Three engaging hours of online professional development for your program staff, where data is interesting, fun, and important!”
This is what your teachers, family advocates, home visitors, site supervisors, and all of your line staff can expect from the National Head Start Association’s Data Basics course. Designed specifically for busy working Head Start/Early Head Start staff members, most of whom see data as a never-ending compliance responsibility, Data Basics is a welcome learning opportunity.
The course has been running since late 2021 and is available for purchase for your staff right now. This is what we hear afterwards from learners:
- “I never knew that before!”
- “I’m so glad I understand the history of data in Head Start and my role in it.”
- “Now I know why everything we collect and submit is so important!”
- “I’d like to learn more!”
Acorn Evaluation has been supporting Head Start/Early Head Start recipient programs throughout the country since 2013. The one thing we consistently hear from managers and directors is: “ I wish there was a reliable and affordable way to train all our staff in basic data literacy – especially as it specifically relates to Head Start.” We’ve partnered with the National Head Start Association to develop and offer this course, and hundreds of staff have successfully completed it with many more on the way.
Specifics:
- 3 total hours of coursework, 100% online
- Offered in six 30-minute modules
- Each module has two 6-8 minute instructional videos, followed by multiple choice questions that check for understanding
- Staff can start and stop coursework as desired (course does not need to be taken all at once)
The courses are available for bulk order – so you can purchase a quantity of your choice and use the seats over a 12-month period. This has been very popular with Head Start/Early Head Start directors, so they can assign the course to their staff when it fits with their program’s calendar and professional development plans.
An additional piece of feedback from the managers and directors who have invested in the course is the return on investment, specifically with regards to the Data Tour requirement embedded in the Focus Area 2 review protocol. Line staff are required to demonstrate a higher level of basic data literacy when explaining and showing how they collect, analyze, and utilize data from their program area in practice. This course provides a valuable and often missing foundation for this important expectation and responsibility.
To learn more about the course, explore NHSA Academy’s Basics page.
To explore Acorn and NHSA’s other professional development offerings, click here.
Get a jump on 2022 and skill up your program staff today in all things data!
