The Gravely Group 2018 Year (Review)
Melvin J. Gravely
CEO @ The Gravely Group | Public Administration, Leadership Development
The biggest news story for Head Start in 2018 was the program instruction issued from OHS nationally that says that programs will be required to attain full enrollment. After that announcement, full enrollment was a primary topic of conversation for attendees at The Gravely Group’s conferences and workshops. We outlined some of those questions in our blog “Concerns and Strategies on Attaining Full Enrollment.”
As we talked about all year, to maintain full enrollment, it’s important is make sure you have a strong ERSEA strategy, including a plan to properly determine eligibility, as well as to recruit the neediest children, such as homeless children and children of recent immigrants. If you don’t have a plan, then 2019 is the year to start!
Take a look back at the posts from our 2018 “ERSEA Cheat Sheet” series:
- Head Start Eligibility
- Recruiting the Neediest Children in Head Start
- Head Start Selection without Tears
- Smoothing the Enrollment Process
- Improving Head Start Attendance
In my opinion, the strive for full enrollment is definitely a good sign for Head Start. After 50+ years, we see Head Start coming into its own as one of the longest-lived and most successful anti-poverty programs in history. In one example, Congress approved additional appropriations in 2018 to help increase program hours.
As for The Gravely Group, we had another productive (and fun) year! We updated and re-issued our popular handbook, Boards & Policy Council Handbook for Effective Meetings. We also presented at a half dozen conferences, and our LinkedIn Group surpassed 10,000 members!
Other Head Start News in 2018
Relationship-Based Competencies
In 2018, the nine Relationship-Based Competencies came into focus on our blog. We wrote an entire series on the subject, diving into each of the competencies one by one.
- Positive, Goal-Oriented Relationships
- Self-Aware and Culturally Responsive Relationships
- Family Well-Being and Families as Learners
- Parent-Child Relationships and Families as Lifelong Educators
- Family Connections to Peers and Community
- Family Access to Community Resources
- Coordinated, Integrated, Comprehensive Services
- Data-Driven Services and Continuous Improvement
- Foundation for Professional Growth
Client Testimonials
Thank you to the new clients we brought on board in 2018! Here are some testimonials from just a few of them.
- SCACAP Board Training
- CAP Tulsa
- Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services, Inc.
- Delta Health Alliance
Head Start Stories
We received so many wonderful stories this year about how Head Start has impacted lives on a very personal level. Here are some of those stories.
Tags: year in review