‘09 CEAAR template

2/9/09

Iowa Community Empowerment

Annual Report, State Fiscal Year 2009

July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Please submit the following information utilizing the format provided. Additional pages and information may be included.
  2. The annual report is due September 15, 2009.
  3. A completed and signed original report should be submitted to the following address and electronically to the following e-mail:

Iowa Empowerment Board

Attn: Shanell Wagler

Office of Empowerment, Department of Management

Room 12, Ground Floor

StateCapitolBuilding

Des Moines, IA50319

Date This Report Approved By The Local CEA Board: 09/15/09

Name of Community Empowerment Area: Mahaska Wapello Community Empowerment Area

Counties/Area Served: Mahaska and Wapello Counties

Website: MahaskaWapelloEmpowerment.org

Current Board Chairperson: Brian DunnCurrent Fiscal Agent: ISU Extension, Wapello County, Angela House

Signature: Brian DunnSignature: Angela House

Address: Mahaska County Extension OfficeAddress:ISU Extension Office of Wapello County

212 North I Street, Oskaloosa, Iowa 52577214 East Main Street, Ottumwa, Iowa 52501

E-mail: -mail:

Federal ID Number: 42-086117800

Contact Person for the Community Empowerment Area: Pat McReynolds

(if different from the Chairperson)

Address:PO Box 335

Richland, Iowa 52585

Phone:641-451-5437FAX: 319-459-5024

E-mail:

SECTION I –

  1. Current Community Empowerment Board Composition on September 15, 2009

A. Number of Board Members (Board Size): 8

B. Membership Identification. Complete the table below for members on the CEA Board

Column 1 - Name of each board member, starting with Chairperson. Identify any other officers (as determined by your CEA board bylaws.)

Column 2 – Identify the member’s representing the required membership. Note the Faith, Business or Consumer representative member may also qualify as citizen/elected.

Column 3- Name of board members’ employer; list the occupation if self employed

Column 4– Name of service or program which receivesCommunity Empowerment (CE) funds

Column 5 – The three “Not Applicable” members per Iowa Code are already marked. All other members must be identified as “Citizen”, “Elected”, or “No” in column 5 according to the definitions of IAC for Community Empowerment, 349, Chapter 1. If elected, state to what office. (“Citizen” means a resident of the empowerment areas, who is not an elected official or a required representative for education, health, and human services, or a paid staff member of an agency whose services fall under the plan or purview of the community board. A citizen representative may also represent faith, consumer or business.) For assistance in determining which members meet this definition, refer to Tool EE in the Empowerment Toolkit,

If the board does not meet the membership representation criteria, attach the CEA board’s plan of how they will meet requirements.

Column 1 / Column 2 / Column 3 / Column 4 / Column 5
Name / Representation / Name of Employing Organization / Member or Employing Organizationreceives CE Funds either directly or indirectly / Citizen/Elected Representative
Chair: Brian Dunn / Business / Mahaska County ISU Extension Office / NA / Citizen
Vice Chair: Kathy Hasley / Faith / Substance Abuse Task Force / NA / Citizen
Jean Dell /

Human Services

/ Retired DHS Supervisor / NA / Not Applicable per IA Code
Jan Erhardt / Health / Child Health Specialty Clinics / NA / Not Applicable per IA Code
Dr. Joy Prothero / Education / Central College Instructor / NA / Not Applicable per IA Code
Desiree Johnson / Business / United Way of Wapello County / NA / Citizen
Greg Kenning / Elected Official / Wapello County Supervisor / NA / Elected Official / Citizen
Valerie Brandt / Consumer / Not Employed / NA / Consumer / Citizen
Kim Johnson / Consumer / Self-Employed / NA / Consumer / Citizen
  1. Organizational Structure – (Based on the 5 bullets below..)
  • Describe your organizational structure (optional chart may be attached).
  • We have a Board Chair, and a Vice Chair, both of which are very active and attend meetings on a very regular basis. We are working on setting up multiple sub committees to get more Community Partners involved. The sub committees we are setting up are: Audit Committee, Membership Committee, Preschool Support Committee, Child Development Home Care Support Committee, By Laws Review Committee, National Governor’s Association Grant Committee and the Advisory Council. We have an Advisory Council composed of 12 area providers. They meet each day of the Board meetings, just prior to the Board meetings. They are in charge of any special research and projects as requested by the Board. We also had a full time FYE09 Coordinator, Christina Schark. She attended all meetings and worked to organize all of the tasks of the Board and the Sub Committees. Christina Schark resigned as the Mahaska Wapello Empowerment Coordinator effective June 1, 2009. This report is being completed by the newly hired coordinator, Pat McReynolds, as of July 1, 2009.
  • Describe how the board functions, communicates, plans and interacts as a decision-making board.
  • The Board meets every fourth Wednesday of each month at 3:45pm at the Eddyville Elementary School Library. Eddyville is a good mid-point location between Oskaloosa and Ottumwa. The Board meets at 3:45 hoping to include more school personal after their school day ends. The Coordinator, Christina, acted at the Board Secretary for each meeting. She and the Board Chair prepared all Board meeting agendas. After each Board meeting she also prepared the meeting minutes and emailed them out to all Board Members and Community Partners as well as posted them on the website: MahaskaWapelloEmpowerment.org
  • Describe how the board functions, communicates and plans with partners in the community.
  • The Coordinator submitted all minutes to everyone on the mailing list, which is roughly over 200 community partners, school officials, child care centers, home day care providers and parents. She also developed a web site that includes: Board Member information, quality preschool and day care information, newsletters, meeting schedules and agendas and current happenings/news. We also participated in area community events to promote the efforts of Empowerment. We have a newsletter that goes out twice per year to all community partners, preschools, schools and day care providers.
  • Describe the process the Board utilizes to track expenditures for the Community Empowerment funding.
  • The Coordinator receives claims from contracted providers at designated times each month. The claims are reviewed by the Coordinator and processed for payment by the fiscal agent. The Coordinator tracks the monthly claims on an excel spreadsheet that is shared with the Board and community partners at each monthly meeting. The Coordinator and a Board Member meets monthly with the fiscal agent to verify monthly bank statements and fiscal accounting programs to ensure accurate reporting to the Board. The audit committee reviews all financial statements and documentation at six month intervals.
  • Describe a difficult situation or new process that the board experienced this year. Please include a summary as well as lessons learned by the board because of the situation or new process.
  • There has been a history of board frustration as they tried to understand the monthly expenditures by the information that was provided by individual programs/agencies vs. the fiscal agent vs. the Coordinator’s records. These records never seemed accurate or matched with the same numbers across tracking records. The former Coordinator, Christina Schark, worked very diligently with the board to put a new system of tracking and reporting monthly expenditures in place, so that all board members and community partners could understand the expenditures, as well as the carry forward dollars and how they should compare with the bank statements. New excel tracking systems are now in place and reports have been consolidated to reflect accurate numbers that agree across systems. Now, there is much less confusion about the monthly expenditure reports and the final year -end financial reports for FYE09 came out matching penny for penny. That was a “first” for this empowerment area. The Board also decided to invest in a two-year fiscal audit by an outside source to look at the years when they changed fiscal agents. This information will be available in October 2009. The Board has learned how important it is to be fiscally accountable, and how important it is to fully understand their fiscal responsibility and support that by the professional audit.

SECTION II – Community Plan and Collaborative efforts to Achieve Results

Community Plan Updates

Provide a brief list or narrative of changes, deletions, or revisions if any, to the community plan.

(If you are seeking to be redesignated as a Community Empowerment Area at this time, please submit a copy of your up to date plan with your annual report.)

  • There were no revisions or updates to the community plan this year, other than it was noted that this next year 2010, the community plan will need to be updated for redesignation purposes.

Community Collaborative Efforts

Definition adopted by Iowa Empowerment Board: Collaboration involves parties who see different aspects of a problem. They engage in a process through which they constructively explore their differences and search for (and implement) solutions that go beyond their own limited vision of what is possible. (Gray, 1989). Relationships evolve toward commitment to the common mission, comprehensive communication and planning, polled resources and shared risks and products. Authority is vested in the collaborative, rather than in individuals or an individual agency.

Describe at least two (2) successful collaborative efforts within the Community Empowerment Area during the last year that promote healthy and successful children 0-5 and their families. The two examples chosen should reflectcreative solutions, and positive engagement and commitment of the community.

For each collaborative effort describe

  • the results the effort was able to achieve, and
  • explain how each example strives to avoid duplication, enhance efforts, combine planning, and/or other progress.

1. The New Sharon Child Care and Preschool’s 2009 Community Summer Gap Program ran for 2 weeks (Mon-Thurs) from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon. Lunch and school bus transportation was included as well as a morning snack. The program was taught by Mrs. Crystal DeBoef, North Mahaska Kindergarten teacher and Mrs. Dale Renaud, North Mahaska Transitional Kindergarten teacher. In addition to the kindergarten teachers, each classroom had a teacher’s associate during the program. The Community Summer Gap Program provided upcoming kindergarten students with the opportunity to experience what the kindergarten routine would be like prior to the first day of school. Students were given the opportunity to ride the school bus to and from the program, have lunch in the school cafeteria and explore the kindergarten playground and tour the Elementary building. This program allowed the kindergarten staff to meet the students and get a “jump start” determining the immediate needs of their students. It allowed the students to form friendships with classmates and introduced them to the routine and expectations of the kindergarten classroom. This year, 31 (76%) children participated in the program out of the 40 students registered for Fall 2009 Kindergarten.

2. The Oskaloosa Preschool Partnership resulted from the support of the Voluntary 4 year old state-wide preschool efforts. The Oskaloosa School District, Head Start, Kids Corner, SONshine Preschool, Mahaska County YMCA and other community agencies (CCR&R/United Way) became partners in providing 10 hours of preschool instruction per week for four year olds. The services delivered by the Oskaloosa Preschool Partnership were provided at no cost, or low cost to families in the Oskaloosa area. These agencies have volunteered to partner in the program in order to provide a quality early learning experience for all four year olds in the service delivery area. Services provided through this partnership impacted 130 four year olds; yet the ultimate goal is to provide these services to all preschool children ages 3-5 years. The Oskaloosa Preschool Partnership sought Empowerment funds to purchase, develop and utilize the Creative Curriculum Assessment Systemvia the CreativeCurriculum.net (internet system) and support Quality Preschool Program Standards professional development opportunities for staff in order to meet or exceed the Voluntary Preschool Program requirements (verification). Empowerment funds enabled the partnership to provide resources for curriculum development and professional development opportunities for all staff at a much lower/combined cost. Consequently, this support influenced the quality of services for 130 program children specifically and an additional 116 children in child care through their early learning experiencesvia the Oskaloosa Preschool Partnership.

Provide an update on the early childhood system strategies that were developed in your empowerment area through the Early Childhood Iowa/National Governor’s Association Regional meetings.

The Mahaska Wapello Community Empowerment Area set the following system strategies (steps/action plan) as a result of their involvement in the Early Childhood Iowa – National Governor’s Association Regional meeting. (Updates are in parenthesis).

Next Steps/Action Plan:

  1. Explore areas for more involvement from the Hispanic population (Several local agencies have hired bi-lingual service providers and translators to reach more Hispanic families).
  2. Explore areas for more involvement from the Business population (Did not move forward in this area, this year).
  3. Explore areas for more involvement from Law Enforcement (Did not move forward in this area, this year).
  4. Board and Community Partners Retreat
  5. Work on Strategic Plan (Scheduled for Advisory Committee to work on FYE2010).
  6. Train new Board Members (Trained 3 new board members).
  7. Re-enforce community strengths (Did not move forward in this area, this year).
  8. Focus on collaboration and working together (Advisory Committee very engaged in providing guidance and recommendations to the Board with every charge given to them by the Board. Advisory Committee members remain committed and responsive to Board needs).
  9. Assess current programs (Coordinator conducted site visits of contracted providers – met with 80% of providers).
  10. Re Develop Early Childhood Task Force (Did not move forward in this area, this year).
  11. Invite Early Childhood regional stakeholders
  12. Re look at partnerships
  13. Explore not duplicating services
  14. Focus on collaboration and working together

SECTION III – Achieving Results

Community Plan Priorities

Definition: An established order of importance or urgencybased on an analysis of strengths, gaps, and opportunities for improvements

  1. Increase access to quality health care for children, early identification of health concerns, and increase accessibility of health insurancefor children, reduce health disparities among diverse populations and provide consultation to child care providers.
  2. Increase children’s readiness to succeed in school.
  3. Improve the availability, accessibility, stability and quality of early childhood environments.
  4. Encourage safe, strong, stable, nurturing home environments through enhanced parent-child relationships and an increase in supportive parenting skills.

Community Plan Indicators

Identify the indicators as determined by the CEA Board and how the indicators are linked to the State Results.

Definition: Indicators are measures that quantify the achievement of a result and your priorities.

Definition: Goals are broad measurable statements of intent to set a future direction.

Codes for Identifying state results for Indicators:

A. Healthy ChildrenD. Children Ready to Succeed in School

B. Secure & Nurturing FamiliesE. Safe & Supportive Communities

C. Secure & Nurturing Child Care Environments

FOR EACH INDICATOR, CALCULATE ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF 0-5 POPULATION IN THE CEA.

If actual data is not available, please insert NA and provide an explanation in the Progress Update column.

Community Empowerment Area Indicators / Identify the State Results Linked to the Indicator by A, B, C, D, E / Identify the Source of data for each Indicator / Baseline Data (date & numerical value) / Subsequent Year’s Data (Trend Line) Identify the Year / Goal
(numerical
value &
projected
timeline) / Progress
Update
(Brief Analysis
of data)
% of children with up-to-date immunizations by age 2 / A & D / IDPH / 2000
Mah.
93%
Wap.
81% / 2003
Mah.
93%
Wap.
81% / 2006
Mah.
100%
Wap.
93.7% / 2007
Mah. 100%
Wap.
94%
2008
Mahaska
64%
Wapello
67% / Rates of immunization by age two will increase by 5% from 2001 levels in 2006. We had success with this goal. We will continue with this goal and extend to 2010 / Initial goal was met or exceeded by 2007. However, there is a newer trend that immunization rates are now decreasing. The new requirement of the Varicella vaccination may be the indicator of lower percentages of fully immunized by age 2 years.
# of child abuse and/or neglect confirmed cases per CEA / A, B, D & E / Prevent Child Abuse Iowa / 2000
Mah.
114
Wap.
149 / 2003
Mah.
188
Wap.
375 / 2006
Mah.
174
Wap.
474 / 2007
Mah.
174
Wap.
430
2008
Mahaska
52cases/66children
Wapello
200cases/285children / Number of confirmed child abuse and neglect cases in 2006 would decline by 5% from 2001 statistics. We had success with this goal. We will continue with this goal and extend to 2010. / Wapello County continues to be rated highest for child abuse amongst all other counties in Iowa.
% teen births in the CEA /

A, B & E

/ Vital Statistics / 2003
Mah.
10.9%
Wap.
12.6% / 2004
Mah.
9.7%
Wap.
11.3% / 2006
Mah.
10%
Wap.
11% / 2007
Mah.
12.4%
Wap.
13%
2008
Mahaska
6.0%
Wapello
15.1% / % of births by teens in 2005 will decrease by 5% from 2001 levels. We did meet this goal in Mahsaka County, but there was an increase in Wapello County. We will set it again and extend to 2010. / A significant decrease was seen in the % of teen births in Mahaska county. But Wapello County continues to increase in the number/% of teen births.
# of drug affected infants / A, B & D / Prevent Child Abuse Iowa / 2000
Mah.
1
Wap
14 / 2004
Mah.
35
Wap.
81 / 2006
Mah.
28
Wap.
163 / 2007
Mah.
52
Wap.
214
2008
Mahaska
28.5cases
average 03-08
Wapello
153.8 cases
average 03-08 / Number of confirmed cases of drug-affected infants in 2006 will decline by 5% from 2000 statistics. We will continue this goal on to 2010. / Increased drug usage/arrests of parents have had a significant impact on the number of children in the CEA affected by drugs.
Mahaska County ranked in the top15 for counties with 2 types of prevalent abuse (sexual & presence of illegal drugs). Wapello County ranked highest of all with 4 types of abuse (denial of critical care, physical injury, sexual, and presence of illegal drugs).
# of children with health insurance coverage through HAWK-I / A / IDPH / 2003
Mah.
125
Wap.
268 / 2004
Mah.
140
Wap.
276 / 2006
Mah.
173
Wap.
295 / 2007
Mah.
157
Wap.
322
2008
Mahaska
186
Wapello
275 / Number of HAWK-I enrollments will increase by 10% in 2010 from their numbers in 2006. / Mahaska & Wapello Counties HAWK-I enrollment numbers continue to increase (Mahaska) due in part to an increase in community contacts and social marketing. Wapello enrollment fluctuates monthly according to family needs.
# of regulated child care slots / C / CCR&R Data Bank / 2003
864 / 2005
1,282 / 2006
468 / 2007
2,636
2008
2735
2009
3190 / Increase the # of child care slots by thirty (30) July 1, 2001- and ongoing.
Meet this goal for 2008 / The number of child slots have increased based on the continued partnership between DHS and CCR&R to maintain a current database of providers and providers achieving DHS Child Development Home guidelines.
# of home providers participating in training / C / Providers enrolled with CCR&R
Training Reimbursement Program
Providers attending training opportunities / 2005
252
94
1159 / 2006
238
112
1173 / 2007
219
66
1369 / 2008
216
2009
151
NA
711
2009
821 / Increase by 20% the # of child care providers enrolled
Increase the # of providers by 10% attending training related to early care and development. / Enrollment with CCR&R continues to increase in FY 2006 but the providers dropping from care shows a 6% decrease in CCR&R enrollment.
With the support of the empowerment training reimbursement program, local training opportunities attendance at trainings has shows a 14% increase from FY 2005.
# Registered family child care providers / C / CCR&R / 2004
173 / 2006
202 / 2007
174 / 2008
192
2009
203 / Increase # of providers by 50% by 2007. This goal was not met. We’ll set the same goal for 2010. / The number of registered family child care providers went down in 2007. But #’s show a slow increase of 14%over the past two years.
% of providers participating in the Iowa Voluntary Quality Rating System / C / CCR&R / 2007
16% / 2008
28% / 2009
15% / Increase the # of providers participating in the Iowa Voluntary Quality Rating System by 10% in FYE 2009 / The number of providers involved in QRS has gone down – due to lack of ability of and utilization of CCNC.
# of providers participating in the Iowa Voluntary Quality Rating Systems achieving a Level 1 or better / C / CCR&R / 2007
6 / 2008
6% / 2009
23 / Increase the # of providers participating in the Iowa Voluntary Quality Rating Systems achieving a Level 1 or better by 10% in FYE 2009 / The number was not reported in a %, uncertain if this was an increase or not. A number of providers are utilizing the IQPPS, but have not had official site visits by DE.
# of children receiving lead screening / A / IDPH / 2007
441 / 2008
? / 2009
1,052 / Increase the # of children screened for lead poisoning by 10% in FYE 2009 / Could not find state-wide data by county.
# of children enrolled in Early ACCESS
*# of referral (B-3)
*# of children on IFSP’s (B-3)
*# of children 3-5 on IEP’s / A / GPAEA / 2007
133
95
139 / 2008
? / 2009
? / Increase appropriate services & supports to children with special needs by 10% in FYE 2010 / Still waiting for official numbers from local GPAEA. Anticipating an increase in all numbers.
# of QPPS accredited child care settings / C / CCR&R / 2007
20 / 2008
15 / 2009
7 / Increase the quality of existing child care & early education settings by 10% in FYE 2009 / Reflects number of programs utilizing IQPPS, but have not had actual site verification visits.
# of child care providers participating in Mahaska/Wapello empowerment sponsored professional development / C / CCR&R / 2007
1,411 / 2008
0 / 2009
0 / Increase professional development opportunities for child care providers by 10% in FYE 2009 / CCR&R has not be able to secure funding from Empowerment to provide additional professional development opportunities
Rate of domestic abuse / A, B & E / Iowa Dept. of Public Safety / 2007
Mah.
53.3
Wap.
325.5 / 2008
Data not available yet. / 2009 / Decrease domestic violence by 10% in FYE 2009 / Would not be surprised to see these numbers increase as well.
Unemployment Rate / B & E / Dept. of Labor / 2007
Mah.
3.7%
Wap.
4.5% / 2008
Mahaska
7.4%
Wapello
6.7% / 2009 / Increase the number of families with sufficient resources to meet & provide for child well-being by 10% in FYE 2007 / Unemployment rate continues to increase with factory workforce reductions and state-wide cut backs across all departments.

*Years without data: unable to locate data or data not available by 9/15 for the past year.