Author: J Miles

Hal Goode, Executive Director
JUNE 2022

Head Start and Early Head Start share a mission to promote school readiness of children from low-income families from prenatal to 5, by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Recently, myself, Jami Sandusky, Tammy Stanley and Bryan Conover (Head Start) attended the Region IV Head Start Association 2022 Leadership Summit in Atlanta, Ga. 

The Summit brought together hundreds of emerging and seasoned professionals, parents and partners form throughout the region and across the nation from noted Keynote speakers to robust learning sessions to engaging network opportunities. The Conference offered many ways to build while connecting with subject matter experts, colleagues, as well as sponsors and exhibitors. Our team found it a great way to return back to Kentucky with some fresh strategies and implementing progressive action plans for make a greater impact in the lives of enrolled children and their families.   More to come……………..much more……………..

Ronda Bertrand, CCC Director

April was Child Abuse Awareness Month. CCC provided pinwheels and yard signs in all eight of our counties. Trail of Hope Regional Network is required to hold trainings: April 20^th was Addiction in the Family presented by Dr. Steve Patrick and Dr. Rick Carroll on Zoom. April 22, CCC and Head Start partnered to raise money for Trooper Teddy Program with the Cattleman’s in Marion County. On April 26^th Darkness 2 Light training was in person at the Nelson County Extension office.

I would like to welcome CCC’s New In-Home Worker Amanda Westfall who has been in Early Education for over 10 years and has a passion in teaching autonomy. Amanda brings personal and professional experience to CCC and is ready to start improving lives.

Parent Engagement Meeting Program has been making follow up calls for Marion County Elementary schools in the past month.

Trail of Hope Regional Network is attending Community baby showers in Marion, Washington, Hardin, and Meade counties.

Trail of Hope Regional Networks Build A Bed program has been extremely busy getting over 20 beds to families. We would love to have the Nelson and Marion ATC school build more beds in the fall if the lumber cost is more sufficient. A big thanks to St. Vincent de Paul for making mattresses available for these families.

Wow!! Cakes 4 Kids volunteers have been busy the past month. CCC has delivered 12 cakes to our families.

Trail of Hope Regional Network met in person May 18^th for the first time in two years!! We covered major topics and are excited to meet again in September.

September 14th CCC will start meeting at Hardin County Extension Office in Elizabethtown at 10 AM.

Head Start & CCC Programs

CKCAC’s Head Start and Community Collaboration for Children (CCC) programs joined forces this past April to raise awareness during Child Abuse Awareness month. Their combined activities throughout the month of April enabled Head Start’s Nichole Burchell and Melissa Garrett to present Kentucky State Trooper Houk with a $3,000 check for the Trooper Teddy Program.

The Trooper Teddy Program enables Troopers to provide the stuffed animals to children during traumatic experiences such as a car crash, child or sexual abuse cases and also distribute to terminally ill children.

A special thanks to our Head Start and CCC programs for helping to raise Child Abuse Awareness throughout our communities. Awareness is the first step towards prevention.

Ann Pickerrell, Head Start Readiness Manager

The Springfield  and Lebanon Head Starts held ribbon cuttings with support from our communities and parents. Community members explored the new centers, playgrounds, and classrooms. The teachers were excited to show off their classrooms and talk about the exciting projects they have planned.

The CKYHS/EHS employees strengthened their collaboration and problem-solving skills at the end of year Professional Development Day. It is imperative to continuously build on skills that will support employees providing high quality services to children and families. Central Kentucky Head Start and Early Head Start invests in their employees which would include completing their Child Development Associates credential, attending university courses and with continuous professional development opportunities.

Ann Pickerrell, Head Start Readiness Manager

The employees worked hard this school year providing services to our children and families. The program collects School Readiness data based on 5 developmental domains: Approaches to Learning, Social Emotional, Language and Literacy, Cognition, and Physical Development. Based on observations and assessments the program not only met their annual School Readiness Goals but exceeded them. 

Stephanie Harrison, Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Manager

CKYHS Head Start engages families of our Head Start students through monthly parent meetings and activities in each of our centers. Parent meetings were held monthly in each of our centers. Special events such as “Boo Hoo/Yahoo Breakfast,” “Night at the Museum,” and “Blast Off to Kindergarten” were held in our centers. This past school year CKYHS collaborated with parents and community partners to host eighty parent meetings and forty-three special events or activities!!

Martha ‘Jewell’ Bartley, Head Start Quality Assurance Manager

Courtney Campbell, SCP Director

The Senior Companion Program is so happy to be back to in-person volunteering! In-services were held in the months of March and April, and May’s is in the works. Everyone was excited to see each other after in-home services had been suspended for over two years due to COVID-19.

As of April 14, 2022, AmeriCorps announced all volunteers in SCP will receive a raise on their hourly stipend amount from $3.00 an hour to $3.15 an hour. This will go into effect July 1, 2022.

Two Lead Volunteer positions have been filled, leaving only one vacancy for that role which is in the Breckinridge County serving area. Leader positions receive an extra $50 a month for their roles and responsibilities which include, but are not limited to: the recruitment of new volunteers; assisting with fundraising and in-kind efforts; explaining the duties and benefits of volunteering in the program to potential volunteers; signing on new clients; informing the public about the services that the Senior Companion Program offers; and, working closely with the program director to ensure the program operates to its fullest potential. There have also been several new clients that have been taken on by our volunteers. We have had several Seniors reach out who are possibly interested in joining to be a volunteer, so I am hopeful that we can start bringing aboard some more volunteers in the near future!

Melissa Bland, RSVP Director

Ms. Betty Bryant started working as a Volunteer for the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP) at the Griffin Manor Senior Center in Elizabethtown in October 2020.

Betty helps Ida Kyle, the Senior Center Coordinator, plate the food and serve to the seniors 3 days a week. She often refers to herself as “the bread lady” as she places the bread in sandwich bags.

Betty was born and raised in Wilmington North Carolina but has lived in Kentucky for the last 40 years. Betty has two sons, 9 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild.

She worked at the Fort Knox Hospital as a desk clerk for 17 years and was also caregiver for a friend in her home for one year.

Betty enjoys genealogy, crocheting and embroidering. She volunteers as she loves people and likes to get of the house every day.

Betty’s positive attitude is contagious, and she is a joy to be around! Feel free to stop by the Senior Center to meet Betty and the other seniors!

If you would like to become a volunteer like Betty please contact Melissa Bland at 270-737-1059 or RSVP.Director@ckcac.org.