Greetings and Happy New Year!
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Wow, what a year 2021 was! There was a new U.S.A. President, the big Texas freeze out, 124 year old record was broke for the hottest day in Iowa and of course the ongoing COVID pandemic. With 2021 behind us, we can focus on the new 2022 year! Lets gear up for a wonderful year ahead!
The 89th Legislative Session begins January 10, 2022 and should conclude in 100 days on April 10, 2022; for a complete legislative timetable go here. The 4 R Kids ECI Area Board is supporting the Association of Early Childhood Iowa Area Boards and Advocates legislative priorities. You can also access a printed copy by going here.
· Support a comprehensive and integrated early care, health and education system for the youngest Iowans through funding for Early Childhood Iowa;
· Develop Systemic Solutions to the Childcare Crisis;
· Include Early Childhood Iowa as a key partner in implementation of the Children’s Behavioral Health System.
For those that are in need of additional talking points, Early Childhood Iowa has infographics related to child care, preschool and family support. Feel free to distribute widely.
Debra Schrader
4 R Kids Executive Director
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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 anyone who work or live 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 membersip application or contact the ECI Director, Debra Schrader.
Say Thank You to 4 R Kids 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
Bryce Smith - Dallas County Kevin Howe - Dallas County
Rita Martens - Madison County Paul Millhollin - Madison County
Justin Terry - Warren County Nancy Hopkins - Warren County
Nikki Gunn - Warren County
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The Data for Decision Makers are brief reports presenting a profile and snapshot of a city’s, county’s, or region’s demographic, economic, social, health, or housing characteristics. These reports are frequently updated as new and revised data become available. These are valuable tools for planning.
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Governor Reynolds launched the Child Care Taskforce earlier this year to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the child care shortage and barriers to work in Iowa. On November 3, 2021, Governor Reynolds, along with stakeholders, released the recommendations from the report. Based on the recommendations, Governor Reynolds is implementing a childcare management system, creating additional funding opportunities, and introducing new initiatives to support working families and Iowa’s child care system. To learn more about the recommendations go here.
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Five Ways Poverty Harms Children
1. Poverty harms the brain and other body systems - by negatively impacting child development and physically altering the brain. This is related to an increase in chronic disease and shortened life expectancy in adulthood.
2. Poverty creates and widens achievement gaps - because of the negative influences on brain development, children who experience poverty fall behind their peers in learning and social-emotional development.
3. Poverty leads to poor physical, emotional, and behavioral health - as a result of food insecurity, poor health, and poor emotional and behavioral health.
Children who live in poverty are also less likely to receive preventive care.
4. Poor children are more likely to live in neighborhoods with concentrated poverty, which is associated with numerous social ills - such as poorer academic performance, social and behavioral problems, and as previously mentioned, poorer health. Children living in poverty are more likely to be exposed to environmental toxins and physical hazards, and attend schools with fewer resources.
5. Poverty can harm children through the negative effects it has on their families and the home environment - living with fewer resources means higher stress, aggravation, and depressive symptoms in parents. This can also have a negative impact on the learning and development of children living in poverty. Murphey, D., & Redd, Z. (2014). Child Trends.
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COVID-19 Resources
To get the most recent information about COVID-19 in Iowa go to the COVID-19 in Iowa website.
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Babies Eyes Are Big!
It’s their abnormally large eyes that makes babies so super cute, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that babies’ eyes are around 70% of their adult size. The most significant period of growth for eye balls is in the first year, with another spurt around puberty.
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Professional Growers
If your baby continued his/her first year’s growth rate, he/she would be 170 feet tall by the time he/she becomes an adult!
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Memory Boost
Apparently, nap time helps with memory. According to a study, if a baby takes a nap after they learn something new they are much more likely to remember and retain what they had learned after they wake up. Wonder if this is true for adults?
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Gesundheit
Babies are known to sneeze a lot, but not because of being sick or having allergies. It is completely normal and just their bodies way of clearing their small nasal passages.
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Each year, National Read Across America Day is celebrated on March 2nd, the birthday of Dr. Seuss. The annual event is part of Read Across America, an initiative on reading created by the National Education Association. Since the event is designed to encourage reading in children and is fostered through the schools, when March 2nd lands on a weekend, the day is observed on the closest school day.
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May 11-12, 2022
Virtural Event
Mark your calendar!
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Google Folders
Due to the pandemic most if not all meetings are held electronically. Google folders have been implemented for anyone to drop documents into. Feel free to view or drop information into the respective folders.Folders are organized by fiscal years and months.
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4 R Kids ECI Board Meetings
February 17, 2022
April 21, 2022
May 19, 2022
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