Educational Sessions

The 2019 FHSA Conference will be April 1-4, 2019 at the Renaissance World Golf Village Resort. The 2019 Educational Sessions can be viewed below, or you can click here to view Schedule At-A-Glance.


Opening Session 

Tuesday, April 2, 2019 | 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

MADE FOR GREATNESS The 7 Habits that Unlock Greatness Within

Presented by: Adam H. White III, CEO of Purpose_Driven Leadership and founder of Adam White Speaks.


Adams "MADE FOR GREATNESS" The 7 Habits that Unlock Greatness Within" is a top-selling book that teaches individuals how to tap into their purpose and potential for greatness by putting into practice seven greatness habits that unlock inner potential. He will guide you and your team through powerful habits and help us develop and master them through thought-provoking leadership challenges that will inspire change and transformation. Meet Adam


Educational Session Preview 

click on a theme to view conference sessions

Conference Themes and Special Focus 

Curriculum and Instruction

Cultural Diversity

Family, School & Community 

Ongoing Care & Well-Being

Professional Learning

Technology in Early Learning

Organization Leadership

Inclusion & Equity

Poster Sessions

The poster session will take place during lunch on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, from 12:30 p.m. -2:00 p.m. in the Expo Center. Attendees will have time to grab a bite to eat and visit with poster session presenters to learn about their innovative ideas, programs, and practices. Below is a listing of the poster session that will be available. Scroll down to learn more. 

Improving Quality Early Head Start Services to Children & Families through Cross-Cultural Competency

Tanya Sparks, Program Director, Children's Home Society

The presentation will include pictures, graphs, and information on a tri-fold display board. Also, there will be a tablet showing a video to demonstrate food preparation in Myanmar. The presenters will be there to answer questions and share information.

Putting Financial Literacy in the Forefront - Progress related to Families that improve Financial Wellness

Sandra Ruff, Fiscal Program Manager, Orange County Head Start

We want the audience to use Orange County Head Start as a case study on how to engage and improve parents financial wellness. Our Head Start was able to enhance financial wellness by establishing programs and partnerships that helped families improve their financial situations.

Learn-to-Swim Program

Cassandra Alexander, Family, and Community Engagement Coordinator, Miami-Dade County Head Start/Early Head Start

Florida leads the nation in child drownings. To address this crisis, MDC Head Start partnered with the Department of Parks and Recreation to provide swim lessons. Over 400 children have completed the Swim program. Parent training on water safety and free CPR classes to were also offered.

Critical Care File

Seth Williams, Health Services Manager, Mid Florida Community Services, Inc.

The poster includes details of the location of the Critical Care File in each classroom throughout the program. The poster consists of a linear content list of Critical Care File items.

Improving Overall Health: Promoting Healthy Oral Health Habits through Collaboration and Coordination with Community Partners

Terri Barlow, Head Start Director, School Board of Brevard County

A collaborative approach includes partners that support a successful process. Activities include parent education. Staff participation in the broader community has expanded opportunities for children who need extensive care and opportunities for parents in Head Start to have teeth extracted at no cost.

Head Start and Foster Care Partnership

LaTanya Wynn-Hall, Director of Head Start and Early Head Start, Lutheran Services Florida, Inc. - Duval Head Start/Early Head Start

The Child Welfare-Early Education Partnership (CWEEP) was established in 2011 to foster strategic coordination and institutionalize communication between child welfare, early childhood, community organizations and families with infants and young children involved in the child welfare system in Northeast Florida. The partnership that LSF Duval Head Start has with Family Support Services of North Florida is an example of best practices in collaboration and strategic planning to maximize enrollment and ensure that children in child welfare have access to high-quality child care. Participants will learn about the Child Welfare-Early Education Partnership (CWEEP). Participants will be educated on the efficacy of the collaboration between child welfare, Head Start/Early Head Start and other early childhood systems. The presentation will provide participants with the mechanics to develop a partnership plan between early education/Head Start/Early Head Start and Child Welfare within their communities. Participants will also learn how to develop a recruitment plan involving child welfare and Head Start/Early Head Start programs to foster better outcomes for younger children, ages birth to 5.

Project Spotlight

Jaclyn Citarella, Family and Community Partnership Manager, Mid Florida Community Services, Inc.

The poster is divided into five logical sections with clarifying responses to basic fact-finding questions.

FSU Partners for a Healthy Baby Home Visiting Curriculum & FSU Early Head Start: Bringing Research to Practice

Julie May McDougal, Early Head Start Director, FSU Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy

The Partners for a Healthy Baby Curriculum was developed at Florida State University to meet a need identified by one of the first Early Head Start programs. It is now used by home visiting programs nationally and has been integrated into multiple research studies.


Closing Session  

Thursday, April 4, 2019 | 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. 

Classroom Management 

Presented by Mr. Shawn Brown, Owner - Creative Director, Role Model Professional Development, LLC

Our closing session will begin with a breakfast and some sweet sounds from the FHSA choir. We will close the day with a motional and morale-boosting session from Shawn Brown. In this session, he will exhibit how to maximize the productivity in the classroom through seamless transitions and diminish if not eliminate any unnecessary waiting around. Participants will take away an understanding of scoring dimensions and be able to identify strategies to score higher on behavior management as well as have strategies in place to score using different instructional learning formats.