What Events Does the Illinois Head Start Association List, and Who Can Attend?

Updated

The Illinois Head Start Association (IHSA) at ilheadstart.org lists upcoming trainings, quality enrichment circles, and topic-specific webinars on its events section, ordered by date with a "More Info" link for each entry. Some content on the site is marked "Members Only," so whether you can attend a given event depends on the specific listing — check the event's detail page to confirm the audience and registration requirements.

What the events page shows

The homepage surfaces an Upcoming Events block alongside a Members Only block. Each event entry includes a date, a title, and a "More Info" link, with a "VIEW MORE EVENTS" option to see the full calendar.

Examples of listed events include:

Date Event
Friday, Oct 2, 2026 Building a Village: A Responsive Feeding System Your Whole Head Start Program Can Use (1.25)
Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026 Early Head Start & Home Visiting Quality Enrichment Circle
Wednesday, Oct 14, 2026 Education, Disabilities & Coaching Quality Enrichment Circle

The "(1.25)" after the feeding-system session suggests a credit-hour figure, but the homepage excerpt does not define it — confirm on the detail page.

Who can attend

The site distinguishes between general events and Members Only content, which means at least some material is restricted to IHSA members. The homepage does not state attendance rules for individual events, so the reliable step is:

  1. Open the event's More Info link.
  2. Look for the stated audience (program staff, parents, home visitors, etc.) and any registration or membership requirement.
  3. If the listing sits under Members Only, expect a membership requirement; if it appears in the general Upcoming Events list, treat it as open unless the detail page says otherwise.

Beyond the calendar

IHSA also publishes Latest News entries that reference events and advocacy deadlines — for example, a September 24, 2026 "Latest Scoop" roundup covering parent visits to Capitol Hill, a wage and benefit NPRM update, and comment resources. A separate notice urges action on proposed Head Start standards changes with a comment deadline of October 6. These are not events you attend, but they carry dates worth tracking if you follow IHSA's work.

For anyone deciding whether to engage: start with the events calendar for training and peer circles, and use the detail pages — not the homepage summary — to confirm eligibility, since membership status is the main gate the site signals.