July 2023 - Idaho Business Review article ‘IHSA names new executive director’

The Idaho Head Start Association has recently announced Megan Woller as its new executive director in Boise.

Woller, an honoree of the Idaho Business Review’s Accomplished Under 40 list in 2022, holds a master’s in public administration and a bachelor’s in health education and promotion. Her expertise lies in program and partnership development, fundraising, grant writing, leadership, and event organizing.

With a background in multiple nonprofits, she has contributed to improving various issue areas, including nutrition security, intimate partner violence, youth substance misuse and community health. Woller is a member of the Boise State Latino Alumni Chapter and has served on the Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force and Jesse Tree Boards of Directors.

“Having been raised in a low-income household in rural Idaho, I am impassioned to advocate for the families and little ones served by Head Start programs,” Woller said in a news release. “My priorities are to increase awareness and support of Head Start, provide transformative professional development and growth opportunities for Head Start staff and parents, and to identify new ways IHSA can be utilized in furthering the mission of Head Start.”

The Idaho Head Start Association (IHSA) is a statewide organization consisting of representatives from Head Start, Early Head Start, Migrant Head Start, and Tribal Head Start. Established as a nonprofit organization in 1995, IHSA supports Head Start programs through advocacy, partnerships, collaboration, recognition, and professional development to achieve high-quality outcomes for Idaho’s children, families and communities.

Head Start is a federal program that has been in place since 1965, providing no-cost preschool services to children ages 3 to 5 and their families. Early Head Start services cater to families with children aged birth to three, with some programs also serving expectant families.

Head Start programs are available across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, including Tribal and Migrant and Seasonal communities, reaching over 1 million children and their families annually in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Idaho boasts Head Start programs in all regions of the state.