Dakota County Connections Meeting Notes from:

Date/Time of Meeting: February 11th 2016 @ 9:00 am

Location of Meeting: Law Enforcement Center

Present:Sally Reinert/Board member,JoAnn Gieselman/SHIP &DCC,Dawn Schulz/Foster Care Review,Janie Snieder/A Better Way Therapy,Corrin Poland/YMCA, HeatherHennings/United Way,Jessi Maxwell/Siouxland Community Health Center, Ben Mohning/Boys & Girls Home,Nancy Oates/Res Care, Mary Furnas/ Foster Care Review, Cheri Matthews/ESU#1, Rita DeJong/BOOST, RobynWatchorn Newbrey/Private Therapist, Matt Ohman/SHIP, Lisa Topf/Cubby Care, Luis Gonzalez/BOOST, Mandy Engel-Cartie/Girls Inc., Marian Burnett/Crittenton Center, Tonya Bauman/Building Blocks, Scott Lambrecht/Parent to Parent Network, Linda Phillips/Siouxland Cares, ChristyHenjis/Foster Care Review, Tom Eakin/ Support Siouxland Soldiers, Elly Keller/A Better Way Therapy, Ellie Schunk/Office of Public Guardian, Mary KateGulick/ Nebr. Children and Families Foundation

Agenda Item #1 Welcome/Introductions and updates:

Discussion:

Group sharing:Everyone introduced themselves and shared any additional information they wanted to.

  • Tom Eakin-shared about aDISCOVERY DISCUSSION that will be held with businesses who have an interest in hiring and retaining military service members and veterans on February 17, 2016, at the Sioux City Museum, 607 4th Street, Sioux City, IA. 7:30- 9:00 am
  • Rita DeJong-shared that BOOST-FF a program that supports young offenders as they come back into the community has some open spots.
  • Heather Hennings- Shared the United Way does offer some small community change grants that are between 1 and 5 thousand dollars. Heather also shared they have scholarships for single parents to pursue 2 and 4 year degrees as well as certification programs. Heather reminded everyone about the Women Power Luncheon coming up APRIL 27th ATTHE MARINA CENTER with Delilah who is the most-listened-to-woman on radio in the U.S.
  • Many Engel-Cartie- Shared that Girls Inc. in collaboration with others did an evening of mentoring for women who needed support. Mandy shared it was a fun evening and many positive things came out of it. Mandy said their next plans are to do a parent to parent mentoring evening.
  • Jessi Maxwell-With Siouxland community Health share about a new Leana Program they are looking at that would support and increase language in the home.

Agenda Item #2: Updated DCC Brochure

  • JoAnn shared the updated DCC brochure with the addition of the focus groups and new partners. She thanked Lind Phillips for the great idea on how to redesign it!

Agenda Item #3: Resource Booklet

  • The newly published Community Resource Manual was made available to everyone. JoAnn thanked the South Sioux City Chamber of Commerce for the many and beautiful updates they gave to the manual.

Agenda Item #4: Focus Groups

  • Community Response Meeting: 2/24/16 at 1:00 at the LEC- Donna Meismer will be presenting, she is Community Impact Coordinator with the Fremont Family Coalition and the Fremont Area United Way. Donna and her Coalition were the first to Pilot “Community Response” working together with Nebraska Children and Families Foundation and Health and Human Services. They now have a successful Community Response effort going and generously have offered any help, advice, or forms we may need in planning for our future.
  • Safe and Healthy Youth (Formally “getting out of gangs”): Now focusing on ways to keep youth out of gangs. The group is currently working on developing a three-year business plan to establish Community/Youth Center.
  • Parent Education and Engagement: This group has done a wonderful job of planning trainings and opportunities for our community.

Agenda Items # 5:RIR request for funding to support year 3 of community Implementation

  • Rooted in Relationships is-an initiative that partners with communities to implement evidence based practices that enhance the social-emotional development of children, birth-8. We are now looking at expanding the Teaching Pyramid into more ECH classrooms and home childcares.

Agenda Item # 6: Presentation, Danielle Schunk, JD Office of Public Guardian

  • The Office of Public Guardian is designed to serve as the guardian or conservator for an individual when no other alternative is available.
    In addition to providing the means of last resort as guardians or conservators for those situations where no family member or suitable individual is available, the Office of Public Guardian provides education, training, and support for volunteer and family guardians and conservators, and recruits individuals to serve as guardians and conservators for Nebraska’s vulnerable individuals.

Agenda Item# 7:Presentation, Mary Kate Gulick, Nebr. Children and Families Foundation

  • Mary Kate shared that NCFF appreciates the DCC has a wonderful collaboration going and would like to share with others around the state about what is happening here. Mary would like to collect stories from our DCC Community Partners to share with others. She will be back next week to do interviews.

Agenda Item #8: Al’s Caring Pals

  • 9 in-home providers attending!

Agenda Item #9: PIWI Update

  • Going on at the SSC Library.

Agenda Item #10: DCC Board meeting March 9th

Goal for Dakota County Connections

  • “To Reduce the Rate of Juvenile Arrests 0-18 years of age in Dakota County in the Next Five Years by 10 Percent”-

Early Childhood Screenings: South Sioux City Schools-will provide free screenings for children birth to 5 in overall development throughout the year, Janie Snieder, Robyn Watchorn Newbrey, and Elly Keller, allmental health therapists – will offer The Ages and Stages Social Emotional Screening at those screenings.
Dakota County Juvenile Services Team updates: Sarah Deck coordinates these meeting (Their meetings will follow ours quarterly.

Next Meetings: Time 9:00-10:00

  • March 10th @ College Center room126c
  • April 14th@ College Center room126c
  • May 12th @ Law Enforcement Center
  • June 9th@ College Center room126c

Speakers for Upcoming Meetings:

March: Janie Snieder

April: Nebraska Children and Families

May: Jeff Hackett

June: Matt Ohman- SHIP

July:Lance Martin- Juvenile Justice Ministry

August: Nancy Oates-ResCare

September:Sarah Deck- Dakota Co. Juvenile Diversion/Teen court

October: NENCAP- Head Start/ Early Head Start

November: Jennifer Jackson-Heartland Counseling Services, Inc.

December:Judith Stanton-Senior Lifestyle Advantage