The 4 R Kids ECI area board is thankful for the agencies providing early childhood programming for families in Adair, Dallas, Madison and Warren County in FY2022. While numbers and outcomes are very important, a story is impactful in ways numbers can't describe. Below is one such story of a family recieving services funded by the 4 R Kids ECI area board. Read further about the FY22 highlights.

"A child received a preschool scholarship i from a single family home who doesn"t have a vehicle and the mother is unable to drive, the transportation scholarship with the trolley allows the child to attend preschool. The child was able to begin mid-year due to the funding and get a jump start on his school readiness skills to be successful transitioning to 4 year old preschool at the school district."

The 4 R Kids ECI area board has posted the FY22 annual report.

Here are the highlights in the report.

• 160 families that participated in family support services who

increased their knowledge about child development;

• 533 child care providers participated in professional

development and quality improvement activities that helped

grow their child care business;

• 121 child received preschool tuition scholarships which

preparedthem for school;

• 308 children received dental screenings which assist with

healthy development;

• 535 techical assistance contacts were provided to child care providers by

child care nurse consultants;

• 4 R Kids ECI met all legislated requirements.

Check out the FY22 annual report for more information.

Stay healthy and safe!

Debra Schrader

4 R Kids Executive Director

Early Childhood Resource Map

The 4 R Kids ECI area implemented an early childhood resource map more than 12 years ago for each county and updates them annually. This is a public document that you may use whether it is to give to a family or utilized as a resource for human service providers. Early childhood resources change continuously and you are asked to please update your information no later than October 20, 2022. The early childhood resource maps are in Google Docs and can easily be updated with your information. If you need to add a new service, you are welcome to do that. Please keep the information brief. You can access the Adair, Dallas, Madison and Warren maps by going here. On behalf of the board, thank you for updating your respective information timely.

CDC's Milestone Tracker App

Milestones matter! Track a child’s milestones from age 2 months to 5 years with CDC’s easy-to-use illustrated checklists; get tips from CDC for encouraging your child’s development; and find out what to do if you are ever concerned about how your child is developing.

From birth to age 5, a child should reach milestones in how he or she plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves. Photos and videos in this app illustrate each milestone and make tracking them for a child easy and fun!

Features include:

• Add a Child – add a photo and enter personalized information about a child or multiple children
• Milestone Tracker – tracka child’s developmental progress by looking for important milestones using an interactive, illustrated checklist
• Checklists Adjust for Prematurity—updated functionality uses corrected age for babies born prematurely
• Milestone Photos and Videos – know what each milestone looks like so that you can better identify them in a child
• Tips and Activities – support a child’s development at every age
• When to Act Early – know when it’s time to “act early” and talk with a child’s doctor about developmental concerns
• Appointments – keep track of your child’s doctors’ appointments andget reminders about recommended developmental screenings
• Milestone Summary – get a summary ofa child’s milestones to view, and share with or email to the child’s doctor and other important care providers.

Free Dental Care November 4th - 5th!

The Iowa Mission of Mercy is a large scale, two-day community dental clinic where dental professionals and general volunteers donate their time to provide free oral health care to individuals who face barriers to receiving dental care. Last time they came to Des Moines in 2014, 1475 patients were treated and over $1 million in free dental care was provided. The 2022 event will take place on November 4th & 5th from 6:00am-5:00pm at the Varied Industries Building at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. A wide variety of volunteers are needed to make this event happen. Get involved at IowaMOM.org/Volunteers

Say Thank You to 4 R Kids ECI Board Members

They donate their time to make a difference in lives of families with children under the age of 6. Give a shout out to the following board members the next time you see them!

Deb Blazek- Adair County                       Brittany Shinn - Adair County

Jesse Ramey - Adair County                   Bryce Smith - Dallas County

Kevin Howe - Dallas County                    Colleen Strohmaier - Dallas County

Rita Martens - Madison County               Paul Millhollin - Madison County

Wendy Sawyer - Madison County           Justin Terry - Warren County

Nancy Hopkins - Warren County             Nikki Gunn - Warren County

 R Kids ECI Board Meetings

November 17, 2022

December 15, 2022

February 16, 2023

All meetings are open to the public, agendas and minutes are located at www.4rkids-eci.org.