329 children were enrolled in Head Start ™ with the seven-county service area during FY07.

The Child and Adult Food Care Program (CACFP) provides registered childcare providers with nutrition education and assures that meals and snacks follow standard nutrition guidelines. Providers receive partial reimbursement for the cost of the meals and snacks.

The Adult Literacy Program works with parents who are unable to read, who read at a lower grade level or who have failed to complete their high school education, providing individual tutoring in the home.  For those parents lacking a high school degree, the Program works with the parent until he/she has reached a level where they are comfortable transferring to the GED classes conducted by the local community college.

The Adult Literacy Advocacy program is funded in cooperation with Indian Hills Community College.

Parents As Teachers (PAT) is an in-home visitation program available for families with newborns through entry into kindergarten.  The program follows a scientifically based curriculum that provides parents with information on child development from birth to age 5 and suggests learning opportunities that encourage the development of language, intellect, and physical and social skill. 

Funding is provided by the ADLM, AIM and Mahaska-Wapello Empowerment Areas.

Recognizing that more and more children are spending the majority of their waking hours with a childcare provider rather than with a parent, PAT specifically designed a curriculum for child care providers entitled "Supporting Care Providers Through Personal Visits".

32 providers participated last year.

SIEDA's Neighborhood Resource Centers are multi-service centers housing most, if not all, of the services provided by the agency in that county.  The Resource Center's Community Action Specialist provides

Other direct SIEDA services are provided in the Center by the Parents As Teachers program, the NEST program, Substance Abuse Counselors and the Family Development and Self-Sufficiency (FaDSS) Counselors.  

Neighborhood Resource Centers are located in each of the counties served by SIEDA.  A Community Action Specialist manages each Resource Center.

 The Nest 

290 individuals were enrolled in the Nest program in the seven counties.

The Nest programs are funded by grants from the Prevent Child Abuse Iowa Council and Empowerment and United Way.

In the program’s first six months of operation, 231 individuals participated in the Parenting Wisely, a computerized parenting program.

The Family Development and Self Sufficiency (FaDSS) program is an intensive in-home counseling program for families receiving income assistance from the Department of Human Services.   FaDSS provides developmental services to families who are at high risk of long-term welfare dependency.  The basic program design recognizes that at-risk families face many issues and respond well to long term, intense personal interaction with trained staff to move to emotional and economic independence. 

278 families were served by the FaDSS program last year in the seven county area.

Transitional housing was available in Mahaska County.  The Shelter consists of two (2) transitional apartments, a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom unit with kitchen and bathroom, available for homeless or near-homeless families (with or without children).  The maximum capacity of the two apartments is 7 beds.  Transitional Housing families reside in the apartments for an average of 90 days and receive follow up services up to 24 months.

9 families (21 persons) took advantage of the transitional apartments in FY2007.

Limited crisis funds are available for furnace repair/replacement, emergency payments for deliverable fuels and emergency payment of arrearages related to potential disconnections or reconnection of services.

1,068 families received emergency assistance.

The DARP (Developmental Assessment and Resolution Program) is a two-year intensive pilot program that began in FY2007. The program targets individuals who have arrearages and have received energy shut off notices after the Moratorium has ended.

135 people received services through DARP last year.

The Weatherization component works to tighten and insulate homes against the elements and to assure the safety of appliances by providing health and safety checks, furnace repair/replacement, refrigerator replacement, home insulation, minor repairs and client education.

173 homes were weatherized during FY2007.

SIEDA is authorized to conduct substance abuse evaluations required by the Iowa Department of Transportation for individuals who are charged with Operating While Intoxicated (OWI).

Substance Abuse Services works closely with the local court system to provide substance abuse evaluations for the court.  Evaluations may be either court ordered or individual referrals.