Lewis and Clark County’s Local Best Beginnings Community Council

GOALS1. Children have access to high quality Early Childhood Programs2. Families with young children are supported in their community3. Children have access to a medical home and health insurance4. Social, emotional, and mental health needs of young children and families are supported.

“Investing In The Very Young”

Mission

With the focus on the whole child, we promote community collaboration to

network resources and streamline services in support of the health, safety, care and education of children ages 0-8 and their

families in the greater Helena area.

Vision

Safe, stable, nurturing relationships lead to resilient children, strong families, and stable

communities

ECC Functions

• Network within Coalition membership• Raise community awareness• Streamline services • Identify and improve existing system barriers • Advocate for children 0-8 and their families

Early Childhood Community Needs Assessment & Strategic Plan

• Funded by the Maternal Infant Home Visiting Infrastructure Development (MIECHV-ID) Project

Needs Assessment Results

Working Families, Barely Getting By

• 11% of the population in Lewis & Clark County is children ages 0-8• At least 28% of families with children in Lewis & Clark County are likely to face

permanent or periodic financial insecurity• 18% of those families are considered above the poverty level, but remain

financially insecure and do not qualify for many of the services designed to assist families in need…..otherwise known as “GAP” families.

• An estimated 53% of single, female-headed households face this insecurity. • In Lewis & Clark County, 69% of families with children 0-5 and 81% with

children 6-17 have all adults in the household participating in the workforce.

For a family of four, the FPL for 2012 for a family of four is $23,050. Annual income of $42,643 is equal to 185% of FPL

Needs Assessment Results

• In order qualify for free or reduced school lunch, a student’s family must make less than 185% of the FPL

• In the Helena School District 39.7% of children preschool through 5th grade qualified for free or reduced lunches in 2011/2012.

• In the East Helena Public Schools, Eastgate (K-1) had 50.7% and Radley (2-5) had 49% participation in free or reduced lunch in spring 2012.

Some Needs Assessment ResultsFAMILY SUPPORT NEEDS• Parenting Support• Increased access to resources• Link families to “fun” activities

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS• Attachment• Behavior Challenges

HEALTH NEEDS• Better Nutrition• Rising obesity level• Clear, consistent messaging and access to tools to promote positive health

practices in the community

Taking ACTION to address needs thanks to the “Family

Forum” Project

Funding provided by partnership grants from: Child & Family Services Division, Early Childhood Services Bureau, Family & Community Health Bureau, and the Prevention Resource Center

Family….Food…Friends….Fun EventGOALS:• Parenting Support• Fun Activity• Improve social/emotional development &

attachment/bonding• Improve nutrition • Provide tools• Link families with up-to-date information about

nutrition • Teach affordability & health benefits of cooking at

home

Free Event for Families

May 18th or June 8th 8am-noon

F A M IL Y …FRIENDS…FOOD…FuN

FREE Gifts:

Adults get: Kids get: A Slow Cooker Last Chance Splash Punch pass

Cookbooks Water bottle

Spices Frisbee

6 meals Lunch

Lunch

LIMITED SPACE! Contact: Brie Oliver 457-8975

boliver@lccountymt.gov

Adults Kids Will go to Dinners Done Right and learn about health benefits of cooking with your family and get tools to make fast/easy meals at home with your kids.

Will go the YMCA for a fun, supervised morning of gym games, and maybe even meet a new friend!

T rolley Rides – ME E T A T S T E WA RT HO ME S FRO NT O FFIC E

FRE E C HILD C A RE

J O IN T HE FU N!!!!!

Slow Cookers, spices, books, Frisbees, swim passes, water bottles

Helena Trolley Picking up Families at Stewart homes

The kids were up bright and early to get on at 8 in the morning on a Saturday

“Yeah! Gym Games!!”

Trolley Dropped kids at the Y, then took parents to Dinners Done Right

Child care room at YMCA

Marah Connole, RD, teaching parents about Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility and discussing relationships around family and food

Satter’s Feeding Relationship

• Effective feeding depends on a division of responsibility. Parents do the what, when, and where of feeding; Children do the how much and whether of eating.

• Feeding a child– Is about the connections between parent and child,– About trusting or controlling– About providing or neglecting– About accepting or rejecting

Families make 6 meals to take home.Marah gave individual consults while participants

assembled meals.

Our youngest chef!

Vikki, the owner of DDR, (in background) was very helpful and open to more cooking activities in her store

Offered a salad bar for lunch

Parents joined kids back at the Y to help them with lunch

Kids happily played games all morning and were HUNGRY for lunch!

Community Collaboration Partners

• Helena Housing• YMCA• City of Helena Public Transportation• Early Childhood Coalition Members• Dinner’s Done Right• Dietician• DPHHS

What worked well?

• Group cooking• Special kid activity paired with adult activity

increased participation (reported by parents)• Went door to door at Stewart Homes signing people

up for activity• Ellyn Satter information (Division of

Responsibility)-Most parents had never received this information

• Dinner’s Done Right takes SNAP benefits! And is Family Friendly

What we would do different?

• Families wanted to cook with their kids• Kitchen at Dinner’s Done Right was loud, hard

to have a good discussion• Some people already had slow cookers• Variety of days/times• Plan for next activity and sign up families

while they are with the group

Sustainability

• Helena Housing Authority wants to continue to offer opportunities to build relationships for families, especially single mothers experiencing the most isolation, poverty, and distress.

• Early stages of planning the next cooking event to include kids.

• Beginning Cooking Matters Classes locally.

RESOURCES

• Dinner’s Done Right takes SNAP• HUD provides some on-site community

building funding (Resident-Management Corp.)

• SNAP-ED classes• Cooking Matters Classes• Local Best Beginnings councils may have

funds to help with groups

Contact Information

Brie Oliver, RN, CLC

Lewis and Clark City-County Health Department

1930 9th Avenue

Helena, MT 59601

(406) 457-8975

boliver@lccountymt.gov