Head Start East Regional Conference
HSE L I V E Syracuse
2026 Conference Schedule
📅 Sep 23–25, 2026 📍 Turning Stone Resort · Verona, NY
Register Now → Meet the Speakers
🍽 All meals are included with your registration — see what’s served each day →
New York attendees
For eligible staff, attending can be effectively free
We worked with New York State to get HSE Live approved through the ASPIRE registry and for funding through the Educational Incentive Program (EIP), which reimburses eligible early childhood staff for the cost of attending. In practice, a program can send its team and have the state cover the tuition.
EIP Event ID 518750 ASPIRE Event ID 604053
Apply for EIP at ecetp.pdp.albany.edu. It is a pre-application, so apply now — the event is September 23. If your timing is tight, email us and we will help you sort it out. Questions? Email info@headstarteast.org and we will help you through it.
Day 1 · Pre-Conference

Wednesday, Sep 23

Two parallel pre-conference programs run all day — each on a separate ticket from HSE Live.

All
DAY
Parallel pre-conference programs
Fiscal Summit · Day 1 of 2 Seneca · 9:00–4:30
HSE Fiscal Leadership Summit
🍽 Hot breakfast 8:30 AM, boxed lunch at noon, coffee & water all day · what’s included
🎤 Perry Davis, MBA
🎟 Separate registration required
CLASS Cert · Day 1 of 3 Oak · 8:30–4:00
CLASS® 2E Pre-K Observer Certification
🍽 Hot breakfast 8:00 AM, boxed lunch at noon, coffee & water all day · what’s included
🎤 Bobbie Jackson · Teachstone · 17-seat cohort
🎟 Separate registration required
5:30
PM
8:30
PM
Wednesday Evening Onondaga
Head Start Family and Community Celebration
Building Belonging, Parent Voice and Partnership
Dinner, connection, and practical conversation about belonging, parent voice, and family partnership. Open to parents, Policy Council members, family services staff, and program leaders.
Free and open to anyone — no conference registration needed. RSVP required so we can plan food and seating. RSVP →
Day 2 · Main Event

Thursday, Sep 24

The full HSE Live day — keynote, three breakout slots, and the evening reception. The Fiscal Summit & CLASS Cert cohorts run in parallel all day.

8:00
AM
9:00
AM
☕
Registration, Check-In & Hot Breakfast
Breakfast for Professional Development Day is in Mohawk. Fiscal Summit is served in Seneca and CLASS Certification in Oak — yours comes to your own room.
Pre-function Foyer · check-in, materials, sponsors
All
DAY
Parallel all-day programs · separate tickets
Fiscal · Day 2
Fiscal Leadership Summit
Seneca · 8:30 AM–4:00 PM
🎟 Separate ticket
CLASS Cert · Day 2
Observer Certification
Oak · 8:30 AM–4:00 PM
🎟 Separate ticket
9:00
AM
9:30
AM
Plenary · All attendees Mohawk · 60 min
Welcome & Opening Keynote
🎤 Head Start East Founder Andy Roszak & Board Chair Dr. Kimberly Honnick, Ed.D.
9:30
AM
11:00
AM
Breakout 1 · pick one session
Education Cayuga
Inclusive Play for Children of All Abilities
🎤 Ryan Miller · Special Olympics NY
Child Development Tuscarora
Innovating Early Learning: A Fresh Approach to Toileting Independence
🎤 Jackie Leverton · Tot on the Pot LLC
Child Development Mohawk
Beyond Tantrums: Understanding Challenging Behaviors
🎤 Deidre Morgan, MSW, LCSWA · Durham Early Head Start
11:00
AM
11:15
AM
☕
Mid-Morning Break
For Professional Development Day in Mohawk. Fiscal Summit and CLASS Certification have coffee and water in their own rooms all day.
Pre-function Space · coffee & refreshments
11:15
AM
1:00
PM
Breakout 2 · pick one session
Education Cayuga
Supporting Toddlers' Language Development Through Responsive Interactions
🎤 Quiera Evans, Ed.D. · The Leaguers Inc.
Leadership Tuscarora
Regulated Adults, Resilient Classrooms
🎤 Melissa Blotter, M.Ed. · ATD Master Trainer
Classroom & Curriculum Mohawk
🎤 Dr. Kimberly Honnick, Ed.D. · Bo Knowz Learning
1:00
PM
2:30
PM
Plenary · All attendees Mohawk · 90 min
Working Luncheon — AI in the Early Childhood Classroom
Smarter Planning Without Losing the Human Touch
Belle’s Boutique
ReShaun Webb, B.A., M.S. — Founder & Lead Educator, Rainbow Institute of Childcare Education. Owner, Rainbow Children’s Station Northwest. 30+ years in practice, and known to a lot of you as “Mama Shaun.”
Her educator apparel line, Belle’s Boutique, has a table in the Mohawk Ballroom — go say hello.
60 min · lunch served during the talk · all tracks reconvene · open seating
Sponsored byAshley McGraw Architects
2:30
PM
4:00
PM
Breakout 3 · pick one session
Leadership Cayuga
Trauma-Informed Without Burnout
🎤 Quiera Evans, Ed.D. · The Leaguers Inc.
Health & Wellness Tuscarora
Home Visit Safety
🎤 Ron Roszak · ICP Senior Safety Advisor
Child Development Mohawk
From Interactions to Impact: Practical Preschool Strategies for Stronger Classroom Interactions
🎤 Dr. Kimberly Honnick, Ed.D. · Bo Knowz Learning
4:15
PM
4:30
PM
Plenary · Closing Mohawk · 45 min
Closing General Session
Wrap-up, key takeaways & announcements.
5:00
PM
10:00
PM
Karaoke Night at the Turquoise Tiger — Thursday, September 24, 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Evening · All welcome Turquoise Tiger
Evening Reception & Karaoke Night
📍The Turquoise Tiger
One night, one room. The Turquoise Tiger is Turning Stone’s show lounge, and it is ours from 5:00. Appetizer stations — a six-foot paella pan, chicken riggies, Utica greens, tomato pie and game-day favorites — then the mic goes on at 6:00 and we have the room until 10:00. It is a good walk from the meeting rooms, so give yourself a few minutes to get over there.
Food from 5:00 🎤 Karaoke 6:00 – 9:00 Until 10:00
Day 3 · Post-Conference

Friday, Sep 25

The Leadership Brunch in the morning while the CLASS Observer cohort reaches its final certification day.

All
DAY
CLASS Cert · Day 3 of 3 Oak · 8:30–4:00
Observer Certification — Final Day & Reliability Testing
🍽 Hot breakfast 8:30 AM, full hot lunch at noon · what’s included
🎤 Bobbie Jackson · Teachstone
🎟 Separate registration required
9:00
AM
11:15
AM
Closing Event Seneca · 8:30–11:30 AM
Leadership Brunch
A relaxed closing brunch before everyone heads home. Every early childhood leader is welcome, wherever your program is based.
The closing directors gathering of HSE LIVE. Fill a plate, settle in, and spend the morning on what is on your plate as a leader right now. This is a working brunch, so come ready to talk, not just listen.
Our morning together
  1. Arrival and brunch
  2. Welcome and voices from the week
  3. Designing for children, a look with Ashley McGraw Architects
  4. The NPRM: what it is, the deadline, and what makes a strong comment, then an open floor to listen
  5. Federal review, a peer roundtable among directors
  6. Hot topics share-out
  7. Looking ahead: Puerto Rico 2027 and the ASCEND Leadership Lab
  8. Closing, and one thing to carry home
Program concludes by 11:30 AM.
Sponsored byAshley McGraw Architects
Thank you to our sponsor
Ashley McGraw Architects

Ashley McGraw Architects is dedicated to designing learning environments that support children, educators, and communities. Our nationally recognized Early Education Studio has completed more than 150 licensed early childhood education projects across the United States and internationally. Working alongside our Landscape Architecture Studio, our team brings expertise in both indoor and outdoor learning environments, including childcare centers, schools, Head Start programs, nature-based play environments, playgrounds, and children’s gardens.

Say hello at their table in Mohawk Ballroom · ashleymcgraw.com

Before you arrive
🏨 Lodging
The Tower & Brook are inside the main property; the Lodge & Crescent are a 5-min walk. Book at turningstone.com or call 1-800-771-7711.
📋 Check-In
For the conference, not the hotel — there is no single desk. Check in at the table right outside your own session room, where our team will have your badge and materials ready. Look for us starting at 8:00 each morning, and outside Onondaga before the Celebration on Wednesday evening.
🎫 Registration
Spots remain for the main conference, Fiscal Summit & Leadership Brunch. Register at hsereg.org →
✉️ Questions?
Email info@headstarteast.org — happy to help with registration, lodging, or anything else.
Save the Date · April 12–15, 2027

Join us in Puerto Rico for the Head Start East Annual Conference

Our full annual conference returns to the island — April 12–15, 2027 at the Royal Sonesta San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Visit 2027.headstarteast.org →