Category: Newsletter

NEW PROGRAM YEAR 2021-2022 The Work Plan and Budget has been approved and signed for Community Services Block Grant in the amount of $724,658.

The program priority is EMPLOYMENT. This was determined by the most recent Needs Assessment. CLOSING PROGRAM YEAR 2020-2021. 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 14,701 Individuals 6,907 Households-unduplicated count. Approximately 18,522 applications for $4,096,404.50 in services.

SPRING SUBSIDY ended on June 30, 2021 with GARDENS 170 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 and 56 families took advantage of the opportunity. 36 families received swim passes or lessons. Thanks to all of the staff for their hard work with the various programs operated by Community Services.

Central Kentucky Community Action’s Weatherization Program ended the year fully staffed and look forward to what the new year will bring. CKCAC’s weatherization program has completed a total of 32 homes with DOE and LIHEAP funding with 6 cancellations, and 29 home which have been deferred due to needs outside the of our program guidelines, as of June 30, 2021. CKCAC has 22 clients on the waiting list to receive Weatherization services as of July 1^st 2021 to start the new year. 

The Weatherization Program is fully staffed with an in-house crew and are still utilizing contractors to perform HVAC and Electrical work that we have to perform to the dwellings receiving services. We look forward to the future of the new contract year of CKCAC’s weatherization program to progress and better serve our 8 county service area.
Central Kentucky Community Action Council Wx program is fully staffed with a highly trained supporting and technical staff consisting of Denny Baxter Dwelling Needs Evaluator EA/QCI Josh Mattingly Crew Leader, Tessa Hinton Retrofit Installer, and supporting staff Barbara Garrett Accounting/Weatherization Assistant. We would like to say a huge thank you to all WX staff for their dedication for improving the quality of work and the dedication to ensure the health and safety of all the clients we serve.
Central Kentucky Community Action Council has leveraged funds from utilities to expand the reach of the Weatherization Assistance Program. This year we are leveraging funding from DOE, LIHEAP, ATMOS, East Kentucky Power, Kentucky Utilities, and Louisville Gas& Electric.
Our goal with weatherization is to continue to reduce energy waste and assure the Health and safety of each client we serve through testing consisting of; aliening air and thermal boundaries, pressure diagnostics, heating system diagnostics, indoor air quality, and base load energy consumption diagnostics.

The Kentucky Works Program supports the Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (K-TAP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the following Kentucky counties. Anderson, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Franklin, Grayson, Hardin, Henry, Larue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble, Washington, and Woodford. 

Covid-19 continues to have a significant impact on both of our programs. While there is a current state of emergency, the state of Kentucky has implemented a “Good Cause exemption” where clients are not required to participate in the programs. This good cause exemption is currently in effect through 8-31-2021 but could be extended beyond that date until the vaccines can be more widely distributed. We currently have 2 clients that are employed in the K-TAP Program. Our Employment Specialists continue to follow up with each of these clients and track the hours they are working. On the SNAP Employment and Training program we continue to reach out to these clients and complete assessments when they are referred to us. We had 46 referrals for the SNAP program during this quarter·        We continue to stay in touch with employers and if we do get referrals we match the clients skills with the employer needs to have a good match. We call new employers each week and keep a current job listing for each county we serve. We continue to see an impact with Covid-19 on our Work Experience Program sites as many of them are either closed or unable to accept our referrals. We updated them and the numbers taking volunteers has improved. We have 135 sites in our 17 counties that we send our clients and as of now, 59 are open and/or willing to accept referrals due to Covid-19. This is up from 23 last quarter.       

Our staff continues to stay in touch virtually to discuss all relative matters in the program.

We are starting a new case management system in July and staff have been training to be ready for this system.  

We continue to offer a wage subsidy program where if an employer hires one of our K-TAP clients they will be reimbursed for a portion of their wages during the first six month of employment.

Staff have been participating in the CAK summer webinar series.

We have one client that completed 12 months of unsubsidized employment and was hired full time at Metalsa on 6-14-2021.

Goode news – JULY
Let me talk Head Start. The 2021 school year is upon us and no question it has been a time of growth for Central Kentucky Community Action Council Head Start and Early Head Start. 

Construction is completed on our new Radcliff center and our students love the learning and new environment of learning in that facility. Construction for new Head Start buildings in Lebanon and Springfield are near completion.  Springfield has already planned an open house for staff and the community. We invite you to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony for our newest Head Start and Early Head Start facility in Springfield, Kentucky. This state-of-the-art center can serve over 50 needy children and families.  Staff administering the Community Services Block Grant also have office space in the building to expand their footprint in the area. Please join us to celebrate this significant investment by federal, state, and local partners in our community. The event will be on August 6th, 2021 at 12:00pm at our facility at 394 Lincoln Drive, Springfield, KY 40069. Our team looks forward to showing you this new facility. Central Kentucky Community Action Council and Central Kentucky Head Start are excited to continue to partner with you in our fight against poverty and supporting children and families in need.  

 More to come……much more……………………

As the school year closed for Head Start this year, it was with mixed emotions. The year had been like no other in our lifetime. When the facility and children returned on March 1, it was extremely heart-warming to see and hear the excitement in their voices. The students flourished when they returned for in- person learning and made enormous strides towards educational goals. 

Early Head Start enrollment is strong and those students will remain in session until mid-July. Plans are being made to move one classroom to Springfield in the upcoming school year.  Meals are being provided daily by the Summer Feeding Program. Several EHS children will be transitioning into Head Start in the upcoming school year.

The Policy Council was ecstatic to meet in May with hybrid participation and looks forward to meeting over the summer being in-person. Plans to move into the newly built centers are being made. Springfield Head Start is a few days away from being able to move into, with the Lebanon Head Start center being about 3 weeks away from completion. 

Head Start staff is recruiting at various locations in the communities we serve during summer to offer Head Start services to eligible families; as well as, seeking prospects for hiring. We ended the school year with an average daily attendance of 97% for Head Start. As of May, Early Head Start had an average daily attendance of 95%. To enroll your child or apply for a job, please call 270-692-2136.

We have been busy restoring our program as evidenced by conducting a staff survey and reorganizing positions. Planning is in full force to strengthen communication, implement ways to support staff, and focus on all components of the program through professional development and incentives.

In April, Central Kentucky Head Start hosted an online auction for Child Abuse Awareness Month. Over $2,200 was raised and donated to the Trooper Teddy Program to purchase Teddy Bears to be given to children during traumatic events. Pictured is Kentucky State Trooper, Nick Hale, receiving the donation from ERSEA Manager Melissa Garrett and Action Based Learning Coach Nicole Burchell.  

During Child Abuse Awareness Month in April, CCC provided Awareness Bags to Family Resource Centers and Head Start Centers in all eight of the counties in which we provide services. CCC staff, with the help of community volunteers, also placed Pinwheels for Prevention in various locations around our communities to increase awareness of Child Abuse Prevention.

Also in April, CCC welcomed Diane Redmond as the new In-Home Worker. Diane is a retired educator with 31 years experience. She is looking forward to working with CCC families.

During April, May and June, CCC’s Build A Bed program was in full swing. The Nelson County Woodworking Area Technology class built beds for low-income families until the lumber prices doubled halting the class’s ability to continue with additional builds. Therefore, there is still a need in our communities for beds. If you have a twin-sized bed frame to donate, please contact Program Director Ronda Bertrand at 270-692-7553. You may also contact Ronda to refer a family for CCC services, which helps a family overcome barriers in order to provide a safer and more nurturing environment for children in their homes.

In May, Mike Lemon presented Cyber Safe Teen via Zoom, helping to fulfill CCC’s training requirements for the program. Also, the last Trail of Hope Regional meeting of 2020-2021 was held via zoom in May.

To further fulfill our educational training requirements, CCC has scheduled a webinar on June 16^th from 9 to 4 PM EST. Charlie Applestein will present, via zoom, a training titled “No Such Thing As a Bad Kid!” This training focuses on understanding and responding to kids with emotional and behavioral challenges using a positive, trauma-Informed, strength-based approach. This presentation will focus on strength-building rather than flaw-fixing. The training begins with the belief that every kid has or can develop strengths and utilize past successes to mitigate problem behavior and enhance social and academic functioning. This uplifting, evocative and humorous presentation will highlight many of the key principles and techniques of this transforming approach. Please contact Ronda Bertrand to attend.

On September 15th, 2021, CCC will start meeting in person again at Nolin RECC in Elizabethtown, KY at 10 AM for the Trail of Hope Regional Meetings. Anyone interested in child abuse prevention activities and events is encouraged to attend.

The CKCAC sponsored Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) would like to welcome Downtown Kids to the program. Downtown Kids is located in Danville, KY, and is directed by Susan Parks. Susan is familiar with the CACFP as she is also the director of Hometown Kids, a center that currently participates in the program. If you are in need of childcare in the Danville area, Downtown Kids is currently enrolling new students, and you may contact Susan at 859-319-8427.

The CACFP currently assists childcare centers and family care homes in our region with receiving reimbursement to help offset the costs of serving nutritious meals and snacks to children in their care. Many certified childcare homes and centers can qualify for this reimbursement program across the state.

Because of our growth, the program is currently looking for a part-time Food Report Monitor. This job would require approximately 20 hours per month for the first two weeks of the month. Additional details and information on how to apply can be found at https://ckcac.org/about/careers/.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can participate in the food program at CKCAC, please call Jane Claire Hupman at 270-402-1977.