waiting for what's real

take a breath

be methodical

stay calm

being clear with communication

being real and transparent

mobilize quickly (for example in LA with the Raids,) - responding to fears, moving services to zoom to respond to families fear; locked gates

being careful and mindful about fears, anxieties - how to respond to ICE

Legal advice and managing implications

Bring on experts and provide resources to staff

Created a Task Force for anyone in the field could contact someone with concerns -Directors and upper management to answer questions directly

Leadership transparency

Staff communication - sharing information as soon as we have it

Bring in leadership right away

Obtain clarification as needed

"Business as Usual"

Field staff - don't worry, we will bring information to you

Program had 3 federal reviews, and internal audit, made sure things were balanced to not overburden one person. Increase communication to PC and Board. Families are showing up in a new and exciting way. Importance of communicating what we know even when we don't have all the information.

Take time to reflect on accomplishments to balance the focus on things that have felt punitive. Reviews and audits that have gone well. Received all approvals for facility projects. Step back and highlight the good results and strengths. Keep sight on they why, to serve children and families. The management team was uplifted and new perspective.

Director started weekly check in point to share facts and discuss in space. This is what we know, this is what we are doing /how we are responding. Leaders move forward with same message and understanding on how staff/families are responding. Reiterate the messaging with facts to decrease anxiety and misinformation.

Mobilizing trainings and get togethers both in person and virtual

Created a safe zone for staff to express the fears they are going through

Mental health consultant providing supports as needed - individual and staff teams

Creating supportive environments for staff - they have to travel into the homes

Acknowledging secondary trauma

Challenge that our agency also going through change - one thing our management is showing up as a "team" and continue to show up

Everyone showing up and not playing "small" keeping up on top of everything - divide and conquer - taking a topic and being in charge of that.

Time for the fun! weaving in fun and interactive activities with events and meetings - to bring laughter.

Key is to connect staff to the resources such as the NHSA and where we are hearing the information - not filtering but they need to go

Communication is so important right now - trying to stay informed between federal, state and local as well as all the initiatives like full enrollment - as leadership team we are constantly talking among ourselves and what this means for our organization - what does this mean to us and our program?

Making joint decisions about how to communicate the messaging to the various groups - be on the same page - coming to agreements

Board members need to hear what this means to us

intentional about slowing down and giving time to read and digest, and regrouping as a management to discuss; having clear messages for staff, open door to staff, clear communication

collaborative approach, considering outside of head start who are also being impacted, connecting to purpose of serving children and families, using different perspectives and problem solving, took to the agency across the board, more family engagement, more in person meetings, increased mental health services for staff, connecting with other directors from other counties

sharing with policy council and board and team, information gathering, making sense of information being shared, being transparent, collaborating and problem-solving with other programs (such as First 5), holding space for others,