If you work in Head Start, you’ve likely seen this story before.
A rockstar home visitor, a phenomenal teacher, a go-to family advocate. This person is talented, reliable, beloved—and gets promoted. Suddenly, they’re a manager.
And just like that, the skillset that got them the job… isn’t enough to succeed in the job.
They are now responsible for holding other people accountable. They must navigate conflict, manage team morale, run meetings, track performance, and communicate up, down, and sideways. But where’s the training for all of that?
If you’re thinking “Exactly.”—you’re not alone.
The Problem: We Promote Without Preparing
Head Start is full of passionate professionals. But very few Head Start managers—or directors, for that matter—received structured training in management before stepping into the role.
We promote based on performance in previous roles, not preparation for new ones.
That gap? It causes stress, staff turnover, tension, poor meetings, and missed opportunities. Managers struggle to give feedback. Teams avoid hard conversations. We repeat the same mistakes. And program outcomes suffer.
We know this because here at Acorn, we hear it constantly—from you.
The Opportunity: A New Kind of Training
At Acorn Learning, we designed the Manager Skills Certificate with one question in mind:
What if we could give Head Start managers the exact training they wish they had when they started?
This isn’t theory-heavy, one-size-fits-all content.
This is five targeted, tactical workshops offered once a month from August to December 2025, designed for Head Start leaders who are new to their role, OR, who have been in their role for years! Each session is 3 fast-paced hours on Zoom—accessible, affordable, and deeply relevant. Here’s what we cover:
- Being a Manager: Foundational principles and “aha” moments about what it really means to manage in Head Start.
- Communicating with Confidence: Feedback, hard conversations, and presence—without fear.
- Creating a Culture of Motivation: Real strategies to help staff show up, stay engaged, and do their best work.
- Building Teams for Problem Solving: Teamwork that leads to action, not just talk.
- Better Meetings: Because if your meetings are bad, your leadership culture is too.
The Certificate is a bundle of all 5 workshops. Finish all five and earn your Acorn Learning Certificate and Credly digital badge.
Why It Works: Real People. Real Tools. Real Results.
Participants don’t just “sit through” our workshops—they participate, reflect, apply, and leave with tools they use immediately. We’ve heard things like:
“I finally feel like I know how to manage people—before, I was just guessing.”
“This gave me the language I needed to lead with confidence.”
“Every session was something I could use the next day.”
And it’s not just individual growth. When directors send their whole management team through this series, the culture shifts. Meetings improve. Communication tightens. Morale rises. Staff stay.
What to Do Next
If you’re a Head Start director, consider this your nudge: invest in your managers. They carry your vision. Give them the skills to carry it well.
If you’re a Head Start manager, don’t wait for someone to train you—raise your hand. Take the next step in your professional growth.
And remember – this course complies with the expectations of “staff wellness” in the recently revised Head Start Program Performance Standards!
Registration is open now.
👉 View the schedule, register, or send to a colleague
Your future team meetings, coaching conversations, and Monday mornings will thank you!
