At the National Head Start Association (NHSA), we know what our youngest learners need for a strong start and a stronger future. Research shows that teaching relationship-centered skills early – birth to age six – yields improved outcomes in behavior and self-regulation. For Head Start students, those skills become the foundation for healthy learning in elementary school and beyond. Children experiencing poverty, homelessness, or foster care placement typically need more support for healthy development, so program teachers and staff must stay intentional about reaching every child where they are.

 Bringing Harmony to Our Classrooms

NHSA is fortunate to work with the Harmony curriculum and resources through Sanford Harmony to enhance our early childhood educator training, including the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. Our professional learning prepares teachers to help young children acquire the relationship-focused skills that will serve them for years to come. 

Through developmentally appropriate activities, stories, songs, and trust-building routines, children discover how to recognize feelings, show empathy, communicate with others, solve problems, and create positive connections with peers and adults. Sanford Harmony’s practical tools give teachers and families a trusted approach to nurturing belonging, cooperation, and healthy relationships.

At a time when screens compete for children’s attention, the window for cultivating relationship-focused skills early has never mattered more. Teachers and school leaders have the opportunity to prioritize this development in the classrooms that focus on our earliest learners’ day-to-day experiences. This investment will pave the way for their futures as productive citizens in the communities they will one day shape.

About Dr. B

Dr. Deborah Bergeron, aka “Dr. B,”  brings more than 30 years of experience in education and child development to her role as Deputy Director of Community Engagement and Innovation at the National Head Start Association. She previously served as Director of the Office of Head Start and Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Early Childhood Development at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she championed policies supporting the nation’s most vulnerable children. A former classroom teacher and school administrator, Dr. Bergeron holds a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Educational Psychology.