Tri-Valley Transportation Programs recently extended services for T.H.E. Bus in Crookston and Thief River Falls. T.H.E. Bus previously operated until 6 p.m. and will now operate until 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Riders will need to call by 6 p.m. to schedule their rides until more staff can be hired. (Individuals can apply for the Transit Route Coordinator positions at www.tvoc.org/careers). For more questions, or to schedule a ride, please call 800-201-3432.

T.H.E.
Bus is a curb-to-curb, handicap accessible service that provides public
transportation services to the general public in eight Minnesota counties,
Polk, Red Lake, Norman, Marshall, Kittson, Pennington, Mahnomen, and
Clearwater. T.H.E. Bus is available with no age limits or income guidelines.

Tri-Valley Head Start,
Child and Family Programs was excited to see the results of their 2019 Parent
Survey. With 193 responses collected, the program realized that the
participating families were overall happy with the programs Tri-Valley Head
Start, Child and Family Programs has to offer. Most of the questions were
answered with 95% or more positive feedback!

The top three
strengths found in the program were (1. Communities are clean and safe, 2.
There are enough job opportunities, 3. There are vast resources available to
help families). The biggest success for this year parent’s felt was feeling
empowered to support their child’s learning. 

The top three
challenges families surveyed encountered were (1. Cost of living, 2. Childcare,
3. Dental providers).  

Tri-Valley Head Start,
Child and Family Programs uses this survey to focus efforts in helping their
families succeed and encouraging both mothers and fathers to be actively
involved in their child’s development. The survey showed that  an average
of 66% of father figures were able to participate in Head Start activities this
year, let’s make a goal together and bring those numbers up to the 90% or
higher for next season!

Thank you to everyone
that took the survey and for all of those that support Tri-Valley Head Start
Child and Family Programs!   

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. actively participates in partnerships that lead to a stronger base of support for those served to specifically address life domain areas including social, physical, environmental, medical and dental, nutritional, spiritual, psychological and emotional, behavioral and intellectual, occupational, and financial. Specifically, it’s Tri-Valley’s participation as an active leader in the NW Minnesota Council of Collaboratives (CoC) that the greatest potential for creating positive and sustainable opportunities to effect lasting health equity and inclusion for people who call this region home. 

The
list of eligibility requirements that restrict access to services is lengthy
and includes the need for a formal diagnosis or disability, being at risk of an
out-of-home placement, or having an incarcerated parent, to name a few.  There’s a need to figure out how prevention
and early intervention services can be provided, and address risk and
protective factors, absent these qualifiers, for children and
parents/caregivers who are on the edge of needing, or those who are forced into
entering the formal child/family service system. A system of care needs to be
established that is inclusive of all persons, to advance health equity and
address social determinants of health in order to prevent the onset or
escalation of deeper-end needs from emerging later on. 

Utilizing the existing
infrastructure, knowledge of rural and frontier communities and successful
approaches, the collaboration between Tri-Valley and the NW Minnesota Council
of Collaboratives (CoC) established Family Partners who currently work in two
school districts. They mentor families and help guide them through the service
array.  They become allies in helping
empower children and families in their service choices.  Although these positions are currently tied
to funding that is specific to a children’s mental health lens with a criteria
for serving children only with a severe emotional disturbance, they seek to
apply the practices involved and the lessons learned, across all families in
all communities in the region, whether or not a “billable” or reimbursable
funding stream exists. It’s believed that by proving the efficacy and established
outcomes, the principles can be applied in a sustainable and enduring continuum
of services that builds resiliency and prevents the development or escalation
of more costly interventions.

Anticipated
outcomes include breaking down barriers to services to assure health equity for
all; building resiliency in children, families and communities to effect
positive life outcomes; maximizing finite resources and effecting good stewardship
through coordinated efforts; improving the level and quality of the
child-serving system to respond to emerging needs and; establishing a rural and
frontier model of care that becomes a standard from which other communities can
replicate across the nation that is enduring and sustainable.

If
you have questions or would like more information about the Family Partner
Program, call 218-773-5326 / 800-820-7263 or email Nancy Ramon (nancy.ramon@tvoc.org), Brandi Knutson (brandi.knutson@tvoc.org), or Melissa Gordon (melissa.gordon@tvoc.org).

Walz, Flanagan Announce Appointments to Advisory Councils Focused on Improving Lives of Children

[ST. PAUL, MN] – Today, Wednesday, November 13, 2019, Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan announced appointments to the Children’s Cabinet Advisory Council and the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care.

These appointments are supported by Executive Order 19-34, re-launching the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet and placing children at the center of government, and state statute (section 124D.141). The Children’s Cabinet Advisory Council and the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care will make recommendations to support community engagement and work of carrying out Executive Order 19-34 across state government and the Children’s Cabinet.

“Minnesota should be the best place in the country for each and every child to grow up,” said Governor Walz. “When we focus on improving equity and outcomes for our littlest Minnesotans, we lift up all of us. I am grateful for the service of these leaders – representing youth, teachers and schools, researchers, counties and tribes, and leaders of many walks of life.”

“Too often, race, zip code, and income determine the trajectory of our kids’ lives,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. “This council – made up of parents, advocates, teachers, school districts, county and tribal administrators, leaders and voices from the private and public sector, communities of color, and Greater Minnesota – will help our charge to place children at the center of government and commit to prioritizing equitable outcomes so that all Minnesotans can reach their full potential.”

Extensive outreach and conversation went in to the appointment process for these positions over the last three months, with nearly 200 people applying to serve.

“I am very encouraged by the Governor and Lt. Governor’s commitment to children and youth in Minnesota, and I am honored to be a part of the Children’s Cabinet so we can make transformative change in the lives of children,” said Bharti Wahi, Executive Director of Children’s Defense Fund – Minnesota and appointee to the Children’s Cabinet Advisory Council. “No child’s opportunity to actualize their fullest potential should be determined by their geography, economic status or race. I am ready to dig in to the work.”

“I look forward to collaborating with and advising to the Children’s Cabinet on strategies to improve the lives of Minnesota youth – especially lifting up the perspective of tribes and prioritizing Native youth to ensure all children have an opportunity to succeed,” said Leroy Staples Fairbanks, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal Council District III Representative and appointee to the Children’s Cabinet Advisory Council.

“My entire work and personal life has centered around children. Starting my professional life as a student teacher in Head Start, later as a kindergarten and ECFE teacher, leading to teaching in an early childhood program at the college level provided me with a strong base of understanding as to what children need to support their healthy development and experience learning success,” said Lynn Haglin, Vice President and KIDS PLUS Director at the Northland Foundation and appointee to the Children’s Cabinet Advisory Council. “My hope is that I can bring voices from Greater Minnesota to the conversations that will take place within the Council to truly help make our state united around all of our children.”

For the first time, young leaders will be included on the advisory body informing the work of the Children’s Cabinet.

“I am excited to see the insights and opinions of others on what they can change or improve the lives of kids and young people like me,” said Jazzy Eubanks, a high school student at Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Arts and appointee to the Children’s Cabinet Advisory Council.

Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan announced the following appointments.

State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care
Supported by the Office of the Minnesota Governor
Minnesota Statute 124D.141 and Public Law 110-134

Laurie Coleman – Erskine, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Barb Fabre – Ogema, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Anna Gruber – Staples, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Daniel Gumnit – Lauderdale, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Dianne Haulcy – Saint Paul, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Michelle Keleny – Roseville, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Jennifer Mueller – Monticello, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Aaron Sojourner – Minneapolis, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Jodi Wambeke – Sunburg, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Children’s Cabinet Advisory Council
Supported by the Office of the Minnesota Governor
Executive Order 19-34 (Enabling Tenure: August 7, 2019 – April 2, 2023)

Hufsa Ahmed – Saint Paul, MN
Youth Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Toni Carter – Saint Paul, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Kelvin Currington – Brooklyn Center, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Jazzy Eubanks – Brooklyn Park, MN
Youth Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Fanny Fernandez – White Bear Lake, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Megan Gunnar Dahlberg – Roseville, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Lynn Haglin – Duluth, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Kelly Holstine – Saint Paul, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Keenan Jones – Maple Grove, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Nicole Kern – Sartell, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Patina Parks – Minneapolis, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Rebecca Shlafer – Minnetonka, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Andrea Singh – Apple Valley, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Leroy Staples Fairbanks – Cass Lake, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

Bharti Wahi – Minneapolis, MN
Member
Effective: November 18, 2019
Term Expires: January 2, 2023
Vacant

In addition to the nine appointments made by the Governor, four members of the Minnesota Legislature, two from the House of Representatives and two from the Senate, sit on the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care, along with the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health and the State Head Start Director, appointed by the Minnesota Department of Education.

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. Senior
Programs held its annual Foster Grandparent recognition luncheon at the
Crookston Eagles Club on Wednesday, October 9.

Marley Melbye (Senior Programs Director) began
the event by welcoming the Foster Grandparents and guests to the banquet. Jason
Carlson, Tri-Valley’s CEO thanked all of the volunteers for the difference they
are making in the lives of children and families in our communities.

The “World of Difference” awards were then given
to individuals who were nominated by professional staff at their volunteer
site. “With the little things you do every day, your impact spreads far and
wide. Your commitment to improving lives inspires and motivates us all… You
make a world of difference.” is engraved on the award along with the
recipients’ name.

Recipients of the World of Difference Award
are Grandpa Marvin Johnson (Lake Park- Audubon Public Schools, 1 year
volunteer), Grandma Mary Ann Altepeter (U of M, Crookston
Early Childhood Development Center, 3 year volunteer), Grandma Barbara Holum (Badger Elementary, 4 year volunteer), and Grandma Beverly Holm (Badger
Elementary, 5 year volunteer).

Following the awards
presentation, Anna Peterson spoke about her life following a snowmobile
accident on her birthday in January 2019 entitled “In the Blink of an Eye”. She
spoke about how the accident affected her family and children and how you can
find gratitude in any circumstance. The Foster Grandparents really enjoyed her
presentation and had a lot of questions for her.

For more information on how to become a Foster
Grandparent, Caring Companion or how to receive Caring Companion services,
please call Marley, Alicia, Jean, or Kristal at 1-800-584-7020.

Invitations
have been sent out to district Senators and
Representatives inviting them to join in on the activities and be involved in a
“Legislator to Lunch.”  Activities throughout the day will be held at
each center.  There will be special
guests such as the local fire department, police department, community
partners, farmers, and district legislators!

This collective crunch encourages
healthy eating and supports farm to school and local food initiatives throughout
the Great Lakes Region. We would love it if you
could join us on this day.  It would be a
great opportunity to dialog around the issues of Farm to School/Early Care and
more broadly, Child Nutrition Programs.  Tri-Valley is a strong advocate
of Farm to School and Early Care and center staff would love to have a deeper
conversation of how Tri-Valley incorporates the Farm to Early Care Initiative
in our centers and to share what Farm to Early Care looks like to Tri-Valley.

The
menu for the day will also be sourced locally and come from a variety of farms
in the area.

For
more information, or to crunch with us, please contact Jami Lee at jami.lee@tvoc.org.

Jami Lee, BSCN, CCNP, CFPM, CLC

Child Nutrition Services Manager l
Tri-Valley Head Start

(w)218-281-5832 x2047 | (c) 218-689-1907|Jami.Lee@tvoc.org

For
more information about the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch, visit http://www.cias.wisc.edu/applecrunch

(Crookston, Minn.)- Minnesota Council of Nonprofits will host a lunch and learn entitled “The Importance of the 2020 Census” at Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. in Crookston (102 N. Broadway) on Thursday, October 10 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm.  

The objectives of the lunch and learn are to
understand the role of the Decennial Census in the geographic distribution of
funds, to discuss the development of internal strategies within your
organization that can develop a culture of civic participation, to learn about
the census timeline, to learn about census updates, and to brainstorm census
outreach efforts. There will also be a discussion and information shared about MCN census grants of up to $5,000 to
support mobilization and education efforts.

Session
Background: The census is part of
democracy that matters to all Minnesotans. 15 billion dollars that are currently
allocated to Minnesota by the U.S. are at stake. This critical funding supports
programs like Medicaid, highway planning, and programs that aid low-income
households, rural communities, and communities of color. Every person we count
matters and contributes to our beautiful and vibrant community.

Speaker
Bio: Michelle Chang is the policy and
equity coordinator at MCN. Her primary focus is building power around Census
2020 in partnership with MCN’s many nonprofit members. She also works
internally to ensure that policies and procedures center around ending disparities
in power, money, access, and more.

If you have any questions about the lunch and
learn, please contact Ashley Charwood, Northwest Minnesota regional
coordinator, at acharwood@minnesotanonprofits.org or 218-407-5202.

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) was
founded in 1987 to meet the increasing information needs of nonprofits and to
convene nonprofits to address issues facing the sector. It is the largest state
association of nonprofits in the U.S. Through MCN, nonprofits join together across
interest areas to work on issues of common concern to all.

ST. PAUL, Minn.—Today MNsure announced that Minnesotans will have seven weeks – from Friday, November 1, 2019, to Monday, December 23, 2019 – to shop for 2020 health coverage. Minnesota’s enrollment period is eight days longer than the federal open enrollment period that runs from November 1 to December 15. MNsure is supplementing the federal open enrollment period with a special enrollment period to give Minnesotans more time to find a health insurance plan that works for them.

“This year,
Minnesotans will have seven weeks to sign up for health and dental coverage
with an effective date of January 1, 2020,” said MNsure CEO Nate Clark. “It’s
important to be covered all twelve months of the year. We’re here to help make
sure consumers are able to choose a plan and enroll by the December 23 deadline
so they can start using their coverage right away in the new year.”

In-person help is
available

MNsure has a statewide network of over 1,600 expert
assisters who provide free in-person help for Minnesotans looking to apply
and enroll into health coverage. Consumers may work with a navigator or a
broker. Navigators specialize in MinnesotaCare and Medical Assistance, while
brokers can offer advice on selecting a private health plan.

Consumers will be
able to view and compare 2020 plans in mid-October so they can be prepared to
enroll starting November 1.

MNsure is the only
place you can qualify for tax credits to lower costs

For coverage year 2019, 60 percent of private plan enrollees are receiving tax credits averaging more than $5,500 a year per household. In total, Minnesotans are poised to save over $224 million in tax credits in 2019. Of the more than 500,000 Minnesotans who found coverage through MNsure, over 85 percent qualified for tax credits, MinnesotaCare or Medical Assistance.

For more information on MNsure or to get MNsure Navigator assistance, please contact Nancy Ramon (Tri-Valley Community Assistance Program Coordinator) at 1-800-201-3475.

(Crookston, Minn.)- Tri-Valley Transportation
Programs is offering a convenient way to get out and see the seasonal colors in
September. T.H.E. Bus will again be welcoming back autumn with Fall Leaf Tours
to Itasca State Park. Polk,
Norman, Mahnomen, Red Lake and Clearwater County riders will have the
opportunity to ride T.H.E. Bus on Wednesday, September 25 and Pennington,
Kittson and Marshall County riders will have the opportunity to ride T.H.E. Bus
on Friday, September 27. There will be opportunities to get off the bus, walk
trails, and enjoy the visitor’s center. Attendees are encouraged to bring a bag
lunch to enjoy at the park.

T.H.E. Bus will arrive at the park at 10 am and
leave at 1 pm. The cost is only $10 for round-trip transportation to and from
the park with several pick-up locations available (please call for pickup
locations). For more information or to reserve your seat for the Tri-Valley
Fall Leaf Tours call 800-201-3432. (Note: the deadline to reserve your seat is
noon the day before the scheduled trip date)

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits will host a Social Media & Messaging
workshop at Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. in Crookston (102 N. Broadway)
on Wednesday, August 28 from 1 – 3 pm.

Join
Sarah Crumrine, of MCN for “Let’s Get Social” – a workshop all about social
media and how to utilize it in your organization, even if you have few staff,
little-to-no budget, or just aren’t sure how to get going. In this workshop,
we’ll discuss a number of topics, including:

*Developing a social media plan                                             *Time
management while wearing multiple hats

*Increasing engagement among fans and
followers             *Cost-effective
strategies

*What happens when social media goes wrong                     *Tools to make social media
easier

Attendees
will walk away with increased confidence working with social media, as well as
tools they can use to make working with social media easier and more impactful.

The
cost of the workshop is $20 for MCN members and $45 for nonmembers. To register
for the Crookston workshop visit: https://www.minnesotanonprofits.org/events/event-detail/2019/08/28/default-calendar/social-media-101

If you have any questions about the workshop, please contact Ashley
Charwood, Northwest Minnesota regional coordinator, at acharwood@minnesotanonprofits.org
or 218-407-5202.

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) was founded in 1987 to meet the
increasing information needs of nonprofits and to convene nonprofits to address
issues facing the sector. It is the largest state association of nonprofits in
the U.S. Through MCN, nonprofits join together across interest areas to work on
issues of common concern to all.