More North Dakota Families Now Qualify for Help in Paying for Child Care

More working families and those attending school now qualify for help with child care costs through the North Dakota Department of Human Services. 2013 Legislation increased the qualifying income levels to 85% of the state median income making more families eligible and reducing family co-payments.  The ND Child Care Assistance Program is available to families participating in an approved activity such as employment or school.

 

"The cost of child care can take up a large portion of a family's income," said Carol Cartledge, Department of Human Services' Economic Assistance Policy Division director. "These changes will help more working families afford quality child care for their children."

According the ND Department of Human Services website, a family of four can now earn up to $5851 a month and still qualify.  Most families pay a co-payment, which is the amount you are required to pay towards the costs of child care.  Families must pay their co-payment and any costs charged by the child care provider that are not covered by the Child Care Assistance Program. 

Applicants must provide a form of identification, children’s birth certificates, pay stubs for all income in the previous and current month and a schedule for their approved activity such as work or school.

Costs for care have risen. According ND Child Care Resource & Referral, in 2012 infant care cost an average of $612 per month/child at a child care center and $544 per month/child for 3- to 5-year-olds.  In 2009 those numbers were $592 per month and $516 respectively.

The passing of this child care related legislation provided significant child care fee relief for the families purchasing child care.  Families are encouraged to visit the ND Department of Human Services website for more information.  Families may apply online or print an application.  The department has also made available online the sliding fee scale which outlines the various income levels and co-payments a family may be responsible for.

 

Child Care Resource & Referral helps parents find child care by providing computer generated lists of licensed child care programs that meet the family’s specific child care needs.  If you would like additional child care related information, please contact 1-888-223-1510.

 

 

 

Are you up for the Challenge?

Take the SNAP Challenge during September, Hunger Action Month

“The SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge gives participants a view of what life can be like for millions of low-income Americans. Most participants take the Challenge for one week, living on a little over $4 per day worth of food – the average food stamp benefit. Challenge participants are forced to make food shopping choices on a limited budget, and often realize how difficult it is to avoid hunger, afford nutritious foods, and stay healthy with too few resources. While living on a food stamp budget for just a week cannot come close to the struggles encountered by low income families week after week and month after month, it does provide those who take the Challenge with a new perspective and greater understanding.”

-          from the FRAC SNAP Challenge Toolkit

SNAP Challenge Rules:

·         $4.25 per person per day or $29.75 for the week (the 2012 average amount per recipient in North Dakota) to spend on all food and beverages during the Challenge.

·         All food purchased and eaten during the Challenge week, including fast food and dining out, must be included in the total spending.

·         During the Challenge, only eat food that you purchase for the project. Do not eat food that you already own (this does not include spices and condiments).

·         Don’t forget to account for all beverages. This includes coffee.

·         Avoid accepting free food from friends, family, or at work, including at receptions, briefings, or other events where food is served.

·         Keep track of receipts on food spending and reflect on your experiences throughout the week.

·         Bonus activity: Track your food on SuperTracker and compare your intake to recommendations.  http://www.choosemyplate.gov/supertracker-tools/supertracker.html

 

·         Bonus activity: Document your activity in writing or with photographs and share it here: https://www.facebook.com/NDESPA  or here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Creating-a-Hunger-Free-North-Dakota-Coalition/197947553569595

 

September 19-20 in Bismarck, NDESPA and the Creating a Hunger Free North Dakota Coalition bring you the opportunity come together, learn and mobilize for a better North Dakota with the
Grassroots for Prosperity: Finding Opportunities, Creating Solutions Summit.

Summit Goals include learning about successes failures and future challenges presented by the ND legislature from an advocates' perspective; learning about new models of organizing, activating, communicating and participating in public life in North Dakota; and learning about the results of a SNAP Challenge for ND leaders and citizens.
Register here: http://bit.ly/1ePDXk2
The tentative agenda:

Thursday, September 19
11:00 a.m.    Registration

11:45 a.m.    Welcome: Lt. Governor Drew Wrigley (invited)
      
Opening Prayer and Drum Group Honor Song (in honor of the 30th Anniversary of Great Plains Food Bank) Introduced by ND Indian Affairs Commission Executive Director Scott Davis

12:30 p.m.    Farmer’s Share Lunch including dessert: Birthday/Anniversary Cake

1:15 p.m.    Summit Goals and Agenda Overview
        NDESPA & CHFND – Commonalities and Challenges: Karen Ehrens

1:30 p.m.    Keynote: John Crabtree, Center for Rural Affairs

2:45 p.m.    The State of the ND Budget: April Fairfield, Bush Fellow

3:45 p.m.    (Not Your Typical) Legislative Review: A Panel of Advocacy Voices
        Moderated Panel & Discussion by John Crabtree, Center for Rural Affairs

5:15 p.m.    Networking Social - hors d'oeuvres, assorted beverages

6:15 p.m.    Popcorn & a Movie: A Place at the Table (90 minutes)
        Lively Discussion

Friday, September 20

7:30 a.m.    Breakfast Buffet

8:30 a.m.    Grassroots Organizing: An Interactive Session with John Crabtree
   
10:15 a.m.    The SNAP Challenge: A Panel of Emerging Experts

11:15 a.m.    The Strategy for 2013 & Beyond: A Call to Action from Coalitions

11:45 a.m.    Summary Remarks

12:00 noon   Adjourn

                                                                                                       

We hope to see you at the Kelly Inn, 1800 N 12th St Bismarck. Registration fee is only $40.00.
Scholarships are available for those unable to pay. Contact NDESPA@agree.org

West River Head Start Outside Classroom: No Child Left Inside 2013

This summer West River Head Start is doing something exciting, creative, and innovative for the children. We are creating an outside classroom that infuses Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM). This classroom will not only increase learning outcomes for our children, but also make learning a fun and memorable experience. 

West River Head Start enrolls preschool aged children (3-5) that, more often than not, come from an at-risk background. These students do not always have the opportunity to get outside and enjoy nature, and we intend to change that by leaving no child inside!

The classroom will consist of outside features that are abundant and free such as tree stumps and limbs to sit, jump and play on. However, we do need other outside artifacts that harder to come by.  For example, live trees, bushes and flowers, landscaping timbers and rocks, outside worktables, materials to construct a music and art space, and potting soil.  

Partners: There are several community-minded groups that have already stepped up to participate in helping West River Head Start with No Child Left Inside, including:

• Straightway Construction of Bismarck has graciously donated $2,000.00 for the construction of the fencing that must encompass our space to keep it safe and secure.  
• The Boy Scouts are always prepared and, lucky for us; a local Eagle Scout has volunteered to create a water feature and several garden boxes for his Eagle Scout Project. These features will be utilized in both education on science, biology, and agriculture. 
• Ken Paulus, welding instructor at Bismarck State College, has agreed to have his welding students create metal animal sculptures for the classroom – our students are thrilled!
• The North Dakota Council on the Arts is providing grant funding for sculpture in the outdoor classroom – all the while creating enjoyment and learning experiences for the children! We are working closely with the NDCA on several fronts including potential grants for arts – infused lessons.

WestRiver Head Start is a program of HIT Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All cash donations are tax deductible and your donation will go directly to the outdoor classroom; this includes supplies, and/or materials to create the space. Can you help us with a donation of time, talent or money?

For more information and to donate, contact: 

Joey Kolosky, Director

West River Head Start

701.301.0728

jkolosky@hitinc.org

The outdoor classroom will be an innovative, energetic, hands-on laboratory where students will learn about both the arts and sciences. West River Head Start knows the importance of fostering the love of learning early; this classroom will provide a strong foundation for children’s learning that they will carry with them throughout their academic lives.

The children and staff of West River Head Start thank you in advance for your consideration and time. 

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” ~ Benjamin Franklin~

Summer Food Service Program Looks to Expand in North Dakota

Nearly 80,000 children eat lunch at school in North Dakota during the school year; about one-half of those lunches are served to children from families with low incomes.

Now that school is out for the summer, kids are at home or out in the community, and they still need to eat lunch.  There is a Summer Food Service Program that provides lunches to kids in the state, but only about 3,800 lunches per day are served.  That shows a big gap in the number of lunches served during the school year and those served during the summer. With increasing food costs and parents working throughout the day, the question is, “Where are kids eating?”

To help fill the gap, the search is on for organizations to sponsor Summer Food Service Programs (SFSP’s) in the state. Child Nutrition and Food Distribution Programs in the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction administers this federal child nutrition program of the USDA. The program provides reimbursement for meals served in low-income areas of a town or to those organizations that serve a high number of children from low-income families.  Sponsoring agencies can be school (public or private), government agencies, private nonprofit organizations, or others.

If you think you know of an organization who could sponsor, prepare and serve lunches, breakfasts and/or snacks to kids, look for more information at USDA's Summer Food Service Program or ND Department of Public Instruction's Child Nutrition and Food Distribution  or contact Kaye at Child Nutrition Food Distribution Programs, 701- 328-2275. 

Karen K. Ehrens, RD, LRD
Creating a Hunger Free North Dakota Coalition Coordinator

Head Start, Sequestration, and NO state support

North Dakota is one state in about 10 that has consistently provided no state dollars to supplement federal funding of Head Start.  Subsequently, Head Start in North Dakota is 100% federally funded with a requirement of raising $1 local match for every $4 federal funding.  Federal funding has not kept pace with the consumer price index. 

For the fourth straight legislative session, the North Dakota Head Start Association worked with legislative allies in presenting a funding bill to the North Dakota legislature.  This year HB1356 proposed providing $6,175,000 for the biennium to accommodate the large waiting lists and other funding gaps for low-income children.  HB1356 was hog housed in the House education committee and turned into a early childhood interim study to be conducted by the Department of Public Instruction with no funding. Through many twists and turns during the session, the bill was defeated in the House by a vote of 34-59. The session ended, once again, without any funding for Head Start. 

photo courtesy of National Head Start Association

Meanwhile, Federal sequestration was looming and took affect on March 1, 2013, and the first rounds of cuts for Head Start will occur on July 1, 2013. The effects of sequestration on Head Starts across ND will leave behind over 160 families who currently benefit from the program.

Head Start in the state is hurting which negatively impacts the most at risk children. North Dakotans need to speak up to change this negative impact. Tell Congress and the President to end sequestration NOW. 

Wins in the ND 2013 Legislative Session

The longest session in history ended May 3rd in the wee hours of the morning. Two moves on the part of the legislature show a little progress from the state in enacting policy for low and moderate income individuals in ND.


Medicaid Expansion passed and the Governor signed it into law. In North Dakota, there are currently 29,000 uninsured adults who will be eligible for Medicaid under the state expanded Medicaid program. Of these, 24,000 would be newly eligible for Medicaid with the expansion, while 5,000 are eligible for the program under current rules but are not enrolled. This expanded access to coverage is surely to improve the health of North Dakotans.




The state's child care assistance program was expanded to allow subsidies up to 85% of state median income, up from 49%. This gives ND among the most generous child care subsidies program in the nation. What this means for families is greater access to affordable child care which keeps parents in the work force. The dollar amount quickly translated means a family of three making around $60,000 or below would received subsidies and require a small co-pay based on a sliding fee scale.


NDESPA partners will follow the implementation of both to see the impact in the state.

Keep up with the blog as we post more reviews through the next few weeks.