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Relationships First: High-Quality Interactions for Effective Head Start Programs
Thursday, April 30, 2026 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Presented by Sherri Drake, Former Educator, Current Vice President of Services, Teachstone; and Suzann Morris, Vice President of Policy, Teachstone
Sponsored by Teachstone
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Today’s Head Start programs are managing staggering amounts of change every day. At the same time, millions of children and families depend on programs’ stability in an increasingly unpredictable world. How does a program do both?
At the core of every educational experience are interactions between educators and children. In fact, hundreds of research studies have shown that those moments between teachers and students can give children a leg up in the classroom and in life. Through a lens of relationships and interactions, it’s also clear to see: Programs that prioritize high-quality interactions have an unshakeable foundation that makes all other investments effective. Head Start programs that leverage this foundation and invest in relationships unlock key elements of success.
In this edWebinar, we explore how support of high-quality interactions results in:
- Programs that fluidly adapt to an ever-changing landscape in early education
- Resilient staff, families, and children, leading to more positive outcomes
- Programwide approaches to ensure success of complex initiatives
Discover how a consistent relationship-first approach and a focus on meaningful interactions results in a program able to navigate change effectively. Viewers examine how interactions support key elements like children’s learning, resilience, and family trust—and how leaders can prioritize and protect this foundation while managing multiple initiatives, promoting adoption, staff buy-in, and positive child outcomes in their programs.
This recorded edWebinar is of interest to PreK teachers, school leaders, district leaders, and Head Start educators and leaders.
About the Presenters
Sherri Drake is a seasoned leader in early childhood education with over 30 years of experience, including a strong foundation in Head Start programs. Her career began in direct service, supporting children, families, and educators, and evolved into leadership roles focused on quality improvement, workforce development, and large-scale program implementation. Sherri brings deep expertise in the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®), having earned her Pre-K CLASS certification in 2010.
Currently, Sherri serves as Vice President of Services at Teachstone, where she leads multiple service lines, including observation services, professional and enterprise services, and online learning. She partners closely with national and state organizations, including Head Start and military programs, to deliver high-quality, impactful solutions that improve educator-child interactions. Sherri is passionate about empowering leaders, driving innovation, and ensuring that systems and strategies translate into meaningful outcomes for children and the adults who support them.
Suzann Morris has more than 15 years of leadership in policy, advocacy, and strategy on wide-ranging issues related to young children and their families. She currently serves as Teachstone’s Vice President of Policy. She previously served as a fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, working with Congress and the federal administration to advance early childhood policy and providing state-level technical assistance.
From 2016-2019, Suzann served as the Deputy Secretary for the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), where she was a member of the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission and co-chaired the Pennsylvania Early Learning Council. Her tenure included growth and modernization of Pennsylvania’s comprehensive early learning system with the implementation of Pennsylvania’s first combined quality and childcare resource and referral system, increased investment in a credit-bearing professional development system, and a revision of one of the nation’s oldest quality rating and improvement systems.
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Join the Early Childhood Learning Solutions community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
Teachstone has partnered with Head Start programs nationwide to elevate the quality of early childhood education, and through this collaboration, Teachstone is committed to driving Head Start’s mission forward with the tools needed to understand and strengthen interactions with children. Continuing its commitment to Head Start’s goals, Teachstone provides ongoing support to grantees across the nation with a suite of evidence-based professional development programs and resources, all designed to enhance classroom quality and, ultimately, improve the lives of the children and families Head Start serves.
