Early childhood education requires providing high-quality experiences for children from programs that are managing constant change. This is especially true for Head Start programs, which have to navigate new initiatives, staffing challenges, and evolving communities, all while supporting millions of children and families.

The partnership between Head Start and CLASS is meant to provide a way for Head Start to deliver on goals by focusing on the power of high-quality interactions and delivering school readiness.

In a recent webinar, Relationships First: High-Quality Interactions for Effective Head Start Programs, Head Start and CLASS, experts explored how interactions lead to increased child development and how programs can leverage this focus on interactions to see success.

Let’s explore some of the highlights!

Why Interactions are So Important

With all the shifting ground that Head Start programs face, interactions are the way to build a stable foundation.

The quality of educator and child interactions is one of the strongest predictors of children’s development. While quality learning settings have often been defined by elements like educator qualifications, ratios, and other aspects that can be considered structural quality, these factors alone won’t ensure positive outcomes for children.

Interactions support language development, social-emotional skills, self-regulation, and engagement in learning. And interactions can be the focus of any program regardless of the other factors at play.

When interactions are intentional, classrooms run more smoothly, children are more engaged, and transitions become easier. This sets students up for success to meet Head Start School Readiness Goals. And it also supports educators who will face fewer challenging behaviors and easier transitions.

Supporting Interactions Now and In the Future

Educator support is so important and when it comes to intentional interactions and implementing CLASS, there are ways for programs to provide. It’s important that educators understand CLASS as a tool for improvement, not compliance. This means that building a shared understanding and means of support are crucial first steps toward implementation.

Consider immediate steps that your program can take to start supporting educators and a focus on interactions. Some questions you can ask yourself or them could include:

  • Do educators understand why interactions matter in education and how they are measured?
  • What are my educators struggling with most and what form of support could I implement right away?
  • What are ways we can find opportunities throughout the day or additional interactions?
  • What kind of training or practical strategies do educators need to apply changes?
  • What are educators already doing well and what efforts can I make to offer encouragement?

Leadership teams can also use CLASS data to help drive support. Using observation and coaching data to find trends and align performance with professional development priorities can target where needs exist.

Offering the form of support that educators are asking for will help create a positive team environment and shared vision where everyone's voice is heard.

Building a Culture of CLASS

Moving forward from initial support, leadership teams can create systems where high-quality interactions are sustained over time. This is about building a culture of CLASS, where everyone understands the power of interactions and why they matter.

Think about how interactions are embedded into training, systems, classroom setup, conversations with the team. Turnover is inevitable but systems can keep priorities on track. If someone new joined the program tomorrow, how would they learn that interactions are a priority?

Here are a few ways to build a culture of CLASS for your program:

  • Link all resources the program is using so both curriculum and other tools all support interactions.
  • Provide baseline training for educators to understand CLASS (either at one site or across multiple).
  • Enable and empower educators to ask questions and ask for support within the CLASS framework.
  • Get everyone on the team involved in understanding interactions no matter if they’re in the classroom or not.

Some efforts might take time and move forward in small increments. But when it comes to building relationships with students and improving interactions, even small changes can lead to big outcomes. It’s all about continuing to move forward.

Ready to Learn More?

If you’re part of a Head Start program, or want to learn more about how Teachstone and Head Start partner to bring high-quality interactions and improved outcomes for students, we have additional resources available.