Executive Director's Column
Reva Wywadis
Executive Director

Hello, friends! 

 

The “Fall in Love With Your Home” tours were held in October and raised more than $49,000 to support agency programs and services. We are so grateful for the community support we received for this endeavor. We have included additional details in a separate article in this newsletter. Thank you all for your support of this fundraiser! 

 

The final two months of this year are extremely busy ones. Board member recruitment is a high priority as we work to recruit board members with specific expertise in targeted areas as well as broaden our board representation outside of Shawnee County. Board member election will be held in December, with board terms beginning in January. If you are interested in learning more about board service, please get in touch with me (reva@east.ks.childcareaware.org) for more information. 

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Program Highlights & Happenings 

Thank you all for supporting the 2022 “Fall In Love With Your Home” tours. Proceeds from this fundraiser will make it possible for our agency to offer assistance to individuals and families needing child care and referrals to community services to meet their unique needs at no cost. Funds also support professional development and coaching services focused on improving the availability and quality of area child care programs, helping to ensure that young children arrive at school with the skills they need to be successful. Our strong community support demonstrates the importance our community places on children, families, and early learning programs.


We are so grateful to Thiessen Design + Construction for supporting our cause by arranging to have these spectacular homes open for public tours. The generosity of the homeowners made this event possible, and public feedback has been extremely positive. We are pleased to share that proceeds from tours, sponsorships, advertising, and the VIP event raised just over $49,000 to provide needed programs and services to benefit area children and families in the coming months. Thanks to all for making this fundraiser a success!

View Our Sponsors
Program Events

Jennie Heim, Successful Connections Parent Resource Specialist

October kicked off a new series of family events led by the Successful Connections team. “Begin With A Book” allows families to bring their children ages 0-5 for a storytime event with fun, interactive activities that go along with the book. The October theme was “Pumpkins and More.” Jennie Heim, Successful Connections Parent Resource Specialist, shared two books, Pumpkin Magic by Ed Masessa, and Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington. Children then had the opportunity to experiment with homemade playdough and pumpkin-shaped cookie cutters. Each family took home a packet including the two books along with their playdough and cookie cutters to repeat the learning activity at home. The November event will focus on being thankful. These events are funded through a preschool development grant as part of the All In For Kansas Kids initiative, grant #90TP0078-01-00. Monthly events are planned through March in partnership with the SENT Prep Academy. 

What Our Mission Looks Like in Action

Successful Connections provides support for pregnant women & families of new babies with community resources that can make them more successful parents. It offers families one-on-one visits to determine their specific needs and then connects families with agencies providing support services. 


Recently Ashley Buss, one of the Successful Connections specialists, met up with a mother of a new baby, and she remembered how helpful Successful Connections was with her now one-year-old when she was first born. The mom said that her little one still uses the cuddle blanket that was given to them by Jane Redger, Successful Connections team lead in 2021. She recalled how nice Jane was in helping her find the support services they needed and made sure to program the Successful Connections phone number to her phone.


Successful Connections helps, on average, 800 families a year. Expectant parents and families with children ages birth to 5 years old who reside in Shawnee County can access the Successful Connections program free of charge.

Volunteer & Engagement Opportunities

Child Care Aware® of Eastern Kansas was selected to receive $500 from the Patterson Gives Back program offered through the Patterson Legal Group and KSNT/Fox 43. Funding will be used to purchase fleece for cuddle blankets made by volunteers and distributed to new moms in Shawnee County. Each blanket requires approximately $3 in material, and blankets are assembled by volunteers. If you would like to volunteer to make blankets for this program or would like to make a donation for fleece, please contact Jane at Successful Connections, 785-440-4509.

The Successful Connections team left to right: Jennie Heim, Jane Redger, and Ashely Buss

Board & Staff...
2022 Board of Directors
Liz Steffen, President
Cherie Sage, President-Elect
Jamie Stafford, Secretary
Dawn Bicknell-Reiser, Treasurer
Erin Lewis, Treasurer-Elect
Jane Tilghman, Immediate Past President
Lucinda Anstaett
Amy Bauer
Deb Crowl
Catherine Deters
Donna Doel
Matthew Godinez
Paige Jones
Andrea Luke
Lindsey Munson
Catherine Shafer
Kelly Trussell
Staff Members

Reva Wywadis, Executive Director;

Diana Ingram-Cantrell, Accountant;

Julie Scott, Marketing & Communications

Coordinator;

Holly Wehner, Data Specialist;

Earlina Faurot, Administrative Assistant;

Rhianna Nelson, Community Outreach and Engagement Manager

Nancy Rohr, Family Services Manager;

Lori Boos (Team Leader), Jasmin Cortes, Resource Specialists;

Michelle Gilbert, Talia Juiliano, Renee Wohletz,

Provider Services Managers;

Breanna Gellings, Grants Navigator;

Grace Cott, Audrey Danielson,

Susan Drewelow, Debbie Hildebrandt, Susan Rodman, Early Care & Education Specialists;

Deb Danielson, Kristina Griffee, Tia Wright, Child Care Health Consultants;

Jane Redger (Team Leader), Jennie Heim, Ashley Buss, Successful Connections Parent Resource Specialists;

Stephanie Prue, Library Resource Specialist

Marie Treichel, Special Projects & Initiatives Coordinator;

ERC Resource & Referral, Inc., d/b/a Child Care Aware® of Eastern Kansas supports the healthy development of young children by improving access to high-quality child care options and educational resources for families and early childhood professionals.
1100 SW Wanamaker Rd. Topeka, KS 66604 • (785) 357-5171 • https://east.ks.childcareaware.org
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