4rkidsearlychildhoodiowa

ALICE, Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed, places a spotlight on a large population of hardworking residents who work at low-paying jobs, have little or no savings, and are one emergency away from falling into poverty.

The United Way ALICE Report is the most comprehensive depiction of financial needs in the state to date, using data from a variety of sources, including the US Census. Data is available on the state, county and municipal level. The report unveils new measures, based on present-day income levels and expenses that show how many Iowa workers are struggling financially, and why.

ALICE represents a growing number of individuals and families who are working but are unable to afford the basic necessities of housing, food, childcare, health care and transportation. Although ALICE is earning income, pays taxes and contributes to Iowa’s economy, the household income is not enough to meet a basic survival budget in these categories.

See the Alice reports for all counties in Iowa. Also below are ALICE reports that represent the 4 R Kids ECI Area.

Adair County -Alice 2016

Dallas County – Alice 2016

Madison County – Alice 2016

Warren County – Alice 2016

Below is a link to see more information about ALICE.

http://www.uwiowa.org/united-way-alice-report-iowa

The Iowa Departmet of Human Servics has released the most current child abuse data.

https://dhs.iowa.gov/reports/child-abuse-statistics

Child Abuse Data

The 2018 election will be here before you know it.  A list of candidates for Iowa Senate and Iowa House in Adair, Dallas, Madison, and Warren County has been created.  You can dowload the Election List

Additionally, if you would like to see all candidates in Iowa go to the Secretary of State’s website, https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/candidates/primarycandidatelist.pdf

There is a side-by-side document of Governor Reynolds and Fred Hubbell’s questionnaire responses regarding early childhood and is located here.  Here is a PDF version of  2018 CPC Gubernatorial Candidate Questionnaire.

60 Minutes aired an episode on childhood trauma. Oprah Winfrey declared this one of the most eye opening and life changing stories she has ever done. Watch it here if you missed It.

The U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 5-year Estimates (2012-2016) has issued data regarding the perecnt of households with children under age 6 with all parents in the workforce as well as the percent of households with children ages 6 -17 with all parents in the household in the labor force.

Below is a spreadsheet for each county.

Percent_Households_with_all_parents_in_workforce_by_county

2-1-1 Counts is a web-based tool to provide real-time, searchable, and visual presentations of data about community-specific needs of vulnerable populations. 2-1-1 Counts displays a count of 2-1-1 callers’ most pressing needs in usable form and reports data at the ZIP code, region, or call center level as recently as yesterday.  2-1-1 Counts enables users to check trends, make comparisons, and share information.

2-1-1 Counts enriches the dialogue in communities – especially among leaders – by calling attention to a wide range of factors that compromise the health and well-being of poor individuals and families.

Click here to see the most pressing needs in your community.

Below are the new federal poverty guidelines.

Federal poverty guidelines 18

A mobile pantry is a farmer’s market style distribution targeted toward county’s with a need for additional pantry service. Mobile pantries provide an additional strategy toward bridging the food assistance gap, specifically in rural counties by providing an additional access point for food. For a current list of mobile food pantries visit Food Bank of Iowa.

Currently, there are mobile food pantries in Dallas, Madison, and Warren County.  Also see the Mobile Food Pantry Fact Sheet.

Preschool Scholarships are available for children living in Adair, Dallas, Madison or Warren County. The Preschool Scholarships are located on the Warren County ISU Extension website or you can click Preschool Scholarships.

The 5th Annual Appreciation Reception was held December 3, 2015 at Annelise Winery just east of Indianola.  The community, service providers, parents of young children and policy makers were in attendance.  We had the opportunity to hear the difference the 4 R Kids ECI funding makes with families and local programs.   A big thank you goes to Executive Director Jovanka Westbrook of Partners in Family Development for videotaping this special evening.

Family Support Services Testimonial – Parent Adrian McNew provided sincere testimonial and grateful thanks about the family support services her family received from Partners in Family Development. Here is the video.

Dental Services Testimonial – I-Smiles Coordinator from Warren County Public Health, Sarah Peterson provided a moving story about a four year old preschooler who was identified with severe tooth decay. Be sure to have a tissue handy as this is a tear jerker.  Here is the video.

Preschool Scholarship Testimonial – Pauline Samuelson received 4 R Kids ECI preschool scholarships and provided sincere testimonial. Dallas County Extension facilitates the preschool scholarships and other preschool supportive services. Here is the video.

Child Care Nurse Consultants Testimonial – The child care nurse consultants from New Opportunities and Warren County Health Services provided testimonials about nursing services provided to child care providers and preschools. Here is the video.

Why Early Childhood Matters – Shanell Wagler, office of Early Childhood Iowa, provided a moving closing for the evening as to why early childhood matters and the investment payoff for the future.