You are a Head Start/Community Action leader. We are here to help you.
Head Start and Community Action leaders across the country trust us. You can too!
We're here to support you with your most important responsibilities:
- Empowering your leaders and your program staff (we want to help you train them, motivate them, and have all of them feel bought into their roles and their responsibilities)
- Using data effectively across all content areas (we want to make that SO MUCH EASIER for you - the ongoing responsibility of collecting, entering, analyzing, and reporting - then using that data to sustain your funding and tell your story)
- Providing the highest quality of services to your children and families (we want to help you make small, impactful changes to each of your content areas that are win-win-win, for children, families, and your program staff)
We've worked hard to design and implement specific professional development opportunities and trusted assessments and consultations for Head Start, Early Head Start and Community Action leaders nationwide. We listen to you - we learn from you - and we respond. Explore how we can help you below.
How we can support you right now
Line Staff
Leadership (Managers, Directors)
Program / Agency
Professional Development Workshops
3 and 6-hour virtual workshops via Zoom that help you improve things quickly!
I'd like to attend some short and engaging trainings to make my program better for 2025!
Who: any Head Start/Early Head Start/Community Action manager, director, content lead or coordinator who has responsibility for pre-services, meetings, using and sharing data, motivating and supervising staff, and/or presenting and reporting.
How: 3-hour and 6-hour workshops via Zoom - facilitated by Acorn's expert faculty and staff.
What: Workshops are fantastic learning events. Some of our upcoming 2025 workshops include:
- Better Surveys! Learn how to construct and implement an effective survey that can help you make a big difference in your program
- Better Meetings! Learn how to quickly and effectively improve your meeting culture and routine, one small, impactful change at a time
- Better Pre-Service! Learn how to strengthen your preservice training with techniques that engage and motivate staff successfully
- Communicate with Confidence - Learn how to structure a presentation to tell an effective story, using three successful domains of leadership communication
- Creating a Culture of Motivation - Learn how to apply successful motivational science techniques to get the most out of each of your staff, each day
- And More!
When: Throughout 2025! Explore all our workshops at our Professional Development site at acornlearning.com.
Head Start Data Basics
offered in partnership with The Academy at NHSA - Academy+
I am interested in providing quick, affordable, and engaging basic training in how data works in a Head Start/Early Head Start program for my employees - that they ENJOY!
Who: all HS/EHS staff regardless of role/responsibility; teachers; teachers' assistants, family advocates, ERSEA/health/disability/nutrition and other specialists, managers, directors
How: 100% online - Data Basics is 3 hours (six 30-minute modules) of online (asynchronous) content, delivered through The Academy at NHSA's online professional development platform in the "Academy Plus" library.
Why: being able to articulate what data is, why a program collects it across all content areas, how it relates to the PIR, Program Goals and funding, and continuous quality improvement is critical for all Head Start and Early Head Start professionals. This training provides a core foundation for all staff and is an invaluable addition to annual professional development portfolios. We often hear "this was great - I never knew all this before" and "I wish I had learned all this earlier!"
Data Literacy Credential
offered in partnership with The Academy at NHSA
I am interested in a professional development experience that will increase my data literacy - and feel more confident in my ability to use data in my program. I want to become a more effective leader using data. I would like to meet and connect with other people sharing my role and responsibilities.
Who: all Head Start/Early Head Start managers, directors, and/or supervisors, regardless of role or experience
How: "Flipped classroom" model - learners attend for 8 consecutive weeks, learners complete video coursework on their own time, and attend live, twice-weekly Zoom meetings with instructor and students (16 total classroom meetings)
Why: become the fluent "data leader" you've always wanted to be! Master data terminology, map workflows, effectively train and empower your staff, make simple, popular and effective changes to how your program uses data, learn to story-tell effectively, and improve your program! Join a cohort and connect with 15-50 other HS/EHS professionals in similar roles. Learners earn 5.1 IACET CEUs upon completion of the Credential. Offered in partnership with The Academy at NHSA.
Data Camp for Head Start
offered in partnership with Head Start California and other state associations nationwide
I am interested in a brief, effective "boot camp" style of training to learn data principles that will help me become a stronger leader with data and improve my program.
Who: all Head Start / Early Head Start managers, directors, and/or supervisors, regardless of role or experience
How: 6 hours (two) of live training via Zoom, 3 hours on day one and 3 hours on day two
Why: Head Start professionals should fluently understand the definition of data, the term "workflow" and how it applies to the collection, coding, entry, analysis, and reporting in each content area, continuous quality improvement, FA1/FA2 review core principles, and the concept of organizational data capacity - all within a friendly, fun, and easy to understand context.
Data Analyst Certificate for Head Start Professionals
I am interested in creating solutions and strengthening how we use our data. I would like to learn how to export data from one or more of our data systems and build custom analytic tools in Excel to support my team and program.
Who: all Head Start/Early Head Start managers, directors, and/or supervisors, regardless of role or experience (advanced data experience is not necessary for this course)
How: "Flipped classroom" model - learners attend for 8 consecutive weeks, learners complete video coursework on their own time, and attend live, twice-weekly Zoom meetings with instructor and students (meetings include all-learner sessions as well as individual Zoom "office hours" with lead instructor)
Why: learn to develop and build analytic tools to support your leadership team in your Head Start/Early Head Start program. Learners will work collaboratively with other HS/EHS professionals to export data from their core data systems, clean and prepare it, and build analytic tools in Excel. Learners earn 7 IACET CEUs upon completion of the Certificate.
Data Capacity Assessment
I am interested in an "outside set of eyes" on how my program does with "all things data". I would like to receive information, insights, and understanding on my program's leadership and management culture, data climate, and data infrastructure, that we can act on right away, in a strength-based format from people I trust that doesn't feel like a "review".
Who: all Head Start / Early Head Start programs and management teams
How: 2-month exploratory project - gathered through leadership team interviews, staff surveys, and a detailed exploration of selected data from your program's primary management database (ex: ChildPlus, COPA, GoEngage, etc)
Why: Management teams benefit from knowing how their program is performing relative to other programs nationwide - so they can collaboratively identify areas for improvement and strengthening. Join hundreds of programs nationwide who trust us to provide you with valuable insights about your program's data culture, along with discussions about how to specifically move forward once the project is complete.