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south dakota head start association 3 year strategic plan for the period january 2011 ­ january 2014 executive summary the south dakota head start association s sdhsa most recent strategic plan had gone outdated given the number of families in south dakota who could benefit from our services a new strategic plan is essential to meeting their needs and expanding the efforts of the association it will allow us to recognize and document strengths opportunities weaknesses and challenges while developing goals and objectives to reach identified priority areas this document entitled south dakota head start association three year strategic plan will outline goals and objectives of the association for the period january 2011 to december 2013 the south dakota head start association strategic plan is the product of efforts by the association executive director volunteer board of directors and personnel who reviewed the data from a survey of staff and directors representing south dakota head start grantees and programs in south dakota in addition to the aforementioned survey information obtained from the south dakota head start state collaboration office statewide needs assessment was used when determining the areas of focus for the next three years six priority areas were selected and are as follows priority area 1 build awareness of head start generating greater state-wide interest in head start and head start services priority area 2 sdhsa funding secure funding for future projects service expansion training opportunities and capacity building to benefit our members and staff priority area 3 partnership /collaboration advocating for low-income families requires conviction and collaboration one group can make a difference 10 groups can make a change priority area 4 training/professional development we plan to incorporate more training opportunities for head start families and prospective parents to help them take steps toward sustainability training opportunities for head start staff are important to the continued success and improvement of head start programs and services in our state priority area 5 membership/member benefits developing membership benefits and a member database will be very important to the sdhsa while moving forward funding and advocacy efforts will be greatly improved with a dedicated system in place priority area 6 advocacy advocacy efforts are ongoing and a very important part of the sdhsa mission south dakota is one of few states with no state early learning council because of this our association is one of few that have the capacity to advocate for the needs of young children and families in our state we partner south dakota head start association strategic plan 1

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with the south dakota voices for children on many advocacy efforts and hope to expand efforts while moving forward methodology the south dakota head start state association strategic plan was developed over a five month period a one-day planning session was held in chamberlain s.d to formulate goals and objectives that would populate the plan initial planning began in august 2010 when the sdhsa board approved the six priority areas that would be the focus for the upcoming three years funding for this project was acquired through a capacity building grant from the south dakota community foundation the south dakota head start association submitted a grant application and was awarded $4,000 to use in planning organizing and completion of the plan these funds were used to provide a room and meals for two 2 days of strategic planning travel reimbursement for participating programs purchase strategic planning books and materials printing and distribution of plan conducting necessary follow-up meetings and retreats an initial review of the previous strategic plan was completed at the sdhsa board meeting in september 2010 individual committee teams met to review their respective roles in the previous strategic plan while documenting where progress was made where improvement was needed and where additional goals were necessary an initial needs assessment survey was created in google docs and was distributed to the sdhsa board of directors and partners throughout the state comments from both were compiled and organized into a swoc strengths weaknesses opportunities and challenges analysis appendix c page 16 that was included into a presentation given during the strategic planning session additional comments were taken from participants throughout the planning process participants included the following rayne dosch tim henderson doug jacobson bernie peterson jane leite bev whitney cami thompson chance alberts carmen stewart paula albers buddy seiner tom hopper suzanne semmler renee olsen director parent director director director staff staff staff director staff executive director director staff parent south dakota head start state collaboration office oahe child development center badlands head start/early head start youth and family services sioux falls head start youth and family services interlakes community action badlands head start/early head start usd head start sioux falls head start south dakota head start association northeast south dakota head start northeast south dakota head start northeast south dakota head start one year plans will be developed outlining the individual goals and objectives for the given year individual committee assignments will be developed for sdhsa committee s to review at each board meeting updates will be made to the plan based on the updates and recommendations of each 2 south dakota head start association strategic plan

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committee a strategic planning retreat will occur in the fall of each year to review the year at hand and ensure the association is on schedule for the year ahead changes may be made to this plan at any time to ensure goals and objectives are timely measurable specific the right size for our association and actionable strategic planning process upon arrival to the strategic planning session in november participants were prompted to register under one of the six priority areas for group discussion groups were reviewed by facilitator prior to discussion to ensure representation from varied participant backgrounds allowing for diverse perspective and voice during deliberations after a brief overview of the strategic planning process and the day s agenda the strategic planning session had begun the group collaborated together through discussions related to mission and vision before breaking into aforementioned groups to develop goals for the individual priority areas each priority area group consisted of two participants with the exception of the training/professional development priority area which had three 3 participants and the funding priority area which had none additional time would be taken by the executive director and association president to later develop goals and objectives for the funding priority area participants were asked to refer to the swoc analysis for inspiration during the goal development process the goals for each priority area were written on large post-it notes and reviewed by the group once all goals had been approved the objectives portion of the planning process was to begin the entire group was utilized when reviewing each goal and developing specific objectives that would need to take place in order to reach that goal these objectives along with their parent goals are outlined in appendix a page 5 a more detailed record of goals objectives and timelines may be found in appendix b page 9 3 south dakota head start association strategic plan

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mission vision and values our mission the south dakota head start association is a leading voice supporting the work of head start programs and their partners through education advocacy training and networking for quality early childhood education and services to families our vision to be a positive voice a powerful advocate and promoter of quality programs for children families and communities we are committed to expressing empathy and compassion by seeing the world through the eyes of head start children and their families display an open and honest communication to build the trust of those we serve showing appreciation for diversity and individuality treat all families with respect trust and dignity working side-by-side with families to provide assistance education and development needed to accomplish their goal organizational description the south dakota head start association was incorporated in 1989 to coordinate and conduct activities designed to build awareness of head start and head start services in south dakota as the primary support link between local regional and national head start programs we advocate for lowincome families in south dakota with pre-birth to age five children the association is governed by a volunteer board of directors comprised of program directors and elected parent staff and community representatives from each grantee new executive leadership at the board level has a combined 75 years of experience in head start and over 70 years of managerial and leadership experience the south dakota head start association office is managed by executive director buddy seiner 4 south dakota head start association strategic plan

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appendix a goals and objectives priority area 1 build awareness of head start goal 1.1 ­ complete development and implementation of sdhsa marketing plan by 2013 strategy 1.1.1 ­ complete environmental analysis strategy 1.1.2 ­ determine target markets for sdhsa strategy 1.1.3 ­ develop marketing messages/determine vehicles strategy 1.1.4 ­ complete google analytics grant program information strategy 1.1.5 ­ finalize plan strategy 1.1.6 ­ implementation goal 1.2 ­ develop universal waiting list reporting form strategy 1.2.1 ­ determine availability of information/intended use strategy 1.2.2 ­ develop form specific as possible set reporting cycle strategy 1.2.3 ­ develop spreadsheet for simplified analysis strategy 1.2.4 ­ strengthen communication and participation with tribal programs in regards to waiting list numbers goal 1.3 ­ double exposure to sdhsa website 1,000 hits/month through south dakota media outlets strategy 1.3.1 ­ research and acquire funding for promotional items strategy 1.3.2 ­ research and acquire free marketing opportunities psa s strategy 1.3.3 ­ debut of monthly press release series strategy 1.3.4 ­ streamline social media efforts twitter facebook blog strategy 1.3.5 ­ print and distribute 1,500 profile booklets annually strategy 1.3.6 ­ research potential partnership with university media departments goal 1.4 ­ identify and evaluate statistical outcomes affecting head start children strategy 1.4.1 ­ identify data to be evaluated strategy 1.4.2 ­ incorporate data into annual report priority area 2 sdhsa funding goal 2.1 ­ increase revenues from sdaeyc/sdhsa conference by 10 year strategy 2.1.1 ­ promote it as the only early childhood conference in south dakota strategy 2.1.2 ­ add two 2 new donors/sponsors per year strategy 2.1.3 ­ attend three 3 early childhood education conferences 5 south dakota head start association strategic plan

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goal 2.2 ­ increase value of sdhsa endowment by $10,000 by december 2013 strategy 2.2.1 ­ re-visit the purpose for the endowment why have it strategy 2.2.2 ­ research other endowment opportunities and why they are effective strategy 2.2.3 ­ attend three 3 webinars/trainings on managing endowments strategy 2.2.4 ­ develop/implement plan for the endowment goal 2.3 ­ increase sdhsa budget to $100,000 by december 2013 strategy 2.3.1 ­ each member of executive committee will submit two 2 funding opportunities to executive director per year strategy 2.3.2 ­ executive director will spend 1 hr/week researching grants on foundation center database strategy 2.3.3 ­ complete full board fundraising orientation by march 2012 strategy 2.3.4 ­ develop funding database to track grant applications and their status strategy 2.3.5 ­ acquire at least one 1 new funding stream per year priority area 3 partnership /collaboration goal 3.1 ­ increase sdhsa s collaborative efforts by joining the unified voice for sd s young children and those families through active partnerships with at least two 2 statewide organizations by 2013 strategy 3.1.1 ­ develop list of current sdhsa partners strategy 3.1.2 ­ review/update information on partners from individual programs strategy 3.1.3 ­ develop list of target partners goal 3.2 ­ develop partnership/collaboration guidelines/policy strategy 3.2.1 ­ review recommendations from university of maryland strategy 3.2.2 ­ develop/finalize sdhsa policy strategy 3.2.3 ­ develop page on website dedicated to partnerships goal 3.3 ­ utilize technology to increase meeting frequency and effectiveness strategy 3.3.1 ­ review recommendations from university of maryland strategy 3.3.2 ­ determine options available to board and respective programs strategy 3.3.3 ­ develop new meeting guidelines strategy 3.3.4 ­ begin with new meeting guidelines strategy 3.3.5 ­ develop board orientation to inform new members 6 south dakota head start association strategic plan

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priority area 4 professional development/training goal 4.1 ­ expanding professional development training and outreach to parents and staff by 2013 strategy 4.1.1 ­ develop training needs assessment template for both staff and parents strategy 4.1.2 ­ research potential for parent conference in sd strategy 4.1.3 ­ collaborate with hssco and state t/ta reps regarding trainings strategy 4.1.4 ­ professional development committee will submit two 2 training ideas per year goal 4.2 ­ enhance networking session strategy 4.2.1 ­ acquire information from networking session strategy 4.2.2 ­ finalize ecs/ta system to explore support options goal 4.3 ­ support local head start programs to assist their staff in meeting required credentials by required dates strategy 4.3.1 ­ determine training options based on development training needs assessment strategy 4.3.2 ­ provide current updates to sdhsa training/events calendar strategy 4.3.3 ­ develop a list of trainers from other programs to distribute to sdhsa grantees strategy 4.3.4 ­ collaborate with universities to bring ece major to staff online priority area 5 membership/member benefits goal 5.1 ­ to increase active participation of 3 tribal programs by 2013 strategy 5.1.1 ­ making initial contact to build relationships with tribal leaders strategy 5.1.2 ­ determine barriers to tribal participation strategy 5.1.3 ­ develop alternative membership options goal 5.2 ­ to enhance and promote the membership benefits of the association by 2013 strategy 5.2.1 ­ development of a membership database strategy 5.2.2 ­ development and dissemination of membership survey strategy 5.2.3 ­ finalize list of vehicles to promote membership opportunities strategy 5.2.4 ­ finalize group membership benefits strategy 5.2.5 ­ determine tiered membership opportunities 7 south dakota head start association strategic plan

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priority area 6 advocacy goal 6.1 ­ increase legislative awareness through year-round awareness building program for quality early childhood education legislation that supports needed systems and programs strategy 6.1.1 ­ add legislators to general mailing lists include key governor s staff members strategy 6.1.2 ­ research their inclusion in nhsa strategy 6.1.3 ­ assist local programs with outreach finalize documents for their use strategy 6.1.4 ­ organize head start open house week for legislators during head start awareness month goal 6.2 ­ increase efforts as a state organization to support a national voice to counter negativity seen around the nation to support head start strategy 6.2.1 ­ obtain and host head start success/impact stories strategy 6.2.2 ­ link to public officials on website strategy 6.2.3 ­ make contact with nhsa to see how we can contribute to their efforts/provide direction to sd reps goal 6.3 ­ increase efforts to compose and distribute a quality sdhsa newsletter that includes the voice of both tribal and non-tribal programs in educating and advocating for children strategy 6.3.1 ­ finalize a newsletter production timeline strategy 6.3.2 ­ finalize an ed calendar strategy 6.3.3 ­ produce the newsletter template 8 south dakota head start association strategic plan

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appendix b goals and objectives timeline priority area 1 ­ build awareness of head start goal 1.1 ­ complete development and implementation of sdhsa marketing plan by 2013 strategies for goal 1.2 1.1.1 ­ conduct environmental analysis 1.1.2 ­ determine target markets 1.1.3 ­ development/research marketing messages and vehicles 1.1.4 ­ complete google analytics grant program information 1.1.5 ­ finalize/approve plan 1.1.6 ­ implement plan date of completion dec 2011 july 2011 feb 2012 aug 2011 nov 2012 jan 2013 responsibility sdhsa ed sdhsa ed comm/pub sdhsa ed comm/pub sdhsa ed sdhsa ed sdhsa board sdhsa ed status report/notes goal 1.2 ­ develop universal waiting list reporting form strategies for goal 1.2 1.2.1 ­ develop form/set reporting cycle 1.2.2 ­ determine availability of information and plan for use 1.2.3 ­ develop spreadsheet for analysis 1.2.3 ­ strengthen communication and participation with tribal programs in regards to waiting list numbers date of completion feb 2011 jan 2011 may 2011 invite by jan 2011 follow up by march 2011 responsibility sdhsa ed sdhsa directors sdhsa ed sdhsa ed hssco sdhsa ed outreach status report/notes 9 south dakota head start association strategic plan

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goal 1.3 ­ double exposure to website through south dakota media outlets strategies for goal 1.3 1.3.1 ­ research and acquire funding for promotional items 1.3.2 ­ research and acquire free marketing opportunities psa s 1.3.3 ­ debut of monthly press release series 1.3.4 ­ streamline social media efforts twitter facebook blog 1.3.5 ­ print and distribute 1,500 profile booklets annually 1.3.6 ­ research potential partnership with university media departments date of completion nov 2011 march 2012 oct 2011 may 2011 ongoing responsibility sdhsa sdhsa board outreach sdhsa ed comm/pub comm/pub sdhsa ed sdhsa ed comm/pub hssco comm/pub sdhsa ed sdhsa ed outreach comm/pub status report/notes dec 2013 goal 1.4 ­ identify and evaluate statistical outcomes affecting head start children strategies for goal 1.4 1.4.1 ­ identify data to be evaluated 1.4.2 ­ incorporate data into annual report date of completion jan 2012 june 2012 responsibility directors sdhsa ed comm/pub sdhsa ed comm/pub status report/notes 10 south dakota head start association strategic plan

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priority area 2 funding goal 2.1 increase revenues from sdaeyc/sdhsa early childhood conference by 10 year strategies for goal 2.1 2.1.1 promote as the only early childhood education conference in sd alter branding 2.1.2 ­ add 2 new donors per year 2.1.3 ­ attend three 3 early childhood education conferences date of completion ongoing ongoing dec 2013 responsibility sdhsa ed professional dev sdhsa ed outreach sdhsa ed status report/notes goal 2.2 increase value of sdhsa endowment to $10,000 by december 2013 strategies for goal 2.2 2.2.1 ­ re-visit the purpose for the endowment why have it 2.2.2 ­ research other endowment opportunities and their effectiveness 2.2.3 ­ attend three 3 webinars/trainings on endowment management 2.2.4 ­ finalize plan for the endowment date of completion may 2011 march 2012 june 2012 nov 2012 responsibility sdhsa ed professional dev sdhsa ed professional dev sdhsa ed sdhsa ed status report/notes goal 2.3 increase sdhsa budget to $100,000 by december 2013 strategies for goal 2.3 2.3.1 each member of executive committee will submit two 2 funding opportunities to executive director per year 2.3.2 ­ executive director will spend 1 hr/week researching grants on foundation center database 2.3.3 ­ complete full board fundraising orientation 2.3.4 develop funding database to track grant applications and their status 2.3.5 ­ acquire at least one 1 new funding stream per year date of completion ongoing responsibility executive sdhsa ed status report/notes ongoing march 2012 june 2012 sdhsa ed sdhsa ed membership sdhsa ed outreach sdhsa ed south dakota head start association strategic plan ongoing 11

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priority area 3 ­ partnerships/collaboration goal 3.1 ­ develop sdhsa to be a part of a unified voice for sd s young children and those families through active partnerships with at least two 2 statewide organizations by 2013 strategies for goal 3.1 3.1.1 ­ develop list of current partners for sdhsa 3.1.2 ­ reviewing/updating information on partners from individual programs 3.1.3 ­ develop list of target partners 3.1.4 ­ make initial contact with target partners date of completion july 2011 july 2011 jan 2012 may 2012 responsibility sdhsa ed outreach sdhsa directors outreach outreach membership sdhsa ed status report/notes goal 3.2 ­ develop partnership/collaboration guidelines/policy strategies for goal 3.2 3.2.1 ­ review recommendations from university of maryland 3.2.2 ­ finalize sdhsa policy 3.2.3 ­ develop page on website dedication to partnerships date of completion sept 2011 jan 2012 march 2012 responsibility sdhsa ed outreach sdhsa outreach sdhsa ed status report/notes goal 3.3 ­ utilize technology to increase meeting frequency and effectiveness strategies for goal 3.2 3.3.1 ­ review recommendations from university of maryland 3.3.2 ­ determine options available to board and respective programs 3.3.3 ­ develop new meeting guidelines 3.3.4 ­ begin with new meeting guidelines 3.3.5 ­ develop board orientation to inform new members date of completion nov 2011 march 2012 july 2012 jan 2013 march 2012 responsibility sdhsa ed sdhsa ed directors sdhsa ed sdhsa board sdhsa ed professional dev status report/notes 12 south dakota head start association strategic plan

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priority area 4 ­ professional development/training goal 4.1 ­ expanding professional development training and outreach to parents and staff by 2013 strategies for goal 4.1 4.1.1 ­ develop training needs assessment template for both staff and parents 4.1.2 ­ research potential for parent conference in sd 4.1.3 ­ collaborate with hssco and state t/ta reps regarding trainings 4.1.4 ­submit two 2 training ideas per year date of completion march 2012 jan 2013 nov 2011 ongoing responsibility professional dev t/ta professional dev sdhsa ed hssco professional dev status report/notes goal 4.2 ­ enhance networking session experience strategies for goal 4.2 4.2.1 ­ acquire information from networking session 4.2.2 ­ finalize ecs/ta system to explore support options date of completion may 2011 jan 2012 responsibility sdhsa ed hssco professional dev t/ta status report/notes goal 4.3 ­ support local head start programs to assist their staff in meeting required credentials by required dates strategies for goal 4.3 4.3.1 ­ determine training options based on development training needs assessment 4.3.2 ­ provide current updates to sdhsa training/events calendar 4.3.3 ­ develop a list of trainers from other programs to distribute to sdhsa grantees 4.3.4 ­ collaborate with universities to bring ece major to staff online date of completion jan 2013 monthly july 2011 responsibility professional dev t/ta sdhsa ed sdhsa ed professional dev sdhsa ed professional dev status report/notes jan 2013 13 south dakota head start association strategic plan

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priority area 5 ­ memberships/member benefits goal 5.1 ­ to increase active participation of three 3 tribal programs by 2013 strategies for goal 5.1 5.1.1 ­ making initial contact to build relationships with tribal leaders 5.1.2 ­ determine barriers to tribal participation 5.1.3 ­ develop alternative membership options date of completion jan 2011 jan 2012 may 2012 responsibility directors sdhsa ed membership membership sdhsa ed status report/notes goal 5.2 ­ to enhance and promote the membership benefits of the association by 2013 strategies for goal 5.2 5.2.1 ­ development of a membership database 5.2.2 ­ development and dissemination of membership survey 5.2.3 ­ finalize list of vehicles to promote membership opportunities 5.2.4 ­ finalize group membership benefits 5.2.5 ­ determine tiered membership opportunities date of completion july 2011 march 2012 jan 2013 sept 2012 aug 2012 responsibility sdhsa ed membership sdhsa ed membership sdhsa ed sdhsa ed membership membership status report/notes 14 south dakota head start association strategic plan

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priority area 6 advocacy goal 6.1 ­ increase legislative awareness through year-round awareness building program for quality early childhood education legislation that supports needed systems and programs strategies for goal 6.1 6.1.1 ­ add legislators to general mailing lists include key governor s staff members 6.1.2 ­ research their inclusion in nhsa 6.1.3 ­ assist local programs with outreach finalize documents for their use 6.1.3 ­ organize head start open house week for legislators date of completion jan 2011 jan 2012 responsibility sdhsa ed membership sdhsa ed advocacy sdhsa ed advocacy sdhsa ed status report/notes aug 2011 oct 2011 provide letter templates and speaking points supply legislator information oct head start awareness month goal 6.2 ­ increase efforts as a state organization to support a national voice to counter negativity seen around the nation to support head start strategies for goal 6.2 6.2.1 ­ obtain and host head start success/impact stories start by 6.2.2 ­ link to public officials on website 6.2.3 ­ make contact with nhsa to see how we can contribute to their efforts/provide direction to sd reps date of completion aug 2011 june 2012 responsibility sdhsa ed advocacy sdhsa ed president nhsa reps sdhsa ed advocacy status report/notes may 2011 goal 6.3 ­ increase efforts to compose and distribute a quality sdhsa newsletter that includes the voice of both tribal and non-tribal programs in educating and advocating for children strategies for goal 6.3 6.3.1 ­ finalize a newsletter production timeline 6.3.2 ­ finalize an ed calendar 6.3.3 ­ produce the newsletter template date of completion sept 2011 sept 2011 nov 2011 responsibility sdhsa ed comm/pub comm/pub sdhsa ed sdhsa ed comm/pub status report/notes constant contact 15 south dakota head start association strategic plan

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