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Reviewed Site: Head Start Body Start Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play (HSBS)
http://www.aahperd.org/headstartbodystart/
Site Content Area:
The root of this site is encouraging folks to participate in physical activity, outdoor play, and healthy lifestyles, focusing on young children and their families. It has resources and ideas to bring active play and meaningful movement the early childhood programs as well as activities and tools for parents and families.
Introduction:
Head Start Body Start National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play (HSBS) is a collaboration between the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR) and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and is funded by a grant from the Administration for Children and Families.
Navigation:
The navigation is in two places: running down the left side and in boxes on the right side. If you click on one of the boxes on the right side, it takes you directly to that page, and all the boxes disappear; fortunately, the main navigation is on the additional pages.
Here is a list of the sections offered on this site:
Home
About Us
In the Spotlight
Toolbox
Body Smart Blog
Connect with Us
For Families
Resources
Training
Grants
Success Stories
News & Events
Get Connected
AAPAR/NASPE Opportunities
The Look:
This site has used soft yellows, blues, and greens with a white background for text. They have used images wisely to enhance the site rather than making it cluttery. They also have accessibility functions available such as enlarging the text, which makes it handy for those of us who are starting to hold printed text a little further from our faces, just to be able to see the words.
Features of the Site:
I’m not going to get into every section of this site since there are so many, plus some is self-explanatory!
In the Spotlight: is as the title states; early childhood development centers being recognized for a job well-done.
Toolbox: this section contains resources and activities, all meeting the national standards and aligned with Head Start Outcomes. There are so great tools here such as “Online Learning” with links to webinars; PowerPoints; Podcasts; downloadable lessons/ideas; printable material such as a monthly calendar (easy to send home with your students to do at home); and they even have a Radio with broadcasts! There are so many options in this section, I could write an entire review on it as a stand-alone.
Body Smart Blog: is just that, a blog.
Connect with US: links to various social networking sites and RSS feeds, if you’d like to join and receive updates.
For Families: has a couple of internal links for families to use at home to eat right and exercise more.
Resources: at first glance it appears to be more internal links and to the untrained eye, not worthy of a look-see, however it would behoove you to take a second look. There are several internal links taking you to such things as funding opportunities (grants), guidelines (more details are forthcoming), acceptable vendors, and links to other organizations (some of which may be new to you!).
Training: this one can be a tad confusing as they take you from one place to another, making you feel like you are on a treadmill going in circles, but if you want to get involved, there is a document with the requirements and an email link to contact the correct person. If you decide to pursue this, let us know how it goes, we’d love to do a follow-up.
Grants: is what it says it is, links to a few grants specifically for this demographic.
Success Stories: links to their Spotlight section; and it appears, sometime in the future, they will have a section for case studies and updates on grant recipients.
News and Events: there are links to previous newsletters; upcoming events you may want to get involved; press releases; and happenings in the news.
Most Importantly, AAPAR/NASPE Opportunities: great place to go if you are looking to get involved at the national level. There are many opportunities to become a consultant, grant reviewer, do program evaluations, or share your expertise with others.
Conclusion:
At first, I was thinking this was not going to be a site I wanted to visit let alone review, however after spending time surfing the site, checking out the links, and really diving head first into the content, my initial observation turned as quickly as a coin toss. There are valuable resources in many areas; professional opportunities up the yin-yang, and an excellent place to tie in our early childhood educators. I look forward to seeing this site grow and expand; expectations are high and I am sure they will be met!
As always, happy surfing!
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