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Greetings and Happy 4th of July!
Legislative Session Ends
This will certainly be a year to remember with the COVID-19 pandemic!
The
88th Iowa legislative session
s
ession began January 13, 2020 and concluded June 14, 2020. Due to COVID-19, the Iowa Legislature suspended the session on March 19, 2020, then reconvened June 3, 2020 and adjourned June 14, 2020 for the year.
ECI Proclamation
On April 24, 2020 Governor Reynolds signed a proclamation to
temporarily suspend the regulatory provisions of Iowa Code ยง 256I.9(4)(e), to the extent it limits the amount of school ready children grant funding an area board may carry forward from fiscal year 2020 to fiscal year 2021 from 20% to 35%. This will be helpful for many ECI local boards due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Child Care Bill of Interest
HF2485 has been signed by the Governor
establishing an exception to the number of children allowed to be present for child care at any one time in a child development home under certain conditions.
Board Invests in Quality Programs
The 4 R Kids ECI Area Board is charged with administering grants to meet the needs in Adair, Dallas, and Warren County. This spring the 4 R Kids ECI area board has awarded just over $1 million in grants for
FY2021 Programming to serve families with young children in Adair, Dallas, Madison, and Warren County. These programs have proven to make difference in the lives of children. Research proves that when you invest $1 in early childhood services you will receive a$7 return. Another way to think about this is, put $1 million into a slot machine and it spits out $7 million in return. Who wouldn't want that?
Stay safe.
4 R Kids Executive Director
The 4 R Kids ECI Area Board has a Facebook Page!
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Seeking Board Membership
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 membership application
or contact the ECI Director, Debra Schrader.
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COVID-19 Resources
Corona Virus Iowa
The Iowa Department of Public Health has a dedicated website for up to date information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be accessed
here.
Bartender Fund
Service Worker Fund
Cash assistance for restaurant workers, car service drivers, delivery workers, personal service workers, etc there is the One Fair Wage Emergency Fund.
Meals
To ensure that children who rely on free or reduced-price meals at school, they are able to get the nutrition they need, USDA is working with states to continue providing meals to students. Families can use this tool to find directions to nearby sites as well as hours of operation and contact information. Go here for more information
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Child Development During the First Five Years
The
Raising Children website is devoted to providing evidence-based information about how children grow physically and emotionally and learn to communicate, think, and socialize, this site is also easy to navigate. Resources are sorted, from pregnancy and newborns to teens and grown-ups. Two additional categories offer resources specifically about children with autism spectrum disorder and children with disabilities.
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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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Vapping Lingo
From words like "ghost" and "ripski" to devices resembling USB flash drives, the youth vaping epidemic has introduced a number of terms, phrases and discreet devices that can make it difficult for adults to keep up. Check out the Vapping Dictionary
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Smiles are Reserved for Human Babies
Human infants are the only species that smile at their parents!
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Did You Know?
On any given day 29% of babies under the age of 1 are watching TV and videos for about
90 minutes a day.
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Babies' Eyes
They are already 75 percent of the size of their adult eyes.
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Did You Know?
Babies taste buds only recognize sweet and sour.
Salt isn't brought into the equation until around the age of four months.
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Youth Mental Health Survey
A new
survey commissioned by National 4-H Council, and conducted by the Harris Poll, finds that 7 in 10 teens are struggling with their mental health in the wake of COVID-19.
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Children born to mothers who both drank and smoked beyond the first trimester of pregnancy have a 12-fold increased risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) compared to those unexposed or only exposed in the first trimester of pregnancy, according to a new study supported by the National Institutes of Health.
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Board meetings may be held electronically
September 10 2020
November 19, 2020
December 17, 2020
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