Leadership in technology-enabled efficiency

Southwest Human Development Head Start is widely recognized for technological advancements that support program excellence. Construct™ Coaching was the first in an expanding suite of locally designed software tools, providing an adaptive professional development model that supports high-quality teacher and caregiver practices and strengthens outcomes.

Bringing Construct Coaching to a national stage

THE PROVEN SUCCESS OF OUR PROPRIETARY Construct software programs and innovative strategies has long captured national attention and resulted in research collaborations with national partners. Over the past several years, our successful results have been studied and correlated in partnership with researchers at Harvard’s Brazelton Touchpoints Center, home to the National Center for Parent, Family and Community Engagement. Teachers and family support professionals using Construct Coaching have the advantage of proven practices that can be implemented with coaches who share concerns and caseload strategies, communicate reflectively, and provide professional support and guidance. Building upon a sequence of core strategies, the coaching cycle includes modeling, observation, feedback, reflection, and planning.

The unprecedented challenges facing families and providers of family services during the COVID-19 crisis provided the ultimate proving ground for Construct Coaching. Even in the most trying of times, Brazelton research data confirmed the effectiveness of our application tool in creating a significantly better program climate and maintaining strong family connections.

Although the Brazelton project is concluding, Southwest Human Development Head Start is continuing our partnership with Harvard University in the development of a manual for Construct Coaching. This comprehensive document will incorporate insights and lessons gained through years of pilot programs and breakthrough project research, providing an evidence-based guide of proven practices that can benefit the work of Head Start programs across the nation.

“We are so excited to see our coaching process go national in such a big way! Head Start programs across the country are hearing about the Construct Coaching approach and expressing a desire to acquire and implement the software. The partnership with Harvard is helping us produce a manual that will be functional for any program and provide the highest possible level of support and guidance.”

– Kamaie Clark, Program Manager School Readiness