Category: Newsletter

Ellen Leake, CSBG Director

The CSBG Staff has been busy closing out one Program Year and beginning a new one. Staff members have worked diligently to enter all services that had been provided into the computer. We followed up on many clients so that we could also report the outcome of our efforts through NPI’s and services report for Regular CSBG and CARES.

The CSBG Staff have assisted:

• Regular CSBG 15,437 Individuals 7,372 Households-unduplicated count
• CARES 2,690 Individuals 1,205 Households-unduplicated count
• SPRING SUBSIDY 766 Households $133,750.00
• SPRING COOLING 1865 Households $313,250.00
• GARDENS 267 Individual gardens are planted and flourishing with the recent rains
• YOUTH PROGRAMS – The Youth Programs carried out in the Counties have been exciting. We want to provide opportunities for children who may not have them otherwise.
  • We were able to obtain a discounted family pass for one year with the Louisville Zoo. 157 families took advantage of the opportunity.
  • 3 Summer Camp
  • 2 Families Swim Passes or Lessons

Thanks to all the staff for their hard work with the various programs operated by Community Services.

Martha ‘Jewell’ Bartley, Head Start Quality Assurance Manager

As change occurs we want to make sure you know our new directors.  Join Central Kentucky Community Action in welcoming Cathy Sparrow as our new Director for the Family Child Care Homes and Unaffiliated Centers program. The Family Child Care Homes and Unaffiliated Centers program continues to impact hundreds of children every year.  Cathy was working in the Central Kentucky Community Action Finance Department and brings experience as a past Director of School Food Services for the Marion County Public School System. In that position, Cathy remarked that she had seen firsthand the need of feeding children and sometimes the whole family.   

Throughout COVID 19, it was a very trying time for childcare centers and childcare homes in Kentucky. There was a mandatory shutdown for all childcares and this shutdown not only left parents without childcare, but childcare owners without income and an emotional toll on their staff.  Since childcare centers have reopened there has been many challenges abiding by increased health and sanitation protocols.  The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) recently announced that all providers enrolled in the program with our agency would be receiving an emergency reimbursement to help reimburse providers for the payments they missed out on during the shutdown.

Cathy Sparrow will be replacing Jane Claire Hupman who has taken another position in the community and we thank her for her work here at CKCAC and wish her the best.  More to come……………much more……….

Martha ‘Jewell’ Bartley, Head Start Quality Assurance Manager

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!!