Effective July 1, more Iowa families are eligible to receive FaDSS services. Among the eligibility criteria families must meet are gross income at or below 175% poverty and at least one dependent child in the home. 

The expanded eligibility begins at the start of the state fiscal year and occurs in concert with the new grant cycle and realignment of slot distribution across the state.

The most recent Kids Count data includes 169,000 children in Iowa below 150% poverty, while FIP numbers have steadily declined over the last decade further supporting the need to expand program eligibility. Despite the change in eligibility, FaDSS remains a home visitation program focused on whole family well-being and continues to prioritize families who receive FIP among other priority of service criteria.   

In each newsletter, you’ll see a feature called GEM (Going the Extra Mile) where we will highlight a FaDSS worker who has gone above and beyond.

Kim Hickman has been a FaDSS specialist with Upper Des Moines Opportunity since May of 2014. FaDSS Coordinator Alisa Schlief said, "Kim is organized, great with documentation, always follows through and has a heart of gold."

Kim's favorite part of her job is going out to meet with families and helping them reach self-sufficiency. When she is not working, Kim enjoys golfing, fishing, traveling and attending her grandchildren's activities. She has been married for 38 years, has two daughters and two son-in-laws as well as seven grandchildren. 

Kim's work with families in the FaDSS program is exemplary and we are grateful to have a GEM like her!

West Central Community Action's FaDSS program serves 10 counties in southwest Iowa. Headquartered in Council Bluffs, the community action agency employs 110 people under the leadership of Executive Director Wendy Mueller. 

The FaDSS program is led by Mindy Williamson who supervises 5 FaDSS specialists including Sarah Nelson, Janet Hamlin, Shellie West, Cathy Jager, and Chad Graeve.

In FY23 Mindy and her team are focused on getting back into their communities and incorporating new non-FIP families into the program. When asked what Mindy is proud of she stated, "I am most proud of my team for learning new skills and adapting during the pandemic. My team's strengths include having strong work ethics, good collaboration skills, great communication and willingness to go above and beyond for families."

WCCA specialists shown above from left to right include: Chad Graeve, Janet Hamlin, Cathy Jager, Shellie West and Sarah Nelson. 

The Harvard Center on the Developing Child is a multidisciplinary team committed to its mission of driving science-based innovation in policy and practice that achieves breakthrough outcomes for children facing adversity. 

In addition to research and development, the Harvard Center on the Developing Child also publishes many evidence-informed resources for practitioners and supports a learning community. The Brain Architects is a podcast focused on the specific, practical questions that often arise for parents and caregivers during the critically important period of early childhood. 

Bringing together experts and practitioners from pediatrics, social services, and education, among other disciplines, the podcast gathers many different voices that aren’t always speaking directly to each other. And, by answering questions such as, “What does toxic stress actually look like in the day-to-day?” and “How can I make sure I’m building my child’s brain?”, The Brain Architects can help all of us can use the science of child development to improve the lives of the children we interact with every day.

Source: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/collective-change/communicating-the-science/the-brain-architects-podcast/