Laurie
Coleman, Tri-Valley’s Head Start, Child and Family Programs Director, was
invited to the Minnesota State Capital on Wednesday, August 7 for the
announcement of the Children’s Cabinet re-launch. Coleman was invited as a key
partner in making Minnesota the best state for each and every child. She
currently serves on the Early Child Reform Committee and the BUILD Initiative.

The
executive order to reestablish a Children’s Cabinet will make children’s issues
a more visible priority in Walz’s administration. The Children’s Cabinet works
to bring efficiency and effectiveness to state government efforts to improve
child and youth outcomes. The work of the Cabinet can also involve
collaboration with counties, local communities and other stakeholders. It will better
align state services related to children and their families, including
education, health care, childcare and housing. For more
information about Minnesota’s Children’s Cabinet visit https://mn.gov/governor/administration/childrenscabinet/.

The Early
Childhood Reform Committee operates in an advisory capacity to state
agencies and was established in response to a lack of equitable opportunity
which has caused significant disparities in developmental outcomes for children
prenatally through age 8.  The committee’s goal is to ensure children and
families are receiving the supports they need in a manner that encourages their
optimal growth and development and eliminates racial disparities in program
access and outcomes. 

The BUILD
Initiative
works with early childhood leaders within states
and nationally to better prepare young children to thrive and succeed. The Initiative
helps state leaders develop an early childhood system – programs, services and
policies tailored to the needs of the state’s unique young child population.

An interactive workshop
presented by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) entitled “Understanding
the Children’s Mental Health System” will be offered in Ada on Tuesday, August
20 from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. at the Ada Event Center. On Wednesday, August 21 the
workshop will be held in Erskine from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at the Erskine
Community Center.

 Learn about Minnesota’s children’s mental
health system. Gain information about the different types of services and
supports available to families who have a child with a mental illness, and how
to access them. Understand best practices and the rights of children and their
families in the clinical treatment setting as well as the school. This class is
designed for parents, school staff, and other providers who support children
and their families.

Ada: To register, visit: https://childrensmhsystem-ada8-20.eventbrite.com

Erskine: To register, visit: https://childrensmhsystem-erskine8-21.eventbrite.com

For more information, contact Sarah at 651-645-2948 ext. 130 or shovseth@namimn.org.

(Crookston,
Minn.)- Area community members interested in learning more about Tri-Valley
Opportunity Council, Inc. and the programs offered at the community action agency
will have an opportunity to do just that this summer.

Tri-Valley
in Crookston will host a series of “Tri-Valley on the Go” events in area
communities. Staff will travel on T.H.E. Bus and set up an informational booth
at designated locations in several communities including Warren, Argyle,
Hallock, Ada, Mahnomen, Fertile, Roseau, Warroad, Brooks, Oklee, and Red Lake
Falls.

The upcoming event
in the series will be held on Thursday, August 15 in Brooks (Brooks Travel
Plaza) at 9:30 am, Oklee (Community Center) at 11:15 am, and Red Lake Falls
(Downtown) at 1:15 pm and will last approximately one hour in each location.

For
more information on “Tri-Valley on the Go” or to have Tri-Valley staff and
T.H.E. Bus visit your community, please call 800-584-7020.

(Crookston, Minn.)- Tri-Valley Transportation
Programs is offering a convenient way to get to the Western Minnesota Steam
Threshers Reunion in Rollag, Minn. on Friday, August 30. T.H.E. Bus will be
giving rides to the event for only $10 round trip! T.H.E. Bus will arrive in
Rollag at 10 am and depart at 4 pm. Reserve your ride by noon on August 28. Due
to the great interest in this event, there will only be one pickup location per
town. Please call 1-800-201-3432 for more information including town pickups
and times.

To learn more about the Western Minnesota Steam
Threshers Reunion please visit https://rollag.com/.

T.H.E. Bus is a curb to curb service and provides public transportation services
to the general public in eight Minnesota counties, Polk, Red Lake, Norman,
Marshall, Kittson, Pennington, Mahnomen, and Clearwater. Buses run through
these counties on various days with various destinations. Our public transit
buses are available with no age limits or income guidelines.

(St. Paul, Minn.)- We thank Arnie Anderson for his 12 years of leadership at MinnCAP. Please join us in wishing Arnie well as he moves into semi-retirement.

“We are
fortunate to have someone with Bill’s experience with Community Action join
MinnCAP in a leadership role,” said Lori Schultz, MinnCAP Board Chair. “Bill
brings a broad experience working with diverse stakeholders statewide,
extensive involvement working with the legislature, and a comprehensive firsthand
understanding of the impact of Community Action.  His engaging and curious leadership style,
skill with relationship building, and deep leadership capabilities in
operations and administration are what Minnesota’s Community Action network
needs at this time.”

The
Minnesota Community Action Partnership is made up of 24 private, nonprofit
Community Action Agencies serving all 87 counties. Community Action Agencies
offer the last local line of defense for families in need.

An interactive workshop presented by PACER and entitled “How Parents Can Effectively Communicate with the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team” will be offered in Thief River Falls and Crookston on Monday, August 12. The Thief River Falls workshop will be held at Northland Community and Technical College from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. The Crookston workshop will be held at the Tri-Valley Transportation facility from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. For more information on PACER or to register for either workshop, visit www.PACER.org/workshops.

About the interactive
workshop:

• Are you effective when advocating for your
  child at IEP meetings?
• Are you able to ask
  clarifying questions or speak up if you disagree with what the school is
  proposing?

This interactive workshop will help parents
build effective communication skills with their child’s IEP team.

This
workshop is funded in part by a grant from the Minnesota Department of
Education.

If an ASL
interpreter is needed, call 952-838-1338.

On Wednesday, July 24,
Tracey Sundeen (Assistant Director of Head Start Operations) and Melody Hedden
(Head Start Family and Community Services Manager) were recognized as part of
the 2019 class of Certified Community Action Professionals (CCAP). The event
took place at the Minnesota Community Action Partnership (MinnCAP) Annual
Training Conference in Duluth, Minn.

Earning
CCAP certification is a rigorous process. Candidates must complete a candidate
data form, develop an executive skills portfolio, and pass a four-hour written
exam. Benefits of achieving the CCAP certification include earning recognition
for accomplishments in the field, recognition for the standard of
professionalism in Community Action, enhances the credentials of Community
Action staff at the agency, and can provide an edge in competing for public and
private grant funds.

The CCAP certification is
designed for current and emerging managers or leaders in the community action profession.
To achieve certification, employment in either a community action agency (CAA),
a delegate agency or sub-grantee of a CAA, a CSBG eligible entity, a state or
regional association office, or a state community services program office is
required.

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. staff attended the Minnesota Community Action Partnership (MinnCAP) Annual Training Conference held on July 22 – 25 at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) in Duluth, Minn. Staff took part in legislative general sessions, listened to speakers on various topics, and took part in several educational breakout sessions.

In conjunction with the annual training conference, 25 Year Honorees were recognized for their dedicated service and commitment to Community Action. Tri-Valley’s Sandy Whited (Danube Head Start Center Manager) was honored for her 25 years of work with Tri-Valley Head Start, Child & Family Programs and Community Action.

(A short bio on Sandy from the event):Sandy has worked for Tri-Valley since 1995.  She started in the Bird Island Center and worked as Relief Teacher, Preschool Teacher, and Toddler Teacher.  Then she worked as Assistant Center Manager and helped with moving the center to Danube.  Over the years she has been a Mentor Teacher, Transportation Lead, and Education Supervisor.  This year marked her first year as Center Manager.  She has seen so many families grow and learn and has now begun to serve the next generation’s children.

Area community members interested in learning more about Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. and the programs offered at the community action agency will have an opportunity to do just that this summer.

Tri-Valley
in Crookston will host a series of “Tri-Valley on the Go” events in area
communities. Staff will travel on T.H.E. Bus and set up an informational booth
at designated locations in several communities including Warren, Argyle,
Hallock, Ada, Mahnomen, Fertile, Roseau, Warroad, Brooks, Oklee, and Red Lake
Falls.

The
first event in the series will be held on Thursday, July 18 in Warren (Senior
Center), Argyle (Senior Center), and Hallock (Senior Center) and will last
approximately one hour in each location. The schedule for the 18^th
is Warren (9:30 am – 10:30 am), Argyle (11:15 am – 12:15 pm), and Hallock (1:30
pm – 2:30 pm).

For
more information on “Tri-Valley on the Go” or to have Tri-Valley staff and
T.H.E. Bus visit your community, please call 800-584-7020.

By Crookston Times

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc.
is participating in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

Meals will be provided to all
children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race,
color, national origin, sex, age, or disability, and there will be no
discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided on a
first come, first service basis at the following site, times and dates/days of
the summer as follows:

Tri-Valley Crookston Head Start –
1407 Erskine St. Crookston, MN 56716

Monday-Friday June 3, 2019 through
August 23, 2019

Breakfast: 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Lunch: 10:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.