Head Start

1. Head Start Planning for Job Success In Early Head Start Laura Hunt Trull Grantee Specialist Region III Training and Technical Assistance Network

2. Training Objectives • Participants will be able to identify key EHS responsibilities around paperwork. • Participants will be able to identify and implement strategies for planning and organization. • Participants will be able to identify key indicators of burnout and tactics for stress reduction and management.

3. “Sounds like me” • Green to the front – sounds like me • Red to the front – not like me • Tentatively raising – indicates “sort of…” • Raising and waving – indicates “totally!” • Not raising – indicates undecided or hands are busy with lunch

4. Why you took this job… • I love children. • I needed a job. • I am a former parent. • I love babies. • I needed a change from preschool. • This is the only thing I ever wanted to do. • This paid better or had better benefits than my other job.

5. Why you took this job… • I love working with families. • This is a good job in my area. • I have experience in child development. • I have education in early childhood. • I want to make a difference. • I know that children in poverty and children with risk factors are more likely to enter school and not be ready to learn.

6. Why you took this job… • I want to be part of the solution. • With what we know about brain development, Head Start doesn’t start early enough. • I love to see their smiling faces. • Working with little children cheers me up. • I like to be busy. • I get to play all day long.

7. Sound like you? I just want to interact with children… … and I find myself overwhelmed with paperwork.

8. Realistic Expectations • So what’s all this paperwork really about, anyway? • BRAIN SHOWER (a light brainstorm): What are key job expectations linked to paperwork?

9. SOLAR Profile • Profiles provide a standard “skill set” that may or may not apply to you individually.

10. SOLAR Skills • Tracks family’s progress in accomplishing the goals developed in partnership with them by reviewing goals with the family and documenting achievements. • Plans individualized experiences and small- and large-group activities by using child observation, screening, and assessment data. • Meets federal, state, and program documentation requirements by maintaining accurate, objective, complete, timely and well-organized child and family records.

11. SOLAR Skills • Offers families opportunities to increase their child observation skills by providing written and verbal information and encouraging participation in classroom and family education activities. • Aligns goals and approaches to support children’s progress by engaging with program staff, specialists, families, and staff in other learning settings who also serve the child. • Tracks progress toward child and family goals established in formal plans by reviewing and documenting family achievements.

12. “Sounds like me” • Yeah, I have to do at least some of those. • Are you kidding? Those are expectations? • Well, it’s nice to see some other people look as overwhelmed as me. • I actually do some of that well! • I could maybe get a little better at some of those. • People have no idea what is involved in this job!

13. “Sounds like me” • I maybe, possibly, at one point or another, could conceivably have fallen behind on one or more of these items… and would perhaps like to hear about some strategies for staying on top of them…

14. Tips and Tricks for Planning • Understand your job description • Individual planning calendar • To Dos – Day, Week, Month, Year • Post-its • Notebook or Journal • Checkboxes or Lists • Schedule it in like a meeting • Communicate with your Supervisor

15. Tips and Tricks for Follow Up • Every check creates a box • Ask yourself – so what’s next? • Always have the ability to schedule a minimum of 3 months out • The thread and the bell

16. Tips and Tricks for Staying Organized • Make being organized fun • See it as an investment • Find a system that works for you • Color coding • Chronological, numerical or alphabetical • Organized chaos • Operate by the “win the lottery” philosophy

17. Preventing Burnout • And if you do all these things well, it takes a lot out of you and you might not be doing it well for long… • Signs of burnout are different for everyone! • Brainshower: What are some signs of burnout you have seen?

18. Self-Care • One way we can delay or avoid burnout is to ensure that we take care of ourselves. • Work is not your life. • Mini-breaks • Yoga/meditation • Exercise • Keep a nimble mind • Laugh

19. “Sounds like me” • I have, at one time or another, handled something not-so-well at work because of my stress level. • I have taken work home. • I have taken home to work. • I have found a way to manage stressful times at work. • There is someone at work I can talk to.

20. “Sounds like me” • I sometimes make good choices about how to handle stress. • I believe staying more organized could help me manage stress. • I believe being more planful could reduce stress. • This job still has more rewards than it has challenges.

21. Training Objectives • Participants will be able to identify key EHS responsibilities around paperwork. • Participants will be able to identify and implement strategies for planning and organization. • Participants will be able to identify key indicators of burnout and tactics for stress reduction and management.

22. Questions/Comments

23. Contact Information Thank you!!! Laura Hunt Trull Grantee Specailist 540-623-4287 LTRULL@icfi.com