IHSA 2025 Conference, Membership Meeting, & Awards Banquet

Due to rapid changes and communication freezes at the federal Office of Head Start, representatives from OHS Region 10 will not be able to join us. We will instead welcome Tommy Sheridan, Deputy Director of the National Head Start Association. Bring your questions for Q&A.

All attendees are encouraged to attend the membership meeting working lunch. Voting members are required to attend to vote on member business and nominate and elect new members to the IHSA Board of Directors. Raffle prizes will be given. 

Are you ready to practice strategies that support children as individuals and help them build self-regulation practices? Join this session as we explore self-regulation stations, examine classroom schedules, and identify how you can implement these strategies into your work. Be sure to attend the first session (Rev It Up, Calm it Down, Part 1) of this session!

This session will focus on some of the unique aspects of the Home-Based model. Participants will be asked to engage and learn from each other through
sharing successful strategies for establishing collaborative partnerships with families to support children’s growth and development.

This session will focus on strategies for creating and maintaining an integrated Health and Mental Health Services Advisory Committee as required by the Office of Head Start to support children’s healthy development. Participants are asked to engage through sharing current practices, discussion of strategies in implementing the updated performance standards, and identifying implementation successes and challenges.

Together we will explore the communication flow that each mid-manager uses to build and support relationships and share strategies in response to the “I’m caught in the middle” phenomenon.

Let us know if you are unable to walk to the Capitol--we will arrange accommodations. Email mwoller@idahohsa.org.
For parents bringing little ones, we will provide collapsible wagons for them to ride in to the Capitol.

After the Membership Meeting, parents can walk to the Capitol for their scheduled visits with their legislators to discuss their experience with Head Start. The purpose is to gain leadership and civic engagement skills while educating your lawmakers about Head Start and its impact in Idaho. We will prep for these visits and learn about legislative advocacy the day before.

We will also be celebrating Head Start's 60th Birthday in the 4th Floor Rotunda at the same time. Between visits, hang out with IHSA in the Rotunda to give cupcakes to legislators and promote Head Start.

Visits will ideally be scheduled between 1:30 and 5 pm, but should you end early, you are free to tour the Capitol, sit in the House or Senate gallery to watch lawmaking in action, spend time at the 60th Birthday Party, or head back to the Boise Centre.

Refreshments will be provided. Newly elected IHSA Board members and existing Board members will convene to learn about their role as a Board, IHSA's strategic plan, policies, and mission, and vote on Board business. Meet your fellow Board members and take home some IHSA swag.