Checklist for UHSA meeting Program Host
Follow this template to ease the process of hosting the UHSA meeting.
1. Contact Policy Maker (even a national representative) and invite to attend UHSA meeting on Friday during your host program sharing and parent story. We would like to have them spend about
20- 30 minutes talking with us. If they can’t come at that time, let Christa know and the steering committee will regroup via email and will try to rearrange the agenda.
2. Provide the Policy Maker with Head Start information as appropriate, a week or two before the meeting and confirm that they can come. This should include a brief overview of Head Start, pamphlet from your program, maybe an NHSA pamphlet, Kids Count Data book, profile, offer them the Head Start video. Legislators really want to know specifically what we want them to talk about. Check on their web site, do some homework on what their stance is, committees they are on, etc. so you can do a nice introduction.
3. Provide a thank you gift (maybe a small item representing your program, pictures children have drawn, shirt/hat with your logo, etc.) to give the legislator before they leave.
4. Make arrangements for door prizes.
5. Make arrangements with a local hotel for the meeting. We need a conference room to seat about 40 people. We also need some break out areas for the three committees. Provide access to water and perhaps table snacks/candy. Our $300 budget is for meeting room cost and water and snack. You will be reimbursed by Christa at the UHSA meeting. Provide your receipt then.
6.Networking dinner on Thursday evening is optional depending on the location: Have it somewhere that you don’t need a head count way before. We’ll do a head count that day and then notify the restaurant.
7. Reserve a block of rooms at the hotel’s government rate. (20 for Wednesday night, 25 for Thursday night.) You usually have 24 hours to drop rooms. Tell the hotel if they are not reserved by the hotel deadline to drop them.
8. A hotel that serves a continental breakfast would be best.
9. Plan to do a program sharing of 30 minutes that includes the parent Specifically talk about your program’s community partnerships. Invite a parent to share their story. If they can do that part when the policy maker is there, that would be good!
10. Email Christa with the hotel name, address, directions, reservation phone number, room rate and reservation deadline.
Thank you for hosting the UHSA meeting!