Dear Community Members:

Welcome to the Johnson County Empowerment Board web site. We hope you will find the information you are searching for. We encourage you to find a way to become involved in our efforts to improve the health and safety of children and families in Johnson County.

We have many programs and activities targeting families with children between 0-5 years of age. The programs include daycare support, training for daycare providers, in home family support workers, before and after school programs, and learning ways to advocate for the health and safety of families. Our board meetings are open to the public. You are always welcome to attend and take advantage of the normal agenda time allotted for public comments. We especially encourage you to consider becoming involved with a committee or work group of the board. The committees and work groups are the spot where the bulk of the “work” takes place, with larger oversight issues reserved for the board.

We have seen the positive impact of board actions in terms of additional day care slots, better trained daycare providers, and one to one advocacy with families in need. Please consider how you can become involved in this very worthwhile project and contact us at 339-6179 or email at boardchair@jcempowerment.org

Alice Atkinson
Board Chair

Overview
 

The Iowa Community Empowerment Initiative was established by legislation during the 1998 Iowa legislative session in an effort to create a partnership between communities and state government with an initial emphasis to improve the well being of families with young children.

Purpose
 

The purpose of creating the community empowerment initiative is to empower individuals and their communities to achieve desired results for improving the quality of life for children 0-5 and their families….The role of the Iowa Empowerment board and the State is to support and facilitate growth of community responsibility.

Anticipated Results
 

By the end of the year 2005, every community in Iowa will have developed the capacity and commitment for achieving these results:

· Healthy Children (Birth to 5)

• · Children Ready to Succeed in School
• · Safe and Supportive Communities
• · Secure and Nurturing Families
• · Secure and Nurturing Child Care Environments

Community Collaboration
 

Empowerment areas encourage and facilitate collaborative efforts within the community empowerment area including actions to avoid duplication, enhance efforts, combine planning, and/or other steps to best meet the needs of families. Empowerment areas are specifically interested in collaborating with the following grant programs:

• Healthy Families Iowa (HOPES) funded through the Iowa Department of Public Health;
• Parent education programs funded through the Child Development Coordinating Council;
• Pre-school at-risk programs (Shared Visions funded through the Child Development Coordinating Council);
• Home visitation and parent support through child abuse prevention grants;
• Home visitation and parent support funded through the Department of Human Services safe and stable families grant programs.

And the following planning boards:

• Decat;
• Child Abuse Council;
• Early ACCESS.

Many Empowerment areas also collaborate with other initiatives such as the Every Child Reads program, Iowa Public Television’s Ready To Learn, and outreach for hawk-i (state children’s health insurance).

For more information about state and local empowerment, see www.empowerment.state.ia.us

Johnson County Empowerment
Community Plan for 0-5