National Head Start Association

Sharon Baptist Head Start is a charitable enterprise that works with various types of organizations in the country that provides early childhood programs. The enterprise’s mission is to coalesce, inspire, and support the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education. Sharon Baptist Head Start is a member of the National Head Start Association (NHSA).

The National Head Start Association started in 1974 as the National Directors Association. The Nixon administration had planned to close Community Action Agencies, and most Head Start programs were situated there. So, the directors formed the organization to protest these plans. In 1990, Head Start Staff Association, Head Start Friends Association, and Head Start Parent Association came together to form the National Head Start Association. Regardless of this, each of these organizations still had a separate identity, and they continued existing.

The NHSA has achieved quite a lot in the decades that it has been existing. The association now promises several professional development services for people in the early childhood education sector. It also organizes programs such as the annual National Head Start Conference, which aims to foster equality in the Head Start community.