Author: Kathy Mills

CKCAC HEAD START

As the new school year begins, we are excited to welcome back our returning families and extend a warm greeting to those joining us for the first time. September is a time of fresh starts, new friendships, and opportunities for growth.

This month, our classrooms are focused on building strong routines, helping children adjust to their learning environment, and fostering a sense of community. Teachers are introducing expectation charts, positive guidance strategies, and fun activities that encourage curiosity and independence.

Family and community partnerships are at the heart of Head Start. We encourage you to stay connected—whether through parent meetings, volunteering, or simply sharing feedback with your child’s teacher. Together, we can create a safe, nurturing, and engaging environment for every child.

September also brings exciting family engagement opportunities. Keep an eye out for invitations to our family events, where you’ll have the chance to connect with staff, meet other families, and learn more about how to support your child’s success.

We look forward to a wonderful year filled with learning, laughter, and growth! Thank you for being an essential part of our Head Start community.

 

 

Child Care Nutrition Program

Do you know of a Kentucky Child Care Home or Center that recently opened or that has been in business for a while and is not currently taking advantage of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)? If so, please have them contact our Child and Adult Care Food Program Director Kathy Hagan at kathy.hagan@ckcac.org or by calling 270-402-1977 for more information.

Let our Child Care Nutrition Program help your Day Care Home or Child Care Center by:

·        Helping you determine your CACFP eligibility, complete the necessary paperwork, and submitting your application to the State Agency on your behalf as your Sponsor.

·        Providing nutritional education on what food components are necessary for a well-rounded, healthy meal.

·        Reviewing your monthly reports for accuracy prior to submitting them to the State Agency.

·        Providing monthly food cost reimbursements based on how many meals are served and the eligibility of the children being served.

·        Being your primary source for any nutritional questions and/or food-related issues for children in your care.

With rising food costs, now’s the time for all eligible Kentucky Child Care Homes and Centers to participate in the CACFP. Let Central Kentucky Community Action help you apply for the CACFP as your sponsor today!

Community Collaboration for Children (CCC)

Community Collaboration for Children (CCC) would like to welcome Casie Heintz as an In-Home worker. She graduated from ECTC with an Associate in Applied Science in May 2025. She is currently working on her Bachelor of Social Work. She is a mom of two boys and excited to help other parents learn new parenting skills.

The Trail of Hope Regional Network is comprised of anyone from the Lincoln Trail region who comes together to increase awareness of child abuse and neglect. If you are interested in being a network member please reach out to Ronda Bertrand, CCC Director/Trail of Hope Network Coordinator at 270-692-7553. November 18th CCC Trail of Hope Regional Meeting will meet at CKCAC Building in the conference room at 708 Westport Road in Elizabethtown at 10:00AM. Trail of Hope Regional Network’s Build A Bed Program has been busy making sure 12 children have a bed since the first of July. We have several more to deliver in the next few weeks. We are working on sponsorships to purchase bed frames, mattresses, bedding, and pillows.

Parent Engagement Meeting Program is excited to partner with Elizabethtown Independent Schools and Hardin County Schools this year. We have expanded to 11 more Hardin County Elementary Schools. As of the end of August we have completed 23 PEM Meetings.

Wow!! Cakes 4 Kids volunteers have been busy the past several months. CCC has delivered 9 cakes to our families.

The first week of October we will be putting Toys for Tots boxes in Nelson County.

Congregate Meals Program

September has bought a lot of new changes for Congregate Meals:

Our new Hardin County Kitchen has begun cooking out of the Elizabethtown building as of September 15th. We are no longer cooking in Grayson County and Nelson County will continue cooking for the time being.

September 1st was the start of Dine in only meals on Wednesdays. We had seniors that never come inside that started dining in and a lot of seniors who did not come so our meals served went down.

October 1st Congregate Meals will start our Dine in only meals on Thursdays, so we are hoping for more seniors to come inside to eat their meals and congregate with other seniors.

The Health Department is working with us to get seniors their flu and/or shingles vaccinations for the seniors that sign up at the centers.

Executive Director’s Newsletter – September 2025

I hope your Summer is wrapping up well and that you are ready for Fall to be here. I know I am! Bring on the cooler weather, football, and pumpkin-flavored goodies of the season!

August was a very busy month for me as we have opened our Elizabethtown building and had various meetings across the state. I was fortunate to attend Community Action Kentucky’s Board Meeting and strategic planning session. Our statewide association is a collection of all CEO/Executive Directors from the 23 Community Action agencies of the Commonwealth. It is a great opportunity to learn best practices from one another and help improve the work we do for the folks of Central Kentucky.

September 12th marks the end of the summer LIHEAP subsidy. Please make sure anybody in our community who is struggling with utility bills visits your local CSBG office for support.

CKCAC is entering the beginning stages of our own strategic planning process. If you have any suggestions for areas where we should focus our efforts and energy, please feel free to contact me!

To improve internal communication, we are going to try our first CKCAC Connection with Bryan Conover. CKCAC Connection is a chance for staff members to submit anonymous questions to me for me to answer live. My hope is that we can help staff members be more informed about how the agency operates and our interconnectedness. I also want to use this space as an opportunity to better communicate what I am up to and what the future may hold for us. A recording will be shared with any staff members who are unable to attend the live event, as well. Wish us luck!

September 30th is a big day for the nation and our agency. We are actively monitoring Congress’s attempts to keep the government funded and open as the federal fiscal year comes to a close. The House and Senate subcommittees who oversee funding many of our programs all passed mark-ups that are good for CKCAC. We are hopeful that those funding levels hold when the final budget is eventually passed.

As always, thank you for all you do.

Washington County Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)

 

Our Washington County Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) office will be closed until October 13, 2025 with the EXCEPTION of Monday, September 22nd, Monday, September 29th, and Monday, October 6th.

These days are Washington County Food Box days and the office will be OPEN for box pickups.

Washington County residents seeking assistance can stop or call our Marion County Office on 340 Hood Ave, Lebanon, KY 40033. The office phone number is 270-692-6411.
Thank you 😊

CKCAC Area Board of Directors Meeting

 

As a non-profit agency, Central Kentucky Community Action, Inc. is required to inform the local community of the Area Board of Director’s Meeting which is open to the public. The meeting will be on Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at 3:00PM EST. For more information, call the Central Office at 270-692-2136.