Professional Development Cohorts for Head Start Leaders
In April 2025, Acorn Learning will launch its first Acorn Workgroups. Acorn Workgroups offer a professional development opportunity for Head Start and Early Head Start leaders to enhance their leadership skills and program management. These workgroups provide a supportive environment for skill development, communication improvement, and best practice implementation. Participants benefit from diverse perspectives, collaborative problem-solving, and a focus on professional growth, ultimately advancing their programs and contributing to the broader Head Start initiatives. Recent updates to the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) mandate that leaders undergo professional development to help them establish clear and reasonable roles and responsibilities for all staff, ensuring continuous supervision and fostering meaningful and effective employee engagement practices. This is precisely what we will focus on together as a group.
Two Workgroups will be launched and will continue monthly through December 2025. The first group, Executive Director, will consist of 12-15 individuals responsible for overseeing their programs and will be led by Stuart Jones, CEO of Acorn Evaluation. The second group, Head Start Leader, will include 12-15 managers, directors, or content leads who are directly responsible for a specific Head Start content area, such as Education, ERSEA, or Family Engagement, and will be facilitated by senior staff from Acorn.
Spaces in Acorn Workgroups are limited, and applicants apply for the opportunity, final participants are selected from the applicant pool by the Acorn Workgroup Team.
Timeline
Ongoing, beginning April 2025 and continuing monthly
(Initial commitment April - December 2025)
Two Zoom meetings per month, every other week for 90 minutes each
(Exact meeting days and times to be announced)
For Individuals
- The workgroups are a valuable, ongoing professional development opportunity for Head Start leaders.
- Learn and share best practices in a facilitated professional development environment.
- Targeted groups that meet the unique needs of Executive Directors and Head Start Leaders.
- Executive Director - cohort of 12-15 individuals with overall responsibility for their programs, facilitated by Stuart Jones, CEO, Acorn Evaluation
- Head Start Leader - cohort of 12-15 managers/directors/content leads with direct responsibility for a Head Start content area (ex: Education, ERSEA, Family Engagement), facilitated by senior Acorn staff
For Programs
- This type of professional development for program leaders has been used successfully for decades but is rare in the Head Start world.
- Facilitated discussions, networking, and exploration of best practices in real program settings come together to provide a high quality, ongoing professional development program for current and future leaders.
- Each group is professionally facilitated by an Acorn expert, who brings skills in issue processing, quality content in leadership and management, and group work.
- Participation in an Acorn Workgroup supports the professional development expectations from HSPPS 1302.92 Training and Professional Development, specifically with regards to programs implementing a management system that promotes clear and reasonable roles and responsibilities for all staff and provides regular and ongoing staff supervision with meaningful and effective employment engagement practices.