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Newsletters

Monthly or quarterly newsletters can help you stay connected with your subscribers. Compared to e-blasts, they offer greater flexibility in terms of format, content, and style, and they are more conversational — possibly featuring real-life stories or scenarios. This style can help subscribers connect with Head Start content and encourage them to visit valuable HeadStart.gov and external resources.

Newsletters are not posted to HeadStart.gov.

Newsletter Best Practices

Below are some considerations for planning newsletters and other serial content. 

  • Content: 
    • Newsletters do not have to feature a new HeadStart.gov product, but they should offer new information. Consider making linkages between products, building on a topic or theme, or connecting HeadStart.gov materials with related off-site resources. 
    • Newsletters should be around two pages (and no more than three pages), including the title and images, when drafted in a Word document. They should include at least three sections. 
    • Newsletter content should be developed in a user-friendly and secure format. When possible, link to HTML pages and not directly to PDF files or older e-blasts.
    • In addition to HeadStart.gov, newsletters may link to content on .gov, .org, or .com sites. However, they may not link to pages that require payment or subscription to view resources or that advertise paid content. 
  • Style:
    • Newsletters are typically a less formal type of communication and should be written in a conversational style. 
    • Use links rather than formal citations to attribute ideas and resources.
    • Use images to make the newsletter more engaging.

Getting Ready

If this is the first newsletter in a series, it will likely require the creation of a new e-blast template by the Head Start Information and Communications Center (HSICC) team.

  • Request the design of a new template at least two weeks prior to the first newsletter submission
  • Provide an image for the banner at 746x128px. It is recommended to use a white background in the banner design so that it matches all the template backgrounds.

Content Pre-approval

Prior to submission, the National Center must share the following with their assigned federal project officer (FPO):

  • Title
  • Theme
  • Images
  • Topics
  • Materials
  • Other pertinent information

The FPO is responsible for approving the general content before it comes to HSICC for review.

Submission Timeline

After meeting the "Getting Ready" steps and receiving FPO content approval, the newsletter materials are sent to HSICC via the Submission Form.

  • At least four weeks prior to dissemination, submit the following to HSICC:
    • Word document
    • Related images
    • Submission form
    • Relevant PDFs and other files

Like regular e-blasts, newsletters undergo several rounds of editing and review on their way to testing and distribution. The four-week time requirement allows for all approvals to be gathered and proper scheduling to be completed.

Note: If you are planning to disseminate a newsletter translation, follow the additional Spanish E-blasts standards.

Read more:

Web Standards