1 Mission: To advocate for low-income Missourians and strengthen the Community Action Network Vision: A state where all people and communities thrive What s in this issue? Advocacy (pp. 1-2) Continuing Resolution and Federal budget, TANF Reform, Missouri Family Health Council Network Capacity (pp. 2-4) FDC Update, MIS Training, ROMA Training, Supervisors Training MACA Capacity (p. 4) Agency Visits, New Membership Pins Calendar (p. 6) ADVOCACY Speaking up for Low-Income Missourians Advocacy Efforts Members of the House of Representatives began their August recess last week and the Senate will begin theirs this week. With members returning to their districts, they are still not closer to passing the appropriations bill. A temporary extension of current spending levels, also known as a Continuing Resolution, would be needed to avoid a potential government shutdown. A Continuing Resolution would be expected to extend current funding into November or December. We continue to work closely with the National Community Action Foundation to monitor our core funding. TANF Reform MACA met with representatives from the State and advocacy organizations to discuss the implementation of SB 24. We discussed the proposed changes that will go into effect on August 28, 2015 and in January 2016. MACA worked closely with the Community Action Agencies to ensure the network s feedback and concerns were shared. Missouri Family Health Council I had an opportunity to meet with Katherine Patterson-Paronto, the Interim Executive Director of the Missouri Family Health Council. We discussed partnership opportunities for advocacy efforts to protect Title X funding. Congress has proposed to drastically cut Title X funding. Eight Missouri Community Action Agencies receive this funding to provide critical women s health services.
2 NETWORK CAPACITY Helping you help others Poverty Simulation Facilitator Training By Heidi Lucas, hlucas@communityaction.org MACA is pleased to offer a Poverty Simulation Facilitator Training on November 16-17 in St. Louis at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel. The facilitator training will allow participants to become familiar with the components of the CAPS kit, the facilitation process and tips for conducting an efficient and effective simulation. Participants will also experience the poverty simulation on the first day of training. Registration includes training and all materials, and lunch on the second day. Registration information is available on the MACA website. Registration is free for Missouri Community Action Agency staff members who register before October 16 th. Family Development Credential (FDC) Program Update By Courtney Kohler, ckohler@communityaction.org In September, MACA will be hosting three FDC training opportunities. Please see these listed below. The application deadline for the Instructor s Institute has passed, but registration for the Portfolio Advisor s Orientation and FDC Update Meeting is still open until August 14th. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding these opportunities or FDC in general. Missouri FDC Meetings & Trainings in 2015: Update Meeting: September 17, 2015 Portfolio Advisor Orientation: September 18, 2015 Instructors Institute: September 29 October 1, 2015 Also, as we will be discussing in more detail at the Update Meeting in September, the curriculum update is complete. The 2015 publication of Empowerment Skills for Family Workers (3 rd edition) is now ready to order and use with upcoming FDC classes. The Portfolio Advisor s Manual and Instructor s Manual are also updated. Back-ordered Instructor s Manuals are scheduled to arrive in August. To order the new publications, visit the National FDC Website: http://www.familydevelopmentcredential.org/plugs/publications.aspx Comprehensive Community Needs Assessment Tool Upgrade & Training By Jayna Gray, jgray@communityaction.org & Courtney Kohler, ckohler@communityaction.org The migration to the new Community Commons Web-Based Tool is complete! MACA, along with the University of Missouri and the Community Action Partnership, presented a two-day interactive training on a comprehensive approach to community assessment that includes quantitative, qualitative, and agency data. One main feature of this training was the unveiling of the new MACA web tool in the Community Commons framework that allows users to store, share, and provide more visually appealing information for the secondary data piece of the community assessment. Along with the Community Commons web tool, the training presented tools and information to assist with survey methodology, measuring impact/sustainability of programs, and the integration of the community assessment into the agency. There were 50 participants present at the training. We hope many are getting registered with community commons and have joined the MACA Hub! If you haven t done so already, visit www.communitycommons.org to register for an account, then click the Hub tab to find the Missouri Association for Community Action. MACA will offer a webinar showcasing the new Tool on September 8 th from 2pm-3pm. More information is coming soon.
3 MIS User Training and Agency Admin Training By Jayna Gray, jgray@communityaction.org MIS regional trainings for both users and admin teams are in full force! Two rounds of the training remain and are listed below. MIS user training will give users of all different skill levels the opportunity to explore new pages in the system, discuss flow and process with other agencies and have a hands on learning experience. Locations: September 1 st (10-5) -September 2nd (8:30-12) Joplin September 22 nd (10-5)- September 23 rd (8:30-12) St. Joseph MIS Agency Admin Training will be an opportunity for members of Agency Admin Teams to renew contracts for the next fiscal year, set up NPI s for tracking, and learn about new features in the system and much more. Locations: September 2 nd (1-5) -September 3 rd (8:30-12) Joplin September 23 rd (1-5)- September 24 th (8:30-12) St. Joseph ROMA NPI Workgroup As part of the National CSBG T/TA efforts, OCS has been working with NASCSP and the CSBG Network to develop a process to enhance the quality of CSBG data collection, reporting, and analysis. This effort aims to update our National Performance Indicators and the CSBG Annual Report by concentrating data collection on the people we serve, the services we provide, and the outcomes achieved through CSBG funded programs and services. The goal of this effort is to create a fully automated data reporting process, approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), for the CSBG Annual Report. The process should be implemented by Fiscal Year 2017. I have been asked to serve on the ROMA National Performance Indicators (NPI) workgroup. The workgroup will be comprised of individuals within the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) network to help finalize the Family and Community Level NPIs that will be included in the new CSBG Annual Report. ROMA Certification Update By Courtney Kohler, ckohler@communityaction.org The Missouri Community Action Network currently has 6 candidates working to become Nationally Certified ROMA Trainers (NCRT) for the 2015 certification process. Four of those candidates are in phase 3, conducting practice sessions throughout the state. Two candidates just attended the phase 2 in-seat training session in Kentucky in July and will be beginning practice sessions soon. Thanks to all candidates and the NCRTs who are mentoring throughout this process! The Internal ROMA Consultants will be working on setting a vision and direction as ROMA capacity increases in Missouri. The goal is to ensure that agencies are prepared to implement and integrate ROMA Next Generation most effectively as it comes forward in the next year. Leading & Coaching Employees Training By Courtney Kohler, ckohler@communityaction.org In response to last year s Training & Technical Assistance Survey, as well as other network member requests, MACA has started working with the Missouri Training Institute to deliver a workshop on Leading & Coaching Employees. Two regional sessions have been scheduled for September 2015:
4 September 3 rd Chillicothe, MO September 10 th Rolla, MO The training will cover the leadership role of a coach and how great coaches are able to achieve extraordinary results from their employees by creating the appropriate climate, environment, and context to empower individuals and teams. Registration is now closed and the Rolla session is full. There are still a few seats open for the Chillicothe session on September 3 rd. If anyone is interested, please contact me by August 20, 2015. Granting Success Training By Jeff Barlow, jbarlow@communityaction.org On August 4-5, 25 people came to MACA to experience project-based learning in a team competition involving real funding needs agencies brought with them. Each 5 member team took time to learn and work together formulating grant project statements that took them through the grant development process. That process included problem identification, stakeholder analysis, developing measurable goals and objectives, action plans, budgets and evaluation plans. These outlines will now be used to continue efforts to seek grant funding for these agencies with the technical assistance of MACA. In some cases, these projects were attempting to apply for actual grants with pending deadlines. However, this projectbased learning ended in each group presenting their grant project statements to the group as a whole and competing for the title of best project. The group that won is shown below. Their head start curriculum project was selected by our independent MACA panel as the best of the teams. Congratulations to all these teams and we look forward to supporting these projects moving forward. Agency Visits MACA CAPACITY Helping us help you Courtney Kohler traveled to East Missouri Action Agency (EMAA) July 29 th for a FDC Class visit. EMAA currently has 8 Community Service Representatives working towards their Family Development Credential. During a class survey, 100% reported that they would recommend FDC to other agencies and the participants cited several examples of how they ve already applied the strengths-based family development approach with clients they work with.
5 Jessica Long attended Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation s (JFCAC) back-to-school fair on July 31 st. Over 1300 children were registered for the fair. JFCAC has done an amazing job of creating partnerships for this community event! MACA Membership Pins By Sharron Cook, scook@communityaction.org Being a MACA member makes you part of a nation-wide and a state-wide network. The nineteen Missouri Community Action Agencies are part of the 1,000+ CAAs across the United States. We want to help you identify yourself as part of this vast network that is helping people and changing lives every day. If you are a full individual MACA member (meaning that you work for a Missouri Community Action Agency and have your dues deducted from your paychecks according to the schedule approved by the MACA Board), you should be receiving a new membership pin. At the MACA Annual Conference last May, we distributed the new pins to our members who were present. Now we are sending them to all other full MACA members by way of your agency. The pins will be sent back to your agency by way of the MACA Board members attending the August 13 th meeting. For any agencies not represented at that meeting, we will find another way to get them to you as soon as possible. We are distributing the pins based on the best information we have for members as of 7/20/2015. If you are a MACA member and do not receive a pin when they are distributed by your agency, please contact me at scook@communityaction.org so that we can get your information corrected. Save the Date: Caring4Missouri.org 12-12-15 By Jeff Barlow, jbarlow@communityaction.org Three Missouri charities are joining together in a unique event to both preserve our state s history and brighten its future. By supporting this Capitol Masquerade Ball and Auction as a sponsor or donor, Missourians are supporting: The Missouri State Capitol Commission (MSCC) in its work to preserve and restore the many pieces of historic art in and around Missouri s beautiful State Capitol; The Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MCADSV), which unites Missourians to end rape and abuse and supports community advocates serving women, men and children in crisis; and The Missouri Association for Community Action (MACA), which assists local Community Action Agencies around the state that work with impoverished families to gain self-sufficiency and economic security. At this time, we are asking people to help us identify potential sponsors and donors for the silent and live auction. Funds raised will be split three-ways between the charities above. MACA will use funds to support the statewide training and technical assistance needs of the Missouri Community Action Network. Please contact Jeff Barlow with any ideas on potential sponsors, donors or donations of auction items for the silent or live auction. Thanks! Activity Calendar on following page
6 On the Calendar 2015 Regional MIS User and Agency Admin Training User Training 1 st day 10-5, 2 nd day 8:30 12 Agency Admin Training 1 st day 1-5, 2 nd day 9-3 See page 3 of this report for details. MIS User Training September 1-2 Joplin September 22 23 St Joseph MIS Agency Admin Training September 2-3 Joplin September 23-24 St. Joseph *********************************************** Outreach Personnel Professional Alliance August 20 Maryville, MO CAPS Annual Conference August 24-28 San Francisco, CA Missourian to End Poverty August 26 Conference Call Human Resource Professional Alliance September 2-3 MACA Office Leading and Coaching Employees September 3 Chillicothe MACA Closed for Labor Day September 7 MCADA September 9 MACA Office Leading and Coaching Employees September 10 Rolla Missouri FDC Instructors Institute September 29-October 1 MACA Office MCADA October 14 MACA Office MACA Board October 15 MACA Office MIS Committee October 20 MACA Office Energy and Housing Professional Alliance October 21 MACA Office Finance Professional Alliance October 22-23 MACA Office Missourians to End Poverty October 28 Conference Call ToPs Facilitator Bureau October 29 MACA Office Outreach Managers Professional Alliance October 29-30 MACA Office Internal ROMA Consultants Professional Alliance November 5 MACA Office MCADA Retreat November 12-13 Old Kinderhook, Camdenton Information Technology Professional Alliance November 12-13 MACA Office CAPS Facilitator Training November 16-17 St. Louis MIS Committee September 15 MACA Office Family Development Credentials Update September 17 MACA Office Family Development Portfolio Advisors Orientation September 18 MACA Office Missourians to End Poverty September 23 MACA Office Heather Lockard, MACA Executive Director August 12, 2015 For the most current list of events and for more information, check the calendar on our website at www.communityaction.org.