October 12-16, 2026
Please note this is a preliminary agenda and is subject to change. The times listed below are in PST.
| Time (PST) | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 11:30-1:00 PM PST | Opening General Session, Step on Purpose with Justin Tutt
| “Step On Purpose” is an energizing and interactive keynote designed to inspire participants to be more intentional in how they connect, communicate, and support children, families, and colleagues. Through powerful reflection, audience participation, positive affirmations, and practical strategies, Justin Tutt will explore how we can POUR into ourselves and others, PULL people toward positive goals, and PUSH families toward emotional growth through empathy, regulation, and consistent support. Participants will leave feeling recharged, connected, and ready to step forward with purpose. |
| 1:15-2:00 PM PST | Virtual Breakout Session: From Checkbox to Commitment with Mariol Hill, Edward Casillas, and Jennifer Dacy Part 1 | From Checkbox to Commitment—Transforming Father Engagement for Stronger Family Stories. This interactive workshop invites participants to move beyond compliance and embrace a transformative approach to father engagement, grounded in Head Start’s vision for whole-family well-being. Participants will explore the latest research and practical tools that underscore the powerful ripple effect of intentional father inclusion on children’s academic achievement, emotional security, and family resilience. Drawing from the evidence-based strategies outlined in “From Checkbox to Commitment,” the session will unpack the barriers that limit meaningful father involvement and offer concrete methods to foster a culture where fathers are welcomed, valued, and empowered. Attendees will engage with the Father Friendly Check-Up™ assessment tool, learning how to evaluate and strengthen their own organizational practices. Real-world examples—including successful program models like Nurturing Fathers—will illustrate how targeted training, supportive policies, and collaborative partnerships can translate into improved outcomes for children and families. Designed for professionals across all five conference focus areas, this workshop blends research, reflection, and action planning. Participants will leave with actionable strategies for integrating father engagement into curriculum design, wellness initiatives, leadership development, and cross-cutting family engagement efforts. By holding space for the full family story—including fathers—organizations can unlock new potential for child success and family stability. Join us to champion a future where every father is seen, supported, and celebrated as an essential part of the family’s journey. |
| 2:15-3:00 PM PST | Virtual Breakout Session: From Checkbox to Commitment with Mariol Hill, Edward Casillas, and Jennifer Dacy Part 2 | From Checkbox to Commitment—Transforming Father Engagement for Stronger Family Stories. This interactive workshop invites participants to move beyond compliance and embrace a transformative approach to father engagement, grounded in Head Start’s vision for whole-family well-being. Participants will explore the latest research and practical tools that underscore the powerful ripple effect of intentional father inclusion on children’s academic achievement, emotional security, and family resilience. Drawing from the evidence-based strategies outlined in “From Checkbox to Commitment,” the session will unpack the barriers that limit meaningful father involvement and offer concrete methods to foster a culture where fathers are welcomed, valued, and empowered. Attendees will engage with the Father Friendly Check-Up™ assessment tool, learning how to evaluate and strengthen their own organizational practices. Real-world examples—including successful program models like Nurturing Fathers—will illustrate how targeted training, supportive policies, and collaborative partnerships can translate into improved outcomes for children and families. Designed for professionals across all five conference focus areas, this workshop blends research, reflection, and action planning. Participants will leave with actionable strategies for integrating father engagement into curriculum design, wellness initiatives, leadership development, and cross-cutting family engagement efforts. By holding space for the full family story—including fathers—organizations can unlock new potential for child success and family stability. Join us to champion a future where every father is seen, supported, and celebrated as an essential part of the family’s journey. |
| Time (PST) | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00-10:45 AM PST | Virtual Breakout Session: Where Stability Meets Opportunity: Head Start on Housing in Connecticut Part 1 with Karen Pascale | This presentation introduces CT’s Head Start on Housing, a first-in-the-nation initiative that provides housing vouchers to children and families experiencing homelessness and enrolled in Head Start programs””linking stable, affordable housing directly with early childhood support. We will highlight how the program reduces housing instability, strengthens family well-being, and creates healthier learning environments for young children. The presentation also outlines early outcomes and the vision for expanding this innovative model across Connecticut and beyond to build stronger, more resilient communities. |
| 11:00-11:45 AM PST | Virtual Breakout Session: Where Stability Meets Opportunity: Head Start on Housing in Connecticut Part 2 with Karen Pascale | This presentation introduces CT’s Head Start on Housing, a first-in-the-nation initiative that provides housing vouchers to children and families experiencing homelessness and enrolled in Head Start programs””linking stable, affordable housing directly with early childhood support. We will highlight how the program reduces housing instability, strengthens family well-being, and creates healthier learning environments for young children. The presentation also outlines early outcomes and the vision for expanding this innovative model across Connecticut and beyond to build stronger, more resilient communities. |
| 1:00-1:45 PM PST | Virtual Breakout Session: Your Story, Your Voice, Your Impact: Head Start Parent Advocacy with Erendira Guerrero | Parents are powerful advocates for their children, families, and communities. Their lived experiences provide a unique perspective on the impact of Head Start and the importance of comprehensive early childhood services. This interactive session will empower Head Start parents to transform their personal experiences into meaningful advocacy stories that inform, inspire, and create change. Participants will explore what makes a personal story effective for advocacy and learn how to connect their experiences to broader issues affecting children and families. Through guided reflection, storytelling activities, and peer practice, parents will identify key moments from their Head Start journey, develop a clear advocacy message, and learn how to confidently communicate their experiences with decisionmakers, community leaders, and other audiences. The session will also emphasize the importance of maintaining personal boundaries and choosing what to share when telling one’s story. Participants will leave with practical tools and a simple framework for developing a 30-second and two-minute advocacy message, along with greater confidence in using their voices to advocate for Head Start children and families. Key Takeaway: Your experience matters. Your story can help others understand the value of Head Start—and your voice can help shape the future of services and opportunities for children and families. |
| 2:00-2:45 PM PST | Virtual Breakout Session: Wellness Is Not a Bubble Bath: Building Sustainable Self-Care in Head Start Programs with Melissa Botler | Self-care isn’t spa days and scented candles. It’s boundaries. Recovery. Systems. Culture. In Head Start settings, adult regulation directly impacts child development. This session offers practical strategies to prevent burnout, support co-regulation, and build sustainable wellness practices that strengthen relationships and workforce resilience. |
| 3:00-3:45 PM PST | Virtual Breakout Session: Fatherhood and Employment Readiness After Incarceration with Lester Young | Fatherhood and Employment Readiness After Incarceration Successful reentry is about more than finding a job—it’s about helping fathers rebuild their identity, restore their confidence, and reconnect with their families. This interactive workshop equips professionals, service providers, and community leaders with practical strategies to better prepare fathers returning from incarceration for long-term employment and family success. Participants will explore the barriers justice-impacted fathers face, including trauma, stigma, emotional regulation, communication, and workplace expectations. Through real-world examples and lived experience, attendees will learn how employment readiness and fatherhood are deeply connected, and how meaningful work can strengthen families, reduce recidivism, and create healthier communities. This session provides actionable tools that organizations can immediately implement to support fathers as they transition from incarceration to employment. Participants will leave with a renewed understanding of how workforce development, emotional intelligence, and intentional coaching can empower fathers to become dependable employees, engaged parents, and positive role models within their families and communities. |
| Time (PST) | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00-10:45 AM PST | Virtual Breakout: Moving Families Forward: Tools and Strategies for Family Economic Mobility with Laura Galindo and Mavy Moreno | Description: Head Start families across the country continue to face significant economic challenges, making it critical that family services staff have the resources to support families through difficult conversations. This interactive 90-minute session will meet you wherever you are in partnering with families on the road to economic mobility — whether you want to learn about family economic mobility basics, get ideas and inspiration, or get hands-on resources and training to help you engage and plan with families. Participants will examine the Office of Head Start’s Family Economic Mobility Toolkit and gain insights on how to use the FEM Toolkit by selecting your role, or by getting an introduction to family economic mobility. Throughout the session, participants will gain an understanding of family economic mobility and how it’s connected to family well-being and the Head Start program’s central purpose, which will help provide an important foundation for your work with families. Take that understanding to the next level with insights on how to approach family economic mobility work with families from a strength-based perspective, and how to build skills for having sensitive conversations across family economic mobility goal areas. |
| 11:00-11:45 AM PST | Virtual Breakout Session: Navigating Hard Conversations with Families to Support Goal Setting with Patricia Eterno | Strong family partnerships are built through meaningful conversations, especially when helping families identify and achieve goals for themselves and their children. In this engaging 45-minute professional learning workshop, participants will explore practical strategies for building trust, creating family-driven goals, overcoming common barriers to progress, and celebrating small successes along the way. Educators will leave with conversation starters, relationship-building techniques, and tools to support families in setting realistic, achievable goals that lead to lasting positive outcomes for children and families |
| 12:00-12:45 PM PST | Virtual Breakout Session: Girl Brain, Boy Brain with Neil Tift | As girls and boys grow from infancy through childhood and into adulthood, gender differences become more apparent in how they each problem solve, communicate, process information, express emotions, perform academically, develop relationships and navigate their world. “Infants are not blank slates, on whom we scrawl instructions for sexually appropriateBehavior. They are born with male or female minds of their own. They have, quite literally, made up their minds in the womb, safe from the legions of social engineers who impatiently await them.” Anne Moir, Ph.D.This session will examine specialized areas of brain development and the impact of hormones and behavior patterns that result from these gender influences. It will offer information to help community agency staff develop effective strategies to recognize and respond to these important distinctions to assist children and parents.“There is no unisex brain. Girls arrive already wired as girls, and boys arrive already wired as boys.” Louann Brizendine, M.D. |
| 1:00-2:30 PM PT | Closing General Session | Coming Soon |
I have been to management workshops, not leadership training. This has totally changed my perspective and encouraged me to propel forward in developing my skills.
I am honored and humbled to be a recipient of the Head Start WEST’s Legacy Scholarship. The scholarship helped me get one step closer to achieving my goal of becoming a Head Start Director.
I took part in The disproportionate impact of COVID 19, and how to provide “real” support for black/brown children and families and I just want to say this was an amazing webinar. I hope we can look forward to further conversation on this topic.
Thank you so much for making events like this! I really enjoyed and learned so much teaching strategies to implement STEM in the classroom.
The HR Network was an excellent opportunity to network and learn the best practices from other HR professionals within Head Start programs. You will be amazed by the level of talent and experience of the participants.
The Summer Camp training was powerful and inspiring! Each presenter was very engaging, it’s hard to even pick a favorite session!
The Leadership Challenge training was very relevant to my work as a Head Start leader! Great facilitation; stayed with the program yet allowed time for individual and small group reflections.
Regular price $12.00
Regular price $39.00
Questions? Contact us at headstartr9@headstartwest.org.
