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PREPARE THE ENVIRONMENT
If you have centers, how do they look from the outside? Some thoughts...
 Landscaping that is outstanding. Flowers, butterfly garden, vegetable garden, a fountain. What causes heads to turn?
A colorful mural can be inviting. It could express your community with bright colors and images. If you don't have one, maybe this could be a community goal for next year. Find out if any program you know about has one.
Get some ideas. Find a couple of artist leaders. That could be a teacher or a student or a group of people.
It is good to have an engaging, eye catching sign identifying your Head Start program.
How do your centers look inside?
I'm sure they are clean and well stocked and inviting to children and families. Do you have photos of your children and families? What atmosphere are you working to convey? Does it feel calm and organized and exciting? Do you avoid using lots of teacher made and store bought materials?
What welcomes the parents at the centers?
PUMP UP YOUR STAFF PRE-SERVICE AND IN-SERVICE TRAINING
We've explored lots if ideas here. Teach performance standards and the protocol by way of workshops and games.
Have some activities that take them out of the centers and into the community. For example, have the scavenger hunt idea where staff visit other centers in your area. Another idea would be for staff to visit a community agency or meet in a community partner's place-e.g. university, hospital, community college-any place that has a large space and has some connection to your program
Give a special welcome to new staff...Introduce them to the larger group; profile them in agency newsletter; facilitate networking.
Do you provide mentoring? That can be a wonderful way to pump up staff training opportunities. It doesn't just have to be for new staff.
PUMP UP YOUR PARENT ORIENTATION
Our old school way has often been to plan an event or activity and then sort of see who shows up.
So many successful activities involve registration these days. People are used to buying tickets for events or registering for events; even free ones.
Give parents the chance to sign up or register for activities and events. They could have their own planning calendar. You could do some online sign up and/or pass out a sign up sheet for events and series of events. I'll bet you get more participation.
COMING UP: MENTORING NEW DIRECTORS 
This fall we will offer an opportunity for a small group of Head Start/Early Head Start directors (5-10) to meet (by phone and online) in order to:
- Review the Program Design and Management performance standards as they are framed in the OHS protocol;
- Get tips, ideas and resources;
- Get to know each other as a small group;
- Build a portfolio;
- Complete a project that you choose
Participants will meet by phone or GotoMeeting several times over the year. They will receive tips, materials, and ideas. We will do a close reading of the program design and management performance standards. There will be more information on this opportunity next month.
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