What is Community Empowerment?

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

FMC Empowerment is concentrated in the three counties, Floyd-Mitchell-and Chickasaw.

What Does Empowerment Do?

Community Empowerment's mission is to empower both individuals and their communities, helping them to improve the quality of life for children ages 0-5 and their families.


Iowa's Directive to Community Empowerments:
By the end of 2005, Iowa's directive to each community empowerment area is to develop the capacity and commitment to achieve the following results:

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


How is Community Empowerment Supported and Directed?
The Iowa Empowerment Board oversees the activities of the local boards.  The state board is comprised of 17 voting members; 13 citizens and the directors of the Departments of Education, Human Services, Public Health, and Human Rights.  Six Iowa legislators serve as ex-officio members.


Community Empowerment Areas:
Community Empowerment Areas enable local citizens to lead collaborative efforts involving education, health, and human services programs on behalf of children, families and other citizens residing in the area.  The focus is to improve results for families with young children.


Community Empowerment Boards
There are 58 Community Empowerment Areas statewide representing all 99 counties.  Each area has a citizen-led board to support activities to promote collaboration and develop systems in the community for young children and their families.

A majority of local board members are citizens and elected officials.  Board memberships include representatives from business, faith, consumer, human services, education, and health.


FMC Empowerment Structure:
Locally, the FMC Empowerment Board is comprised of 13 voting members. These board members come from all three counties and are committed to the principles of local empowerment. The FMC Empowerment board meets every other month (January, March, May, July, September, November), with work study committees meeting on the opposite months.

Citizens on the board represent education, health, human services programs, faith, private citizens, preschools and daycares and representatives of local governing boards.


FMC Community Empowerment Coordinator:
An individual is in place to serve as a coordinator of programs and are a liaison between the board and the various entities and organizations served by FMC Empowerment.   This facilitator also serves as the right hand to the local empowerment board and is the direct link between the local board and the state empowerment office.