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Newsletter July 2008
Building Families Vision:
Every child, beginning at birth, will be healthy and successful.
 Building Families Mission:

Building Families’ mission is for children, youth, and families to live in safe and nurturing environments that promote health, independence and success.  Building Families will create a continuum of supports and services that embrace children and their families.

Announcements

Are YOU Ready?

Ready for children—our Future

Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children

2008 Annual conference

October 10-11 2008

Polk County Convention Complex

Des Moines, Iowa

Sue Russell, NAEYC president-elect will join the conference.

Lisa Murphy, The Ooey Gooey Lady, will be keynote on Friday.

www.ooeygooey.com

Jeff Johnson, will be keynote on Saturday.

www.explorationsearlylearning.com

Over 100 workshops and exhibits. For more information:

www.iowaaeyc.org or email

info@iowaaeyc.org


Important Meeting Dates

Building Families Program Committee:
August 21, 2008
October 23, 2008
December 18, 2008
February  19, 2009
April 23, 2009
June 18, 2009
Building Families Empowerment Board:
August 25, 2008
October 27, 2008
December 22, 2008
February 23, 2009
April 27, 2009
June 22, 2009

The Family Development and Self Sufficiency (FaDSS) Council is currently looking for nominations for four seats on the Council.  The following openings are available. 
  • One recipient or former recipient of the family investment program (FIP).
  • A member representing providers of services to victims of domestic violence.
  • One member representing the business sector.
  • One recipient or former recipient of the family investment program (FIP) who is a member of a racial or ethnic minority. 
 This would be a wonderful opportunity for anyone that is interested in family development issues and services to the low income Iowans that have many barriers to becoming stable and self sufficient.   

To receive a nomination form and application form, both will need to be completed for each person that is being nominated, of if you have any questions please contact Lorie M. Easter, FaDSS Program Manager at 515-281-3791 or Lorie.Easter@iowa.gov

Or you can visit the website at www.iowafadss.org


Partnering in Communties

Partnering in Communities is a community project piloted with ISU Extension. Webster City is one of the few cities this program is being piloted. This project helps parents and the communities become more involved in children's lives. Over the period of four months with six full working days, people came together to set up a plan to help Webster City. These people included community service providers, school principals, AEA, Department of Human Services, churches, child care providers, the hospital, and the city. This group worked hard to generate ideas and plans to help Webster City’s community become more aware of parent’s needs and more prevalent in the children’s lives. Amy Shannon and Amy Muller participated in the groups and Ann Stewart facilitated a session. Here are the projects that are being implemented now.


If you would like to learn more about Partnering in Communities or are interested in the project coming to your town, contact David Brown, County Extension Education Director at Hamilton County ISU Extension, at (515) 832-9597 or browndn@iastate.edu.

Or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/hamilton


Webster City Implementation Plans

2008—2009

 

Supportive Communities/Caring Adults

Proven Practice: A family-friendly community culture helps kids learn.

1.       Kids who live in communities where people are committed to each other over time and pass on what it means to be a good person are less likely to be at risk as learners.

2.       Kids who live in nurturing communities that communicate high developmentally appropriate expectations for youth are less likely to be at risk as learners.

3.       Kids are less likely to be at risk as learners when they live in communities where:

a.       Kids are treated as valuable contributors to the community by all citizens.

b.       Kids have opportunities to interact meaningfully with people of all ages.

c.       Kids’ well-being is an on-going deliberate focus.

What we want to impact:

  •  All adults will talk to youth and show interest in them in positive ways

What we plan to do:

   •  Each team member will share a piece of information at each organization meeting

   •  Information will be distributed through school newsletter, website, cable channel

   •  Develop posters to communicate our message

   •  Develop a presentation to deliver at all service clubs

   •  Use personal stories of who made a difference for us in all sharing opportunities.

   •  Distribute the Proven Practices cards as appropriate

 

 

SOS (Strengthen our Students)

Proven Practices:

1. Good nutrition helps kids learn.

2. Physical activity helps kids learn.

3. Sleep helps kids learn.

4. Routines at home help kids learn.

5. Learning at home helps kids learn at school.

6. Love and limits help kids thrive and learn.

What we want to impact:

   •  Create conversations in the community

  •  More nutritious menus at local food establishments

   •  Activities for families at times cognizant of sleep needs for kids

   •  Increased involvement in kid’s lives: homework help, mealtime, and physical activity

What we plan to do:

   •  Clips and public service announcements to cable and radio stations (1 concept each month)

   •  Tips in monthly hospital newsletter and Chamber newsletter

   •  Speak at local service clubs and provide brochures about helping kids as learners

   •  Provide message table tents to Chamber for organizations to pick up and use

 

 

Let me introduce myself…I am your child

Proven Practice: Proven practices for communities to support kids as learners.

        5.    Kids learn more at school when supported by parents, school staff, and community members.

        6.    When parents share ideas with each other on how to help their kids and home, they create support for all kids.

What we want to impact:

      •  Families will have access to information to promote positive behaviors in families

What we plan to do:

      •  Develop a kiosk with parenting resources (funded by Empowerment)

         -PIC resources

         -ISUE materials

         -AEA will print & provide graphic design

      •  Share info with our staff

      •  Outreach to other agencies not in PIC, community groups, service clubs

 

 

Good Routines = Successful Children

Proven Practice: Routines at home help kids learn.

1.       Kids need routines such as specific study times and places, regular meals, physical activity, and adequate sleep habits to be better learners.

2.       Kids do better in school when there are family expectations such as punctuality, correct use of language, always doing your best, and finishing your homework.

3.       Kids whose parents partner with teachers through on-going, two-way conversations are better learners. Effective partnerships result in shared ideas about things to do at home and at school to help the child.

What we want to impact:

      •  More families will have access to information about helping their children thrive as learners through establishing routines in the home

What we plan to do:

      •  Information brochures out to all service organizations dealing with young families

      •  Table tents in restaurants, etc.

      •  Brochures about parenting classes in school registration packet, at daycare providers, with pizza deliveries, and through ACE

      •  Presentations to service groups, churches, businesses using many of key slides from Partnering in Communities presentations

      •  Information for parents available from social services to businesses and UAW

 


Look for more parent tips in the Parent Pal!
Building Families Board
Building Families Board met on June 23rd and approved the budget and requirements for preschool. The following are new and revised programs that will be funded in fiscal year 2009:
  • Hire a full time Child Care Nurse Consultant that will work out of Building Families office and only provide CCNC duties including health and safety of preschools, centers and in-home providers and the QRS.
  • Criteria for receiving preschool scholarships for next year: IQPPS, two Creative Curriculum Child Profile Assessments of one classroom of not more than 20 children, requirements for room size as indicated on the four year old preschool grants, staff to child ratio of 1 to 10 for four year olds and 1 to 8 for three year olds.
  • Provide software for the child profiles to preschools and provide training for staff on using the software.
  • The 0-5 funds for in-home visitation programs will be used for a HOPES program that will fund only families with children 0-3 to maintain the fidelity of the HOPES program and will become state credentialed by 2011.
  • Mini grants to three year old preschool programs to upgrade their classroom environment. Requirements will be to use the ECERS evaluation to determine needs, have the program evaluated by an ECERS Rater by June 2009 and program will be rated no less than a 3 on the QRS scale by 2010.  An RFP will be submitted to select the participating programs.
  • Mini grants to in-home providers are being explored but were not in this year’s empowerment budget. Other funds may be used for this project later on in the year.

Promoting Social and Emotional Wellness in Young Children

Promoting Social and Emotional Competence or better known as Positive Behavior Supports completed training staff trainers this week. In our empowerment area several trainings are being planned. Two Saturdays in July, Tammi Berger, AEA, will provide a 0-3 training at Eagle’s Wings with 23 participants already signed up.  Ann Stewart will provide the same training in Hamilton County for HOPES and Early Head Start staff, DHS staff, Empowerment staff, and center staff who have completed the PITC training, dates to be determined. Becky Coffelt, AEA, will provide the preschool training, 3-5, in our area, dates also to be determined.  With PBS, caregivers, preschool teachers, in-home providers, and parents learn how to promote healthy development by working to support social emotional wellness in all young children.  Staff works to prevent the escalation of social emotional problems in children at –risk, identifying and working to remediate problems that surface and making referrals when appropriate. A large component of the initiative is building relationships with families.  Several school districts in our area have already implemented the project and are excited about how well the project works to decrease undesirable behaviors in children. Watch for the training dates and times in our area.



Ann Stewart, Executive Director
500 Fair Meadow Drive, Suite A
Webster City, Iowa 50595
515-832-1791
astewart@hamiltoncountymhsb.org