Linn County Community Empowerment's Showcase of Accomplishments

In Fiscal Year 2008 Linn County Community Empowerment provided services to over 7,000* children and their families and directly increased the quality of care in over 160 child care Homes or Centers. Following are a few highlights:

• Provided 120 full-day full-year quality child care slots to assist working families. Children enrolled for 2 years at Linn County Child Development Center demonstrate skill attainment that is 10% above that of typically developing peers.
• 400% increase from FY 07 in home care providers in Linn County with National Accreditation. Currently 5 homes achieved this highest standard of quality and account for 23% of all accredited homes in Iowa.
• Provided free transportation so 55 children could consistently attend (94%) quality school-based preschools.
• Provided comprehensive health screens to over 2,400 un/underinsured children resulting in children 100% up to date on immunization and 39 children with early identification of development delays.
• Over 2,700 children received dental screens at child care settings and WIC clinics resulting in early detection of decay and provision of 87 vouchers to pay for urgent dental treatment.
• Continued work to be the 1st site in Iowa to become a certified Regional Intervention Program (RIP), a research based, parent implemented program to address moderate-severe behavioral disorders in young children.
• Provided 39 comprehensive group-parenting sessions to 520 parents, with 95% of survey respondents reporting increased confidence and competence in their parenting abilities.
• Provided over 2,900 home visits to over 330 at-risk families. Of the families with founded child abuse 70% did not re-abuse.
• Supported on-site behavioral consultant services to 30 childcare providers seeking assistance in serving 53 children with challenging behaviors in order to reduce expulsion and increase stability. 91% of children maintained their preschool placement and 97% of providers reported improvement in the child's behavior.
• Increased the number of books available to children enrolled in childcare sites participating in Every Child Reads early literacy program by 49%.
• 100% of infant and toddler child care providers report incorporating their professional development training into practice.
• Provided support to three (3) Statewide Voluntary Preschool Programs to meet the Iowa Quality Preschool Support standards and 100% report successful participation in IQPPS verification process.
• Over 640 Linn County children directly benefited from a project aimed at improving the quality of care in childcare centers through use of national recognized assessment tools (ECERS/ ITERS). 45 classrooms received an environmental assessment of quality an on-site consultation and as a result 84% of classrooms improved the overall quality of care.
• Supported 103 slots of free high quality part-day preschool. 97% of classrooms are led by a teacher with a 4-year degree or higher in early childhood and 80% of children demonstrate age appropriate skills at year end.

* Not unduplicated