FMC Community Empowerment

November 17, 2004 Meeting Minutes

Meeting Called to Order:

The FMC Community Empowerment Board of Directors met for their regularly scheduled November 17, 2004 meeting with the session called to order at 6:30 p.m. by board chair, Virgil Pickar, Jr.

Board Roll Call:

Board members present: Virgil Pickar, Jr., Kim Wendel, Pat Zwanziger, Jennifer Bauer,

Sandy Koch, Jennifer D. Bauer.

Board members absent: Frank Rottinghaus, Rev. Solomon Odoom, Karla Kelley, Tami Hemann, Larry Hicok, Cheryl Jahnel.

Agenda Approved:

The agenda for the meeting was approved and the minutes of September 20, 2004 reviewed and approved.

Board Chair Comments:

FMC Facilitator Laurie Kristiansen passed out “board books” to each board member. These books are to be used as board member handbooks. Board missing will receive theirs at the January meeting.

Jennifer Bauer, Mitchell County, representing the Human Services component on the FMC Board, announced that this meeting was her last meeting as she was resigning to relocate with her family to the Des Moines area. Bauer had spoken to a prospective fellow employee with Opportunity Village, Shannon Paulus, about the possibility of stepping into Bauer’s Human Services position. Paulus is a resident of New Haven, Mitchell County, and would fit the criteria. She will be invited to attend the January meeting. The board expressed their appreciation to Jennifer Bauer and her work and commitment to FMC Empowerment during her tenure.

Board members were asked to fill out in-kind forms with mileage reported at the rate their agency allows.

Attending Group Updates:

CCR&R representative Cori Doubek presented her first quarter report for CCR&R.

She also queried the board about the possibility of April 15^th as a date for an FMC sponsored Early Care and Education Appreciation Night for providers in the three county areas. According to Doubek, the event will be an opportunity to recognized providers, preschool providers, etc.

Doubek also reported that Emergency Weather Radios had been given to CCR&R and FMC Empowerment by Emergency Management in Floyd County. This was a Floyd County only sponsored “give”. Doubek plans to tie the radios in to a training session for providers. The stipulation with the radios was that they would only be allowed to be given to providers with a Charles City address.

Misty Gray, EAGLE, reviewed the fall EAGLE programming. EAGLE is now working with registered daycare providers in the FMC area by offering daycare provider activity crates. As of her reporting, 12 registered providers were taking part in the program, with an additional 6 more scheduled to begin in January 2005.

Dianne Casto, Head Start Services in Floyd/Mitchell counties and Dianne Halvorson, Head Start Services in Chickasaw County gave brief updates. According to Halvorson, 14 students are currently being served in the New Hampton location, but they are able to serve 18.

Janiece Kueker, Heads Up, Fredericksburg Fun in the Son, reported she is currently serving 2 children through the specialized preschool-plus program. Kueker requested to seek additional funding for a 3^rd child through the Heads Up monies.

After general board discussion, Jennifer Bauer (Mitchell County) raised several points in reference to the Heads Up programming—

• FMC Empowerment needs to determine if the “Heads Up” pilot program should continue for following fiscal years/is it feasible to continue this program
• FMC Empowerment should consider which programs meet the needs of the grant
• “Heads Up” is a discussion that should be a part of a much larger discussion…
• FMC needs to determine whether to grow this pilot program or freeze it as it stands, and determine if it will become an FMC-wide program, not a program isolated to one location.

Sandy Koch, member of the “Heads Up/Heads Start” work group made the recommendation/motion to fund the pending additional child. Jennifer D. Bauer (Charles City) seconded the motion. Motion went to vote; 2 yes votes to fund, 4 no votes.. The motion was defeated. Virgil Pickar, Jr., chair, recommended the child be allowed a 5-day preschool scholarship instead.

Votes: Sandy Koch: yes; Jennifer D. Bauer: yes; Jennifer Bauer (Mitchell County): no; Virgil Pickar, Jr.: no; Kim Wendel: no; Pat Zwanziger: no.

Meeting Adjourned:

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.; motion by Jennifer Bauer; seconded by Pat Zwanziger. Next regular meeting January 17, 2004; Charles City Public Library meeting room.

Respectfully submitted:

Laurie Kristiansen, secretary pro tem