West Central Minnesota Communities Action Inc.

Filing Period

Oct 1, 2010 to Sep 30, 2011

Signed

Mar 5, 2012

Return Version

2010v3.4

Gross Receipts

$9,882,666

Mission

Major Activities

Activity 2

Head start programwcmca's head start program is a comprehensive child development program design that supports the growth of young children within the family and the growth of family within the community. One of the unique qualities of head start is that we are one of the first and only programs to adhere to the principle that parents are the first teacher of their children. We believe parents are the primary nurturers, educators, and advocates for their children. This family centered approach works to produce high quality early childhood services. Areas of service include: health, nutrition, social service, parent involvement and education. Program services are provided through center based (classroom) and home-based (home-visit) approaches. We implement evidence based research that supports parent engagement activities that make a difference in families lives and in children's learning outcomes. The staff of our head start program are implementing evidence based research strategies in the classroom and during home visits to promote positive, sustained child outcomes. We are especially proud of the positive child outcomes in literacy and language development. This has been achieved by providing young children the language-rich, stimulating environments they need to develop strong vocabularies. A dual focus of the program is to strenghten family development. This is accomplished through intentional scaffolding of support to meet individual needs. Community resources are matched with parent/family needs to achieve goals toward self-sufficiency. An additional unique part of head start is the policy council and parent committees. Policy council members oversee the delivery of the program services to children and families. Policy council is comprised of parent representatives from each of the 12 centers that wcmca operates and community representatives. The parents at each center elect the representatives and the community representatives submit letters of interest. Policy council approves the community representatives. Through policy council parents and community representatives share actively in making decisions about the program. Local parent committees provide each parent of an enrolled child with the opportunity to assist in the development of activities that support the education and health development of their children. This program is designed to serve low-income children. The number of children served: 267

Activity 3

Energy assistancewcmca's energy assistance program helps low-income people meet their home energy needs. Eligible households receive grants to help pay energy costs. Energy consumption is reduced through heating system audits, retrofits, conservation, and repair activities. Crisis assistance gives immediate help to those in emergency situations. Energy related repairs provide heating related repairs for emergencies. Actual heating costs from the previous heating season and household income determine the amount of assistance that is received. All payments for primary heat ($3,538,326) and crisis ($1,303,495) are generated from the state of mn through the e-heat system, energy related repairs payments are generated in-house. Households served with primary assistance: 6,120, crisis assistance: 2,778, and energy related repairs: 477.

Filer

EIN

41-0904808