7/1/2024 – 12/31/2024
$30,000
The Ideal Learning Head Start Network (ILHSN) is a network of more than 45 Head Start and Early Head Start programs that constitute a community of early childhood education practice, offering support, collaboration, and resource sharing for educators striving to implement comprehensive learning approaches aligned with the principles of ideal learning environments.
In 2023, ILHSN members engaged in a collective planning process that resulted in a new theory of change to guide our network in the upcoming years. As the ILHSN and our Head Start portfolio continue to grow, we see many opportunities to build on our work to support children, families, and educators in Head Start, the nation’s oldest and largest investment in young children. We plan to: 1) Support project and grant making ideas generated by ILHSN committees, 2) Publish videos featuring our partners as well as footage from ideal learning programs to drive awareness and outreach to new partners around the U.S., 3) Support our backbone agency, Bank Street, to continue to lead facilitation and coaching of the Head Start Network, and 4) Research and develop an online, multimedia, professional development library with modules to support programs implementing ideal learning environments.
Our ILHSN team is actively expanding engagement through member-specific subcommittees focused on practice and policy. These dedicated groups will engagemonthly to dive deep into movement-building strategies tailored to their unique goals. Additionally, we’re excited about the launch of our Workgroup and Community pages on the ECLKC’s MyPeers platform. This online network offers us a valuable opportunity to reach out to a broader audience, including Head Start professionals interested in ideal learning, and to connect with other organizations implementing ideal learning unaware of our network.
In 2024, we eagerly anticipate hosting our second annual in-person summer convening building on the energizing success of our inaugural event in 2023. In addition, we are embarking on a robust outreach campaign, developed with our consultant partners, to attract new members (through our new-member engagement page), and also to empower current members’ partner organizations to showcase their affiliation with ILHSN across various platforms.