Dubuque County Empowerment Board2728 ASBURY ROAD
SUITE 500
DUBUQUE, IA 52001
Phone: 563 -588 -1620
Fax: 563-S56-2214
www c n )owcr-dubuque orq
Marvin O'Hare, Chair
Joanne Wurtz, Vice Chair
OPEN, Secretary
Natalia Blaskovich
Tina Brestrup
Mary Rose Corrigan
Wayne Demmer
Lynne Devaney
Katie Lange
Larry Loeppke
Sandra Lynn
Jim Osterberger
Louise Ottavi
Pat Reinsmoen
Jennifer Romagna
Russ Stecklein
Julie Woodyard
Sherri Edwards, Director
Healthy
Successful
Children
May 21, 2010
Jeanne Schneider, City Clerk
50 W 13 Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
Dear Ms. Schneider:
CO
Ts
cD
Cwt
As Chair of the Board Development Committee for Dubuque County
Empowerment (DCE), I am writing to issue an invitation. DCE is a nonprofit
organization that receives state funding to improve the lives of children age birth
to five and their families. For this goal, DCE greatly values input from
throughout Dubuque County and has a board opening for a representative from
one city council from an area community.
Would you please share this invitation with your city council? Attached are the
following resources:
• A summary of DCE's recent activities
• A handout showing how DCE is impacting the entire county
• A board member job description
• An application for membership
We currently have a budget of over $750,000 for health and educational
programs aimed at raising successful young children. Our goal is to strengthen
partnerships between citizens, local governments, and community partners — so
that all children are healthy and ready to succeed in school and throughout life.
DCE would welcome your interest and further involvement in our collaborative
efforts. If possible, I request your response by June 15, 2010. I would be happy to
answer any questions or discuss this matter further. Please feel free to call me at
(563) 876 -3094 or (563) 589 -4441.
Sincerely,
Le
Wayne Demmer, Chair, Board Development Committee
Enclosures
Dubuque County
EMPOWERMENT
Dubuque County Empowerment (DCE)
Counties in Area: Dubuque County
Contact: Sherri Edwards, Director
2728 Asbury Road, Suite 500, Dubuque, IA 52001
(563) 588 -1620 phone, (563) 556 -2214 fax
sedwards @empowerdubuque.org, www.empowerdubuque.org
Vision: All children birth to age five in Dubuque County will be healthy and successful.
Mission: Build public commitment and work collaboratively with the community and families to develop an early
childhood system with high quality child care, education, health care, and services for all children birth to
age 5 and their families in Dubuque County.
A family story from Dubuque County:
Sarah was a single mom of an infant when she joined the local Parents as Teachers program. With no family
support, no job prospects, and a colicky infant — Sarah still wanted to be the best mother she could be. However, she
faced numerous challenges, including the death of a loved one, domestic violence, and mental health issues.
Sarah's goal was to be a loving and consistent presence for her son. Through the support of Parents as Teachers
and links to community resources, she has found help to improve parenting skills, find a job, and address her mental
health needs. She has shown courage and dedication to overcoming barriers with the singular focus of giving her son
the best opportunities to succeed.
Now, Sarah's son is attending a quality preschool. Sarah has learned to be an advocate for her child's needs and
is actively involved at the preschool, including planning a fundraising event and volunteering in the classroom. Sarah
seeks out information to enhance her son's learning, and her son is on target with his developmental growth. Despite
life challenges and some fluctuation in employment, Sarah has continued to make positive choices for her family. She
has succeeded in being what all parents can be — their child's first and best teacher.
— Courtesy of Kristy Fenwick, Parent Educator, Parents as Teachers at Four Oaks, Dubuque County
Did you know?
Dubuque County has 245 home child care providers
(registered /known non - registered); 27 child care centers; and 12
preschools. Almost all centers and preschools participated
in quality standards beyond basic licensing. FY09 efforts brought
the first significant increase in home providers participating in
quality initiatives.
Community Plan priorities for Dubuque
County's children age birth to five:
➢ Accessible quality support systems
➢ Family success skills
➢ Early intervention
➢ Safe and secure relationships
➢ Healthy physical and mental development
Why are the programs /services DCE supports
important to reaching our vision and mission?
➢ Based on community needs assessment, existing resources,
and priorities.
➢ Supported through goals shared by community partners, including other nonprofits, governmental
entities, education and health institutions, and citizens.
➢ Based on best practice, whenever possible, to support high - quality, early childhood results.
➢ Help measure progress toward goals and often uncover new local needs for families of young children.
➢ Assist DCE in efforts to build sustainability.
➢ Help represent DCE in collaborative community initiatives.
➢ Are the front -line in sharing with families and the community that early childhood experiences matter.
Woven together with DCE Board and community efforts, the programs /services that DCE supports are
helping to build the system of early health and education for children age birth to five in Dubuque County.
What services /programs /activities do we support?
> For child care providers (home and center based), support to complete quality initiatives; professional development
opportunities including best practice; assistance for home providers to become registered; and grants for infant capacity,
quality improvement, necessary equipment, and incentive to register.
> Support programs for preschool providers to meet requirements of voluntary preschool grants.
> Respite program offering quality child care for at -risk families.
➢ Parent education opportunities on early childhood topics.
➢ Collaborative /public awareness efforts throughout the community.
➢ Parents as Teachers and Promoting First Relationships family support programs.
> Preschool tuition and transportation support for income - eligible families.
> Health /dental programs, including oral health and child care nurse consultants.
> Kindergarten survey administered through all school districts.
> Literacy and media services for child care providers participating in Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards.
> Transition to kindergarten support for children in need.
> Quality improvement efforts for early childhood system building.
How do we measure our progress?
Indicator 1: # of child care providers participating in quality
improvement initiatives (NAEYC, Head Start, IQPPS, QRS, etc.)
How are we doing? Centers /preschools continue to participate in
initiatives at close to 100 %. FY10 will see three new centers in this
county. This year, good progress has been made with registered
home providers through facilitated support. DCE programs /services
help encourage and support providers to commit to and maintain
participation in quality initiatives.
94
93
93
92
92
91
91
90
.93.
2007
2008
2009
I •-% of 2- year -olds with immunization I
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
•
. 30
17
2007
2008
2009
— 9— Registered providers
— Licensed centers/preschools
Indicator 2: % of children up to date on immunizations at age two
How are we doing? This county consistently stays above the state
goal and has made positive progress since 2007. DCE supports this
effort through sponsorship and collaboration for the public immunization
program through the Visiting Nurse Association.
Others within our community working on similar issues:
D Every Child 1 Every Promise - Collaboration of community resources to serve five America's Promises to youth ages zero to 20.
D Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque - Community leadership and grants to meet area needs and strengthen the community.
D Child Care Resource & Referral - Resources/support to parents and early childhood professionals on quality child care.
D Visiting Nurse Association - Community health services for families in need who may have children age birth and beyond.
D Four Oaks Parents as Teachers - Family support with practical, timely information on child development available to all families.
D Center and Home -Based Child Care Providers - Striving to offer quality child care to area families.
What can citizens of Dubuque County do to help?
D Determine who are your elected officials and how they stand on children's issues. Vote in local elections, and take your children with you for a
great learning experience.
D Encourage your local, state, and national elected officials to support early childhood initiatives.
D Educate yourself on `quality" child care. Ask your child care provider what they are doing to improve the quality of their program.
D Write a letter to a local newspaper on quality early care and education. Include what individuals can do to help achieve it.
D Join an advocacy group addressing children's issues (like Every Child Counts).
D Talk to your friends, family members, employers, and other parents to spread the word that early childhood experiences matter.
D Ask your employer about possible benefits or support for quality child care.
D Think about your own children's or grandchildren's needs and how to be their voice for change.
D Join a committee of Dubuque County Empowerment to learn other ways to help young children be healthy and ready to succeed.
City
Registered Child
Development Homes
Licensed Centers/
Preschools /Head Start
Bellevue
1
0
Bernard
1
0
Cascade
4
2
Dubuque
88
31
Dyersville
9
4
Epworth
5
3
Farley
4
2
Luxemburg
0
1
Peosta
9
3
Sherrill
1
0
St. Donatus
1
0
City
Children
City
Children
Asbury
20
Balltown
2
Cascade
7
Dubuque
241
Durango
1
Dyersville
11
Peosta
10
Epworth
10
Farley
6
Key West
9
Sageville
2
Sherrill
6
St. Donatus
1
Zwingle
1
Rural Dubuque
County
14
Dubuque County
EMPOWERMENT
DUBUQUE COUNTY EMPOWERMENT
REACHES FAMILIES IN THE COUNTY
Parents as Teachers: Parents as Teachers is a home -based family education and support system. It is
available to anyone who has a child prenatal to kindergarten age and lives in Dubuque County. It is
administered through Four Oaks.
Parents as Teachers total capacity = 355 children
Total being served = 341 children (recruiting in progress)
Total currently being served who live in Dubuque County
outside the city limits of Dubuque = 100 children or 29%
•• Current waiting list = 22 children with 27% from county
communities
❖ 30% of registered /licensed
providers are outside the city
of Dubuque.
Empowerment programs in Dubuque County impact many
families who live beyond the city limits of Dubuque. Here are
some facts on overall county efforts as of February 2009.
Parent as Teachers Serves the County
Quality Child Care: Empowerment outreach and support assists child care providers to become and
stay registered Child Development Homes or licensed centers.
Quality Improvement Grants: Designed to increase quality of child care through new equipment,
staff training, and more. Currently, these are available to registered family providers at up to $350 per
grant and to licensed centers at $750 per grant.
Total Number of Grants: 19 in FY09
•• Percentage in the County: 21%
Dubuque County Empowerment • (563) 588 -1620 • info @empowerdubuque.org • www.empowerdubuque.org
City
Preschools Served with Dental Screenings
Cascade
2
Dubuque
28
Dyersville
3
Epworth
1
Farley
3
Luxemburg
1
Peosta
3
City
Scholarships
City
Scholarships
Bellevue
3
Bernard
1
Cascade
14
Dubuque
108
Durango
2
Dyersville
16
Epworth
4
Farley
4
Holy Cross
1
New Vienna
2
Peosta
5
Sherrill
2
Worthington
2
Zwingle
2
Infant Capacity Grants: Designed to increase capacity, availability, and quality of infant child care
(0 -2 years old). Currently, these are available to registered family providers at $1,000 per grant and to
licensed centers in unlimited amounts based on need.
❖ Total Number of Grants: 2 in FY09
❖ Percentage in the County: 0% (efforts are underway to promote in county)
Quality Preschool Program Standards (QPPS) Grants: Designed to support quality
improvement goals of preschools committed to QPPS participation. Currently, these are available at
$200 per grant.
❖ Total Number of Grants: 24 in FY09
+ Percentage in the County: 54%
Preschool Scholarships: Full scholarships are available to children whose families are above the Head
Start and /or Shared Vision income guidelines, but fall below the 185% poverty level. These children may
attend any licensed preschool in Dubuque County that has committed to a specific quality standard. Partial
scholarships are available to families just above that income guideline. The scholarship program is in
partnership with the universal prek grant through public school systems.
• Over 600 families have been assisted between 2003
and 2009.
❖ 166 families are receiving scholarships for the 08 -09
school year.
❖ 32% of current families are from the county outside
the city of Dubuque.
Dental Screenings: Through the Visiting Nurse Association, hygienists provide dental screenings, education,
and fluoride varnish applications to children ages 3 to 5 who are attending preschools in Dubuque County.
+ Since the program begin in 2005, over 4,000
preschool children have received dental screenings.
❖ As much as 8% of children annually have
immediate oral health needs.
❖ 32% of screenings took place at county preschools
outside the city limits of Dubuque.
Kids Expos: Dubuque County Empowerment partners with numerous businesses and nonprofit organizations to
host two annual Kids Expos. Kids Expo is a family fun and resource fair.
• In the fall, the original expo is held at the Grand River Center, Dubuque, with over 2,000 participants and 60 exhibitors.
• In the spring, a new county expo is held at Western Dubuque High School, Epworth, with almost 500 participants and 30 exhibitors.
Dubuque County Empowerment • (563) 588 -1620 • info @empowerdubuque.org • www.empowerdubuque.org
Responsibilities of Individual Members
Responsibilities of Board as a Whole
Be interested in and committed to the importance of
early childhood.
Meet the scope of responsibilities as an Empowerment
area as set by Iowa legislation.
Cultivate an awareness of early childhood issues and
priorities.
Determine DCE's vision and mission.
Attend all board meetings.
Develop a Community Plan with required elements that
uses data and community assessment to make informed
decisions.
Serve on at least one DCE committee.
Regularly monitor and evaluate outcomes in the
Community Plan.
Prepare for board meetings by thoroughly reading the
agenda and support materials.
According to community need and priority planning,
administer funds from the state and other sources.
Come to board meetings prepared to contribute to the
discussion.
Establish a grant review process for awarding funding
and contracts with an emphasis on evidence -based
programs /services.
Notify DCE staff or chairperson in advance of any
absence from board meetings.
Monitor the quality and results of DCE's programs/
services.
Keep the board informed about any community
concerns or needs that are relevant to DCE.
Seek to coordinate community efforts and to find
opportunities to collaborate in support of children and
families in Dubuque County.
Represent DCE in a positive and supportive manner in
the community.
To accomplish DCE's goals, ensure adequate resources
and seek long -term sustainability for early childhood
efforts.
Recognize and disclose any potential conflicts of
interest between board position and personal/
professional life.
Assure wide community input as part of all efforts.
Refrain from voting on matters in which a conflict of
interest exists.
Assign tasks to committees as appropriate.
Assist in recruiting new board members.
Ensure adherence to Open Meetings/Records Laws.
Establish bylaws and regularly review.
Ensure effective organizational planning to so that
administrative functions are covered.
Ensure an Annual Report is completed, approved, and
submitted annually to the Office of Empowerment.
Enhance DCE's public image.
Regularly assess performance as a board.
Adapted from Tool Y, Iowa Community Empowerment Toolkit.
Dubuque County Empowerment (DCE)
Board Member Job Description
DCE Vision: All children birth to age five in Dubuque County will be healthy and successful.
DCE Mission: The DCE Board builds public commitment and works collaboratively with the community and
families to develop an early childhood system with high quality child care, education, health care, and services
for all children birth to age five and their families in Dubuque County.
For more information on Dubuque County Empowerment —
2728 Asbury Road, Suite 500, Dubuque, IA 52001, (563) 588 -1620, www.empowerdubuque.org
Dubuque County
EMPOWERMENT
An effective Community Empowerment Board starts with members who are leaders and are committed to
young children and their families
Personal Information:
Name:
Mailing Address:
City, State, Zip:
Phone: (home) (work)
E -Mail:
What is your understanding of the Empowerment Board and your role as a board member?
What skills can you contribute to the board?
Dubuque County Empowerment Board
Membership Application
What is your current and previous community involvement?
Are you able to attend and participate in all regular, special board, and committee meetings? Will
you provide leadership as required?
Are you a direct or indirect recipient of Empowerment funds or services?
Yes No Not sure
Return to: Dubuque County Empowerment, 2728 Asbury Road, Suite 500, Dubuque, IA 52001
www.empowerdubuque.org