June 2023 Volume 33; Issue 9

You can view the complete newsletter here.

 

From the Executive Director's Desk

June brings us to the end of the state fiscal year. The Iowa Legislature and Governor Reynolds have agreed to numerous changes in policy and services which will begin on July 1, 2023. Some of those will impact Mid-Sioux and the services we provide.

The reorganization of state government was approved which means that consolidating almost all of our services into the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services will continue to move forward. This new HHS department staff will evaluate current services to determine where they should be aligned and if some adjustment in the service delivery method is justified. Input from various stakeholders, including Mid-Sioux will be requested.

Examples of something which “could” take place is the realigning of service delivery territories in order to make access to services easier and to better coordinate services provided in those territories. For example, our WIC program now covers ten counties with six of those counties being outside of our traditional five-county service area. While this may make sense on the surface, it will be extremely important to assure that adequate funding follows any change and that rural service delivery is considered.

It is clear that childcare and maternal health services will be given priority in the years to come. Childcare will continue to be a key factor in the state’s ability to recruit and retain a quality workforce. Maternal Health services are being expanded as additional supports are important in Iowa’s ability to impact healthy birth outcomes. It is clear that Iowa is a leader nationally in its financial stability and in the delivery of services to our residents.

Respectfully,
Dick Sievers
Executive Director

 

Employment Opportunities

If you know of anyone interested in joining our team, they can apply at: www.midsioux.org under ‘Employment’ and view our openings. They can also contact Miranda directly with any questions pertaining to the open positions:

Miranda Monroy, HR Director
Email: mmonroy@midsioux.org
Phone: 712-386-3421

 

Child Care Collaborative of Iowa

HHS increases support for business coaching tied to automation with extended payments for monthly Child Care Management System subscription fees & additional funding to meet technology needs.

On October 1, 2022, Early Childhood Iowa and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched a strategy to help providers improve child care business operations. The strategy pairs financial management coaching through the Child Care Collaborative of Iowa and the use of a Child Care Management System (CCMS). Mid-Sioux Opportunity, Inc. provides 13 Financial Management Consultants throughout Iowa to implement the Child Care Collaborative of Iowa.

Full use of a Child Care Management System can significantly reduce provider time spent on administrative tasks. In just eight months since launching the strategy, 490 Iowa providers have already taken advantage of financial management coaching and the state-funded monthly subscription fees for either Playground or brightwheel. Providers are amazed with software features that save time with enrollment, invoicing, fee collection, family communication, and more. Each CCMS continues to add and improve features each month to support child care businesses.

In February, HHS launched a data bridge between each Child Care Management System product (brightwheel and Playground) and Iowa’s child care subsidy data system, KinderTrack (KT). This data bridge allows child care providers to submit child time and attendance data by ‘clicking a button’ to receive reimbursement for children/families receiving Child Care Assistance (CCA). When talking with child care providers about the connection to KT, they are bursting with excitement about how easy the process is and how much time they are saving each month.

Following are a few examples of what we are hearing from child care providers who are using either brightwheel or Playground.

• “Implementing a child care management system has had such a positive impact on my family childcare business. My parents love the digital sign in/out and the automatic payments, while I love that the reports are easily managed and business records and client files are all digitized. Family childcare homes should definitely utilize this benefit!” – Natalie Short, Natalie’s Playhouse, Child Development Home – Category B, Ames
• “It [CCMS] is basically a lifesaver. I don’t know how we functioned before. We could have been doing things a lot easier a long time ago if we had gone to a child care management system. The cost is what put me off. It never felt like a have-to. Now…it will be budgeted in…we will never not have it. The time I have saved is amazing!” – Kelsey Andersen, Director, Bluff’s Little Thinkers Educational and Child Care Center, Sergeant Bluffs
• “When I first heard about the new financial management program offered by the state of Iowa, I was a little apprehensive to make the commitment to the financial counselling sessions. As a small business owner, mother, and college student, I have little time to spare. However, now that I have been a part of the program for a few months, I can confidently say that the program has actually saved me time. Implementing the sign-in process and documenting general observations linked to the Iowa Learning Standards in the CCMS has allowed me to meet requirements of the IQ4K program, and in turn, increase the quality of my program. I take pride in my daycare program, and am very thankful to be given these tools to improve the quality of the care I provide to the children in my community.” – Brandy Rolf, Tremont Street Daycare, Child Development Home – Category B, Cedar Falls
• “As a small childcare business, I have been hesitant to sign on to a CCMS in the past, but I couldn’t be happier with this program since we were offered free monthly subscriptions from the state. I would encourage any facility that wants to keep accurate, timely and straightforward records to take advantage of this offer. I will never go back to handwritten paperwork again!” – Michele Shaffer, Director, Home Ties Child Care Center, Iowa City

Initially, HHS offered to pay for monthly subscription fees for one year. We are EXCITED to announce that HHS will continue to fund monthly subscription fees for either Playground or brightwheel through September 30, 2024. For the first year of state-funded monthly subscription fees, providers also receive individualized financial management consultation from Mid-Sioux Opportunity, Inc. to ensure full use of the CCMS, analyze CCMS data to monitor and manage their child care programs, evaluate business practices, and access technology grants. Contact the Child Care Collaborative of Iowa here to learn more about this amazing opportunity.

Technology Grants

When HHS launched the state-funded monthly Child Care Management System subscription fees strategy, we offered providers a technology grant for up to $1,000 to help support the implementation of brightwheel or Playground. We are excited to share that providers that fully expended the $1,000 grant may be eligible for a Phase 2 Technology Grant. Contact your financial management consultant to learn more.

We believe, and providers have confirmed, that implementing a Child Care Management System with robust features and functionality is a game-changer for their child care businesses. The software is cutting edge, the financial management consultation ensures full use of the software and deeper analysis of business operations, and the data bridges allow maximum efficiencies for providers. Over the next year, HHS will be launching more data bridges to improve child care business operations and reduce time spent on administrative tasks.

 

Administration

June is the ninth month of the agency fiscal year (October 1 – September 30) but it is the last month of the State of Iowa’s fiscal year. This means that most of the contracts that we have which are funded with state dollars end in June as well. So, what does this mean for Mid-Sioux?

At the end of every contract, we must close out the agreement with a final program and financial report. Usually, we have 45 days to do this. We must also submit a final claim for any expenses relating to that specific contract. When the agency fiscal year ends on September 30th of each year, we schedule an audit to assure our funding agencies that we have spent their dollars according to all applicable rules and regulations. That audit report is provided to the agency management staff, board of directors, funding agencies, state auditor and to the federal audit clearinghouse.

The final program or service report tells the funding agency whether we met the goals outlined in the agreement. For instance: We report on the number of LIHEAP applications and the dollars spent. We report on outcomes in the FaDSS program as compared to statewide targets and we report on the education and other outcome targets for Head Start and Early Head Start.

The process to open and close contracts involves a good deal of time on the part of program and administrative staff. Funding agencies hold us accountable in various ways. Our financial and program reporting is an important step in this process. We also have numerous visits throughout the year from funding agency monitors. On-site visits allow them to see firsthand how we provide services.

Thanks to everyone who helps to make our services successful.

 

Head Start/Early Head Start

Free Preschool Programs for your 3 & 4 year old. Centers are located in Akron, Cherokee, Ida Grove, LeMars, Orange City, Rock Rapids, Rock Valley and Sioux Center. A Child Development Center is located in Hawarden.

Check the picture to go to our webpage for more information and to apply.

 

Sioux County Outreach Office

On May 19th, the Sioux Center Outreach office hosted a fundraiser for their food pantry. Backyard BBQ and 712 Nutrition were there to serve up their delicious barbeque food and teas. Both vendors also donated a portion of their proceeds back to our agency. A raffle package was put together, thanks to local donors, including Bomgaars in Sioux Center and Hawarden, M&H True Value Hardware in Rock Valley, Kraig Hulstein, and K101. 253 raffle tickets were sold for the package, which consisted of:

• Pit Boss Pellet Grill
• Bag of Pellets
• Meat Bundle – 40 lbs of Hamburger, 20 lbs of Roasts, & 5 lbs of Steak
• Grilling Utensils, Seasonings, and a BBQ Prep Tub
• Sling Bag Chair
• Jason Aldean Concert Tickets

Congratulations to Luke Boyer, who was the winner of the raffle package! Just over $2,000 was raised from this event. Funds will be used to purchase food and hygiene items to help stock the Sioux County food pantry. 

 

Ida Grove County Outreach Office

We have been busy assisting Ida County families with past-due rent or utility crisis applications. Over 120 crisis applications have been taken for Ida County families in the past eight months. We can also assist with Head Start and Early Head Start applications and are still taking applications for next school year. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have on any of our Mid-Sioux programs. We are in the office in Ida Grove on Thursdays from 9:00 AM– 4:00 PM and can be reached over the phone any day of the week by calling 800-859-2025.

Although summer is just getting underway, we are already preparing for our Back-to-School program! We will once again be providing income-eligible families a backpack as well as some supplies to start the school year. These items will be dispersed to families in August. Letters have been sent out to potential sponsors and families in Ida County. If you know of a family that could use some assistance, send them our way to complete an application.

We are able to provide some supplies along with a backpack to families for approximately $30/child. If you or someone you know would like to sponsor a child in need this year, please contact our Central Office at 1-800-859-2025 and ask to speak to Laura.

Along with a Backpack, the supplies also include the following items:

• 3 folders
• 2 spiral notebooks
• 1 pkg. wide rule filler paper
• 1 box of Kleenex
• 1 box of washable markers
• 1 box of colored pencils, 12 ct.
• 1 pencil case, heavy- duty, with zipper
• 1 box of crayons
• 1 pkg of #2 pencils
• 3 red pens        
• 2 glue sticks, dries clear
• 2 erasers
• 1 bottle of washable school glue
• 1 dry erase marker
• 1 scissor, 5 1/4" pointed tip
• 1 ruler, plastic, 12", inches & metric
• 1 highlighter
• 1 pencil sharpener
• 3 blue/black pens