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Greetings and Happy Spring!
The legislative session is still in progress. The legislative session began on January 9, 2017 and it should conclude April 18, 2017.
One of the first bills this session pertained to the de-appropriation to the FY17 current Iowa budget. Through that process, Early Childhood Iowa suffered a 3.75% reduction in the current fiscal year (FY17). Local ECI boards had tough decisions to make, and what made it especially difficult was the notification came half way through the fiscal year.
FY18 doesn't look any better for Iowa. The Governor has released an amended FY18 budget and ECI will suffer a reduction in funding again. However the House and Senate have yet to take action on the FY18 budget. Now is a good time to educate your respective policy maker on the impact of early childhood services.
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You have the chance to invest in our youngest citizens...and all you have to do is volunteer your time!
The Iowa 4 R Kids Early Childhood Area Board is seeking applicants who want to help children age 0-5 grow, learn and prepare for Kindergarten. With the state financial resources, our twelve member board awards Early Childhood grants to ensure young children will be healthy and successful.
Board membership is available to residents who reside or work in Adair, Dallas, Madison, or Warren County, and do not directly or indirectly receive funds from the Board. For more information download the 4 R Kids Board membership application or contact the ECI Director,
Debra Schrader.
The 4 R Kids ECI Area Board has a Facebook Page!
4 R Kids Executive Director
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April is Prevent Child Abuse Month!
This April, Adair, Dallas, Madison and Warren Counties will join hundreds of communities across the nation in celebrating Child Abuse Prevention Month. All children deserve a great childhood because our children are our future. How are we going to achieve this? We're going to do it together, one simple, everyday action at a time, where we support both the families we know and all of the families in our neighborhood and community. If we work to turn small actions into big impact not just during April, but every day, we can go a long way toward creating the kind of world where all children have the great childhood they deserve and abuse and neglect never occurs.
The blue pinwheel has become the symbol for child abuse prevention. Pinwheels symbolize the happy, carefree childhood that all children deserve. Throughout the month of April, pinwheels will be on display throughout our four county area and each community will have activities planned to celebrate Child Abuse Prevention Month. Show your support for child abuse prevention by wearing blue on Blue Out Day April 21 in Warren County. For more information about local activities in your community, contact:
Adair County:
Stephanie Claussen
Success 4 Kids Council President
(641) 743-6173
sclaussen@adaircountyhomecare.org
Dallas County:
Jessica Delp
Dallas County Children's Council Development Director
(630) 676-0525
jlynndelp@gmail.com
Madison County:
Lynette Judd
C.R.I.S.P Coordinator
(515) 462-9400
lynjudd@familyresourcelink.org
Warren County Child Abuse Prevention Council:
P.O. Box 417
Indianola, IA 50125
Val Cameron
Coordinator
val.warrencountycapc@gmail.com
www.cap.warren.ia.us
www.facebook.com/warrencountyca
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Caring for Kids
"Caring for Kids:What Parents Need to Know"
a product developed by the NCTSN Child Abuse Committee, tells parents and caregivers how to protect their children from and how to help children who have experienced-sexual abuse. You can find helpful handouts here.
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Win $1 Million For Your Bright Idea to Fix the World!
Got an idea for a new world order? Swedish billionaire Laszlo Szombatfalvy will pay you at least a million for it.
A competition from the Global Challenges Foundation, founded in 2012 by the Szombatfalvy, is calling for solutions to the world's most pressing problems, like conflict, climate change and extreme poverty. Click
here to find out how to win $1 million!
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Early Childhood Iowa
Stay up to date with Early Childhood Iowa. The Early Childhood Iowa website has a plethora of information.
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Research shows
that diaper need is a stressor for low-income mothers and has a strong association with maternal depression. To read more click here
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30 Million Words
By age three, young children from lower-income families have heard
30 million fewer words
than children from upper-income families. Research shows that these inequities during the preschool and kindergarten years largely persist throughout life. To read more click here.
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April 20, 2017
May 18, 2017
June 15, 2017
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| Free Events for Families With Children Under the Age of 6! Below are the dates that have been scheduled for this Toddlerfests and/or Roll & Reads in each County. 4/3/17 - Adair County 4/29/17 - Madison County 5/6/17 - Dallas County 5/7/17 - Warren County 4 R Kids Website has more information. |
Freedom Action Conference
Learn more about human trafficking and how it is impacting Iowa as well as how to combat it. The conference will be April 24, 2017 from 9:30-2:30 at the Plymouth Church in Des Moines Iowa. To register click here.
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Did You Know?
A baby cannot taste salt until it is 4 months old. The delay may be related to the development of kidneys, which start to process sodium at about that age.
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SLEEP
How much sleep do you REALLY
need? Watch this great
video
to find out.
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Did You Know?
Tax freedom day is the day that the taxpayer has finally worked enough long hours to make the money to pay their annual tax burden. It is at this point that they actually get to start keeping what they earn. This year, that day in Iowa is April 24th, meaning Iowans worked more than 100 days before reaching this milestone.
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