Small Talk 2019

Small Talk A S U P P L E M E N T T O T H E S T E V E N S C O U N T Y T I M E S - A P R I L 1 3 , 2 0 1 9 A N D C H O K I O R E V I E W - A P R I L 1 8 , 2 0 1 9

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Submitted photos

Kids mix ingredients during a Morris Are ECFE kids in the kitchen activity.

Kids take on the challenge of an obstacle course in a Morris Area ECFE activity.

Small Talk

2 April 13, and April 18, 2019

The Stevens County Times and Chokio Review

County has a need for foster care

By Rae Yost Stevens County Times There are times when children and their parents need other adults in their lives and, sometimes, those other adults are foster parents.

While there are adults in Stevens County who are willing to be foster parents, there aren’t enough, said Ann Streed of Stevens County Human Services.

“The bottom line is there is a need for foster families,” Streed said.

The county has six licensed foster care families and one licensed cor-

porate care foster site.

Four of the six foster care families are able to take non-relative children, Streed said. And only one family has room for up to three children, Streed said.

“We’ve seen an increased need in our county,” Streed said.

When the county has a need for foster care that can’t be filled in county, then it searches for openings in neighboring counties, said Streed and Elisa Ettesvold, a social worker with county human services.

Other counties in the region are also contacting

Stevens County because they, too, will have a foster care need that can’t be filled in their county.

Some counties have reached the point where a human services staff member takes a child home or stays with the child in the office until a care solution is found, Ettesvold said.

Not only is there a need for long-term foster care services but the county could also use respite or emergency foster care servces, Streed said. “(Respite foster care) is a way for people to get their toes wet,” Ettesvold said.

Adults provide respite care to a foster child when needed by foster family.

The respite care is scheduled in advance.

Foster care families come in all ages, Streed said. For example, a two-parent family can be a foster family or a retired person can be a foster parent, she said.

There are several basic requirements to be a foster parent. The adult must be 21 years old, have a valid driver’s license, have insurance on a vehicle and home, and they must complete and be approved

in a home study and interview.

Streed said the home study and interview is a chance for prospective foster parents to reflect about themselves and how a foster child will impact their lives.

“There is preparation,” Streed said. “It’s a process before the licensing can happen.”

Streed knows there are adults in the area who have throught about foster care but are uncertain if they’d be handle it. Streed said if someone has already thought about foster care, then they are already more

prepared then they know.

While foster care can provide a long-term solution for a child who is not able to live with parents, the goal for any child is unification with parents when possible, or for permanent placement with a relative, Streed and Ettesvold said.

The human services website has links to foster care information.

Streed said anyone with questions about foster care can contact her at human services at 320208-6600.

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Kids are active at Kids in Christ Preschool.

Small Talk

The Stevens County Times and Chokio Review

April 13, and April 18, 2019 3

Morris Area ECFE

RUSC Kinship Mentoring

Primary services provide: Family interaction, parenting classes, parent/child classes, parent education Is there a cost to participate: Varies with the length and type of class offered. Many classes are free or with a minimal charge.

How long in existence (when did it start): The program has been in Morris since 1985 Contact information: Diane Strobel, Morris Area ECFE/SR Coordinator, dstrobel@morris.k12.mn.us, 320-585-2237 Spanish translator available on staff? Yes

Primary services provided: Youth mentoring, including community mentoring and Lunch Buddies Is there a cost to participate: Free How long in existence (when did it start): Started in 2015 Contact information: Erin Koehntop 320-5857872(RUSC) rusckinship@gmail.com Spanish translator available on staff? No

Los principales servicios que proporciona son: Interacción familiar, clases para padres, clases para padres/hijos, educación para padres. ¿Hay algún costo para participar?: Varía según la duración o el tipo de la clase que se ofrece. Muchas clases son gratuitas o con un costo mínimo. ¿Por cuánto tiempo ha existido? (Cuando se inició): El programa ha estado en Morris desde 1985.

Información de contacto: Diane Strobel, Coordinadora de Morris Area ECFE/SR, dstrobel@morris.k12. mn.us, 320-585-2237 ¿Hay traductor disponible en el personal? Si, en español.

Morris Area Child Care Center Primary services provided: Infant, toddler and preschool care Is there a cost to participate: Yes How long in existence (when did it start): 1990s Contact information: Kate Jirsa 320-589-7948 or morrisareachildcare@hotmail.com Spanish translator available on staff? Not currently

Horizon Public Health Family Home Visiting Primary services provided: Home visits during pregnancy and ongoing, if desired after birth. Also, Growing Great Kids Program for pregnant women and families from birth to three years old. Visits help provide a strong network of support for the family and child through education and age appropriate activities.

Is there a fee for the program? Contact Horizon Public Health at 1-800-450-4177 for more information.

Kids in Christ Preschool Primary service: Provides a Christian based early childhood education and social opportunities for preschool aged children.

Is there a fee: Monthly fee that is based on the number of sessions your child attends.

When did it start: 15 years of experience Contact information: 585-5067

Someplace Safe Primary services provided: Advocacy, Crime Victim Services, Supervised Visits and exchanges at our Parenting Time Center Is there a cost to participate: Advocacy/Crime Victim Services no fee/free.

How long in existence (when did it start): 1990s for Stevens County Advocacy Office; Someplace Safe Agency, since 1979 Contact Information: Ashley 206 Atlantic Avenue Morris, MN 56267 320-589-3208 ashley.h@someplacesafe.info; www.someplacesafe.info Spanish translator available on staff: Yes

The Horizon Public Health Follow Along Program (FAP) Primary services provided: Throughout your child’s first five years, you will receive questionnaires that provide age appropriate activities for you to complete with your child. FAP staff will review the questionaire and share additional information and resources with your family.

Is there a fee for the program? FAP is free Contact information: For enrollment information, call 1-800-450-4177or go to www.health.state.mn.us/ mnfap/

Morris Area School Readiness/Pre-Kindergarten Program Primary services provided: Play-based Pre-Kindergarten classes for children 3 to 4 years of age.

Provides students with hands on learning experiences that encourages students to grow in all developmental areas.

Is there a cost to participate: Varies with the length and type of class offered.

How long in existence (when did it start): The program has been in Morris since 1992 Contact information: Diane Strobel, Morris Area ECFE/SR Coordinator,dstrobel@morris.k12.mn.us, 320-585-2237 Spanish translator available on staff? Yes Los principales servicios que proporciona son: Pre-Kindergarten lúdico para niños de 3 a 4 años. Proporciona a los estudiantes experiencias prácticas de aprendizaje y los alienta a crecer en todas las áreas de desarrollo. ¿Hay algún costo para participar?: Varía según la duración o el tipo de clase que se ofrece. ¿Por cuánto tiempo ha existido? (Cuando se inició): El programa ha estado en Morris desde 1992 Información de contacto: Diane Strobel, Coordinadora de Morris Area ECFE/SR, dstrobel@morris.k12. mn.us, 320-585-2237 ¿Hay traductor disponible en el personal? Si, en español.

The Horizon Public Health WIC (Women, Infants & Children) program Primary services provided: Nutritional education from a Registered Dietitian or Registered Nurse, trained to work individually with you and your children to help you make the healthy choices that are right for you and your family.

Is there a charge for the service? WIC serves pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants up to age one, and children up to age five who meet income criteria and have a nutritional need. Families receive vouchers that they can use at a WIC approved store for healthy foods.

Contact information: To make an appointment at Horizon Public Health WIC or to see if you qualify, please call 1-800-450-4177.

Strong families are the center of small communities.

These organizations and businesses recognize the importance of families.

Dental Depot 2 East 5th St., Morris (320) 589-4481 dentaldepotmorris.com McGinnis Appliance Heating & Cooling 601 Atlantic Ave., Morris (320) 589-3933 mcginnisappliance.com

Midwest Family Eye Care 512 Atlantic Ave., Morris (320) 589-1300 Mohr Plumbing & Heating 46400 Hwy 28 East, Morris (320) 589-1006 mohrplumbing.com

Morris Area Schools 201 S Columbia Ave., Morris (320) 589-4840 morris.k12.mn.us

Otter Tail Power Co. 28 E. 6th St., Morris (320) 589-3434 www.otpco.com

University of Minnesota Morris 600 East 4th St., Morris (320) 589-6035 Morris.umn.edu

Morris Dental Clinic 201 East 6th St., Morris (320) 589-2161 www.morrisdentalclinic.com

Stevens County Times 607 Pacific Ave., Morris (320) 589-2525 Stevenscountytimes.com

Visible Changes 615 Atlantic Ave., Morris (320) 589-2926 myvisiblechanges.com

Small Talk

4 April 13, and April 18, 2019

The Stevens County Times and Chokio Review

Sherry Tiegs Family Childcare & Playschool

Stevens County Early Childhood Initiative (ECI)

Primary services provided: I provide licensed family child care and specialize in early childhood education. I enroll full time children age 6 weeks through 5 years, then school age children through age 10 when space allows. My hours are 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

I offer a fun-filled day of learning experiences that support the development of children through play. I work with each child’s individual development through a creative environment that is stimulating and nurturing. My program has been awarded a 4 Star Rating through Parent Aware. This rating verifies I provide quality care and practices to best prepare children for kindergarten.

Is there a cost to participate: Yes, hours are contracted and there are daily child care tuition fees.

My Experience: I have many years of experience in the early childhood education profession. I have experience working in preschool, Early Childhood Family Education, Center Care and Licensed Family Child Care. I am also an Early Childhood Adult Educator and provide training in the area of child development.

Contact information: Sherry Tiegs Family Childcare & Playschool 109 West 5th Street, Morris, MN 56267 Contact information: 320-589-3333 Email: satiegs@gmail.com Spanish translator available on staff? No, not on staff

Primary services provide: The Stevens County ECI is composed of agencies and programs in Stevens County that work with young families. The ECI collaborates to provide support, help find solutions, and assist families to improve their lives. The ECI provides early childhood screening events, dental clinics, family fun activities, parenting education, child care provider training and home visits, and Pre-K to 3 Alignment.

Is there a cost to participate: No cost or minimal costs to participate in ECI activities How long in existence (when did it start): The program has been in Stevens County since 2005 Contact information: Diane Strobel, Stevens County ECI Coordinator,dstrobel@morris.k12.mn.us, 320585-2237 Spanish translator available on staff? Yes

West Central Minnesota Communities Action Head Start

Los principales servicios que proporciona son: El ECI del Condado de Stevens está compuesto por agencias y programas en el condado de Stevens que trabajan con madres y padres de familia con niños menores de 6 años. El ECI colabora para brindar apoyo, encontrar soluciones y ayudar a familias a mejorar su vida. El ECI ofrece servicios de revisión temprana de la niñez, clínicas dentales, actividades familiares divertidas, educación para padres, capacitación para los proveedores de cuidado infantil y visitas a domicilio, y alineación del plan de estudios de Pre-K al tercer grado. ¿Hay algún costo para participar?: La mayoría de las actividades de ECI son gratuitas o tiene un costo mínimo. ¿Por cuánto tiempo ha existido? (Cuando se inició): El programa ha estado en el Condado de Stevens desde el 2005 Información de contacto: Diane Strobel, Coordinadora de Stevens County ECI, dstrobel@morris.k12. mn.us, 320-585-2237. ¿Hay traductor disponible en el personal? Si, en español.

Primary services provided: Parent Aware Rated Program Highest Possible Rating We offer A School Readiness Approach, Individualized Teaching, Parent Involvement, Nutrition, Health and Dental Services, Community Partnerships, Disability Support, Age-Appropriate Curriculum and Assessment, Qualified Teachers. Morning Pre-school 4.45 hours a day.

We also offer Early Head Start which is a family-based program serving pregnant women, infants/toddlers’ birth to three. Comprehensive services include: • Weekly Home Visits • Focus on Child’s health, development and nutrition • Child Centered Group Time, Bi-Monthly Is there a cost to participate?

There is no cost to attend How long in existence (when did it start): Head Start has been in existence since 1964.

Early Head Start has been in place since 1995, when the first Early Head Start grants were given. Morris Early Head Start began in 2017.

Contact information: Address: Morris Head Start, 1001 ½ Scotts Ave. Morris, Mn 56267, Early Head Start Family Education Specialist: • Melissa Whittemore • Office (320) 589-7949, Cell Phone: (320) 760-2283 Head Start Family Education Specialist: • Beth Huebner • Office (320) 589-7949, Cell Phone: (320) 760-2276

MORRIS AREA ECFE BAKING NIGHT

HALLOWEEN

File photo/ Stevens County Times

A child reacts to a scarecrow at the Regional Fitness Center's fall festival in October 2018.

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All advocacy services are free and confidential Advocacy Office 320-589-3208 Parenting Time Center 320-424-2301 Thrift Store 320-585-6614

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24 Hour Crisis Line 800-974-3359 www.someplacesafe.info

The Stevens County Times and Chokio Review

Small Talk

April 13, and April 18, 2019 5

Childcare needed in the region

By Rae Yost Stevens County Times

Submitted photo

Kids in Sherry Tiegs daycare and playschool learn their shapes and colors. Tiegs is one of the daycares in Stevens County.

Curious George!

Wednesday, May 1st 6:30 to 7:30 pm

One sure sign of a need for childcare providers in Stevens County is the phone calls Elissa Ettesvold of Stevens County Human Services receives each month.

“I get a couple calls a month from people looking for daycare,” Ettesvold said. Ettesvold oversees licensing daycares in the county. Many daycares have a client waiting list that is a year out, she said.

The county had almost 40 licensed daycare providers in 2011, she said.

“We are down to 26. I have one retiring and one done at the end of summer,” Ettesvold said.

Ettesvold said her agency and other community resources are aware of the daycare need in the county.

A community survey in 2014 led to community meetings and discussion about possible options to fill the need. Meetings and discussion have continued since 2014, but so far, there hasn’t been a firm solution to filling the daycare need.

Cheryl Kuhn, the director of the Stevens County Economic Improvement Commission, has been a participant in the ongoing discussion about daycare needs.

“Several ideas and proposals have been brought forth and people are working to bring these ideas into reality,” Kuhn said. “However, the solutions are not simple, and it will take several in the community working from different viewpoints to find solutions that will fit our county’s needs.”

A group in Hancock has proposed a childcare center along with a community center project on property in the city’s downtown. The group has had at least one public meeting to explain the project and is seeking investors for a project the group said must make money to pay for operations. The group said its research showed

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childcare slots in Greater Minnesota between 2006 and the end of 2016.

Bean’s study reviewed several daycare projects in communities such as Battle Lake, Franklin, New York Mills and others.

The study said daycare solutions included the cooperation of local government or economic development entities, community fund-raising, businesses cooperation and others.

Bean said non-traditional childcare models such as cooperative family providers and employer-supported childcare offer advantages over typical family and center-based models.

And, although, Bean found community solutions in his study to be successful, he said in the report, changes were needed at the state level to help fully relieve the childcare shortage.

Ettesvold said the state needs to address legislation on capacity and make it more conducive for multiple providers to be in one location.

Parents may be making childcare work now by having relatives care for a child, or a stay-at-home parent may be providing childcare for one other child, Ettesvold said.

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a need for childcare for at least 100 children in the county and surrounding area.

“I know Hancock has really been struggling. (The town) only has one daycare now,” Ettesvold said.

When parents struggle with finding daycare, then employers can be negatively impacted.

“When fewer people are able to work due to a lack of childcare, the impacts on business can be seen in loss of productivity, an inability to hire new workforce and higher costs to recruit and train employees,” Kuhn said. “Each of these impact income and the ability for a business to remain viable.”

It’s not only Stevens County that is dealing with a childcare shortage.

Nathan Bean completed a study called “Responding to the Child Care Shortage” in August 2018 while interning with the Center for Small Towns at the University of Minnesota Morris.

Bean’s study quoted a 2017 report from the Center for American Progress that said 27 percent of Minnesotans live in a childcare desert. The study identified a loss of 22,714 family

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6 April 13, and April 18, 2019

Small Talk

The Stevens County Times and Chokio Review

Community reps working on ACEs resiliency

By Rae Yost Stevens County Times Adverse childhood experiences are going to happen to children.

The key is helping kids handle those experiences, said Tammy Roth, a counselor for Morris Area Elementary School and Molly Westerman of Stevens County Human Services.

An ACE can include the death of a parent or grandparent, conflict in the family, a move and similar incidents.

Children who have been taught coping skills and have a network of support can build up their resiliency so that

when an ACE happens in their life, they are better able to handle it, Roth and Westerman said.

“We want to (teach) kills to build resiliency in both children and parents,” Westerman said.

A group of individuals and organizations in Morris are cooperating to educate the community about ACEs and how to build resiliency in children.

Community meetings including educational presentations and training have been provided.

“We are getting the knowledge into the hands (of those who can help),” Roth said. Those who can help include

health care providers, daycare providers and those who have similar roles in the community.

When children do not in helping to build resilhave the resiliency to iency in children. handle ACEs they are Roth said she’s forat risk for poor school tunate to work in the classrooms as well as work individually with children.

Roth said some copWe want to build skills to build ing tools she teaches resiliency in both children and parents. are those for fear and MOLLY WESTERMAN anger such as taking deep breaths, taking a walk or The general public also performance, illness, talking with friends. needs the knowledge and even drug abuse She also works with because they also have and other detrimental conflict resolutions skills contact with youth, Wes- behavior, Roth and Wes- that include problem terman said. terman said. Sometimes, solving skills.

In some cases, being reactions to an ACE can Westerman is mental part of a support net- be noted when a child is health professional and work for children can be angry or sad or frustrat- works as a case manager as simple as when you ed or acting out in some for children and families see a child fall on their other manner. who may need help with bicycle stopping to ask Westerman and Roth an ACE. if they are OK, Roth said. each have specific roles Westerman said one

way to build resiliency in children is to try and see a situation from a different perspective.

If a child and parent may be having a difficult time in the grocery store, for example, be mindful something more may be happening than that specific incident, Westerman said.

A supportive response may be to help the parent reach the check out line or simply say a supportive word, Westerman said.

Such actions show support from the community and help build that structure of support and coping, Westerman and Roth said.

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The Stevens County Times and Chokio Review

Small Talk

April 13, and April 18, 2019 7

MAES kindergarten teachers strengthen community connections

By Rae Yost Stevens County Times While kindergarten teachers at Morris Area Elementary School were aware of various community resources that work with children and families, they set out to make a more deliberate effort to learn more.

Teachers received a staff development grant to gather more information about resources for students, families and teachers, to learn more about the populations the kindergarten teachers serve and to evaluate data collection methods and makes any appropriate

changes. MAES kindergarten teachers are Sue Helberg, Jessica Pope, Shana Ulrich and Michelle Just. The teachers spent two days recently visiting various community agencies in the area and discussing the goals of those in-person trips.

“As we know more about an agency, the more we can help parents,” Helberg said.

Teachers are often considered a resource for parents. They may get asked about a particular agency, Pope said.

Parents may be reluctant to approach an agency or nervous if they have been referred to a

particular agency, the teachers said.

Helberg said visiting Stevens County Human Services or Horizons Public Health, for example, provides teachers with a visual of the building and entrance. They can share that information with parents, Helberg said.

Pope said it helps to put more faces with names of the representatives of the agencies they work with because it makes the overall agency and its work more familiar to teachers. “Relationship building is key. We know the faces who we are talking with,” she said.

Helberg said she had

a parent who had questions about Raising Up Stevens County Kinship or RUSC Kinship, a mentoring program for youth in the county.

Because she heard firsthand how RUSC conducts background checks on each mentor, she is comfortable sharing that information with a parent, Helberg said. She can offer more reassurance to a parent who is considering using RUSC for a child.

One of the goals of the project was to also make sure that agencies were getting the needed information from teachers and that teachers were

receiving the needed information from agencies, the teachers said.

Horizons Public Health shared a new assessment tool being used to evaluate young children.

“It’s helpful to know what they are testing,” Pope said.

“They walked us through the process as if we were parents,” Helberg said.

The information from public health helped connect the dots on what exchange of information was missing, Helberg said.

“I love how public health follows up if a referral is made for

a child’s vision to be checked and they haven’t heard back from the parent,” Helberg said.

Pope and Helberg said they left each agency, from human services to pre-kindergarten programs, with the knowledge that all were interested in helping children and families. All also acknowledge that community needs are changing, they said.

“The needs in our community are changing and as needs change, we rely on each other for information and giving each other support,” Helberg said.

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Small Talk

8 April 13, and April 18, 2019

EASTER EGG DIVE

The Stevens County Times and Chokio Review

MORRIS ECI FAMILY FUN DANCE

File photo/Stevens County Times

A participant in the Easter Egg dive at the Regional Fitness Center in Morris in 2018.

MORRIS ECFE FAMILY FUN NIGHT

Submitted photo

Parents and children gathered for the March Morris ECFE family fun night.

Submitted photo

Kids dance at the Morris Area ECI family fun dance night.