News

February 21, 2024

Nominations Open for 2024 Francine Bunch Memorial Award

Celebrate the successes of your Head Start or Early Head Start program by nominating a Head Start parent or staff member for the Francine Bunch Memorial Award.

The Francine Bunch Memorial Award is awarded to one parent and one staff person, each with a Pennsylvania Head Start Association (PHSA) member organization, who displays the qualities of the late Francine Bunch, who started as a parent and ultimately became a Parent Involvement Coordinator with the Lancaster Child Development Program’s Head Start . Learn more about Bunch.

Eligibility

This honor may be awarded to one parent and one staff person each year. They must meet the following criteria:

  • The nominee(s) is a parent, staff member or former parent who is affiliated with a dues paying member program of the Association.
  • The nominee(s) is actively involved with their local program and the program clearly benefits from their involvement.
  • The nominee(s) takes initiative in growing her/his professional development while involved in the local program.
  • The nominee(s) is involved in other local community activities.
  • The nominee(s) serves as a positive role model for parents and staff alike.
  • The nominee(s) promotes positive working relationships between parents, staff and friends at the local, state or federal level.

Nominations

Staff from a PHSA dues paying program may nominate a parent, former parent and/or coworker for the Francine Bunch Award. To nominate a candidate, staff must complete the Francine Bunch Nomination Form in full and attach a narrative that describes how the nominee meets the six criteria above.

Each nomination form and accompanying narrative will be evaluated by the PHSA Scholarships and Awards Committee, and one parent and one staff person will be selected to receive the award. Award winners are recognized with a commemorative plaque during PHSA’s Annual Spring Conference.

Deadline

The application is available at the PHSA website. The application deadline is Monday, April 1, 2024.

Image: Together as a group, women lift their hands in the air as a part of an UnConference activity.