 The purpose of the meeting Thursday was to open a dialogue so
that the groups and individuals could get acquainted with one
another, and to raise awareness on what each organization does to
assist families in Logan County.
Moore began by talking about a training she had attended last
year and how it had benefited her in her program. She said in that
meeting she had seen some of the most frightening statistics for
this area. Ranking high on the list of issues for young children
were problems with childhood obesity and child abuse.
She said that at one time, her school had 30 foster children. So,
she was very well-versed in the problems of child abuse, as well as
how to work with the state Department of Children and Family
Services and the foster care program.
She said she was led to write a grant through the Illinois Action
for Children and won the grant. This gave the Healthy Families Task
Force the momentum to start a program of working together to offer
valuable services to those in need.
She said the best part of the meeting Thursday was the
opportunity for the various groups to talk about what they do and,
more important, to share information on how to access the services
they do provide. Moore said it would surprise them to find out how
many people say they don’t know how to get the help they need; they
don’t know whom to contact.
Moore began the presentations around the room by discussing her
program, Christian Child Care.
Christian Child Care
Christian Child Care is located on Wyatt Avenue in the
single-story building of the Odd Fellows campus. The phone number
for the office is 217-732-5750.
Christian Child Care offers affordable day care services for
working families. Depending on the income level of the family, day
care services can be supplemented with payments from DCFS. DCFS pays
the qualifying portion of the day care bill and parents are
responsible for the balance, if there is one.
Moore said that when she took over as the director of the day
care six years ago, it was in dire straits financially. She told the
group that it was community support that helped her get the center
back on its feet, but money is always going to be a problem for the
day care.
In addition to financial improvement, Moore and her staff have
worked hard to achieve high ratings from the state on the quality of
care they provide. Currently the center is holding a strong 3-star
rating. Moore said that in all of Illinois, there are only slightly
over 400 day care facilities that have that high a rating, something
she is pleased with, but not satisfied with. She wants to see her
agency earn a 4-star rating. But again, there are improvements that
would have to be made, and that means more money. Moore said she
hopes to do more parent-teacher activities and more parent
trainings. This will go toward her higher rating.
She said it was very hard to run the agency on what they do have.
She said, "I would love to give my staff raises," but she told the
group the money just isn’t there. She doesn’t want to raise rates
because her parents are already struggling with the fees. She also
noted that in Springfield the same services she offers would cost
over $400 a month, and in Bloomington it would cost over $300 a
month. Christian Child Care rates are about half that amount.
Head Start
There were three representatives in the room from the Community
Action Partnership of Central Illinois: Marcia Hieronymus, Mackenzie
Montgomery and Libby Canady. Hieronymus began their presentation by
offering a rundown of all the services the agency offers.
[to top of second column] |
Community Action offers programs such as Low Income Heating and
Energy Assistance, which provides funds to help pay heating costs
for seniors and low-income families. The agency also provides a
weatherization program to help make homes more energy-efficient. In
addition they offer senior meal programs with home delivery and
congregate dining sites, and the Foster Grandparent program that
links seniors to at-risk children in the public school system.
Community Action also administers the Logan Mason Transportation
Program.
The group was there to primarily talk about Head Start and Early
Head Start. In this area there are three Head Start classrooms that
serve approximately 90 children. The Community Action Head Start
program serves six counties, and the total enrollment is close to
400 children.
Hieronymus said right now they are recruiting for the fall
classes, and families are being encouraged to sign up their
children. The program is divided into two stages: the birth to
3-year-old group and the 3- to 5-year-old group.
Hieronymus said the programs are available free of charge to
qualified families. The program includes daily transportation to
school for the children and healthy meals and snacks during the
class period.
Head Start is federally funded, and Hieronymus said they, too,
face challenges as government funding is always changing and they
have experienced some deep cuts.
Montgomery talked about the health aspects of Head Start. In
addition to offering good nutrition, the program works to get needed
medical services for the children. She said their biggest challenge
is in finding dental care. Many of the families have medical cards
that will subsidize the needed services, but the problem is that
there is a shortage of dentists locally who will take the card. Head
Start does take advantage of the dental clinics offered by the Logan
County Department of Public Health, but in many cases their services
are not enough to meet the needs of the child.
Canady talked about the early childhood program and what it
offers to parents of small children. She said the program reaches
out to parents to offer parenting help and education.
The program also offers help for parents in conducting job
searches and writing résumés. In addition they do job interview
trainings.
The Community Action corporate offices are at 1800 Fifth St. in
Lincoln. Their phone number is 217-732-2159.
Department of Child and Family Services
Cince Bowns was on hand from the Department of Child and Family
Services. DCFS deals with abused, neglected and delinquent children.
Bowns said they do a lot of work with mandated reporter training and
have a memorandum of understanding with the local Head Start.
Mandated reporting is a program specifying that agencies working
with children are required to observe child behavior and report to
DCFS any actions that could be an indication of neglect or abuse in
the home. DCFS investigates those reports on a one-on-one basis and
acts accordingly. DCFS can be reached by calling 217-735-4402.
Lincoln Christian Church
Marsha Wells of Lincoln Christian Church is a children's minister at
the church. The church offers worship programs for children, and a
day care program is also available.
Lincoln Christian Church is across from Latham Park on North
McLean Street.
___
Part 2 of this report will be published on Friday with glimpses
of area youth summer programs offered by 4-H, Salvation Army, United
Cerebral Palsy and the Lincoln Park District.
[By NILA SMITH] |
