Richman Lecture Series:
“How Does Head Start Recruit and Retain Families Experiencing Adversities?”
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
5 to 6:30 p.m.
In-person and virtual
Continuing education credits available
This lecture will focus on outreach and engagement needs in early care and education settings and specifically within Head Start. It will highlight learnings from a recent literature synthesis conducted on the factors that shape recruitment, selection, enrollment, and retention for Head Start-eligible families and for families experiencing adversities, and also the practices that might be most promising in those same areas.
Adversities of focus will include families experiencing poverty, those experiencing homelessness, those in the foster care or child welfare system, and those affected by substance use. The lecture will emphasize the practice, policy, and research implications of the findings.
Instructor
Nikki Aikens, PhD, is the University of Maryland School of Social Work's (UMSSW) first Richman Scholar-in-Residence. This position is funded through the Alison L. Richman Professorship for Children, Youth, and Families. Richman, MSW ’84, worked as an adoption specialist and served over a decade on UMSSW's Board of Advisors.