry Parr | Aug 12, 2026 | Head Start
The proposed deregulation of Head Start has understandably created stress, anger, fear, and confusion. But it may also create an opening the Head Start community should not waste: an opportunity to help design a stronger, more workable framework rather than simply...
by Jerry Parr | Aug 7, 2026 | Early Childhood, Head Start, Strategic Planning
I am approaching the proposed changes to the Head Start Program Performance Standards as a preparedness question rather than an endorse-or-oppose question. What if significant parts of this proposal become the operating environment? For American Indian and Alaska...
by Jerry Parr | Aug 7, 2026 | Early Childhood, Head Start, Strategic Planning
Head Start is a field that knows how to defend itself. When the program is threatened, we talk about children and families. We talk about school readiness, health, parent leadership, community partnerships, comprehensive services, and the extraordinary things programs...
by Jerry Parr | Jul 22, 2026 | Early Childhood, Head Start
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to participate for the first time in the annual strategic planning meeting of the Calvert County Early Childhood Advisory Council. As someone relatively new to Calvert County—but certainly not new to early childhood systems—I arrived...
