Maria is currently employed with Child Adolescent and Parent Support in Marshalltown, Iowa. She has served as a family support worker for the past 8 years! Maria currently works with 20 families in her area.

A word from her supervisor:

"Maria is incredibly dedicated to serving her very diverse caseload. Having to use a language line, complete a visit at a park, or work with high-risk families does not scare her away from providing compassionate, empathetic and quality services. In her 8 years of service she has shown immense initiative, going beyond her role of a home visitor to participate in and help organize community meetings and engagement events that help educate and empower her families. Maria understands that her role with families, her agency and her community goes beyond the time spent in visits, she consistently finds ways to offer her help and support so that her program and our agency can support families to the best of our ability."

Thank you for all you do, Maria! 

A word from her supervisor: 

"LaToya Hines has been a member of our Sieda MIECHV team for almost 2 years. She has a contagiously positive attitude and loves working with the families on her caseload. She is quick to help any new team members when they need it and never complains. When we completed phone surveys with the families on her caseload, she got tons of compliments like "she encourages me to do better", "She's always there to help me resolve problems", "she always has a positive attitude", "she is fun and acts silly with the kids" and those are just a few of the wonderful things they had to say. Her team members love her as well. She makes meetings more fun by bringing her humor to them. She is not afraid to ask questions or admit when she doesn't know how to do something. This is her first job out of college. She has been eager to learn and has adapted well to the position. She is a joy to work with!

Not long after she started working for our program, she witnessed and ran to the aid of the family during a house fire in her neighborhood where a three-year-old child was unable to be saved. Following this experience, despite how difficult it was, LaToya felt that she was in the right position to continue affecting the safety of children in her community. LaToya has a positive impact on everyone she meets."

Hats off to LaToya! Thank you!

Jennifer is currently employed with Lutheran Services in Iowa at their Woodbury location. She has remained in their employment for the past 9 years and works with 17 local families!

A word from her supervisor:

Jennifer Paulsen, although not bilingual, has demonstrated skill for serving families who English is not their first language, as evidenced by a strong retention rate and positive family feedback. Since 2014, LSI has contracted with an interpreter, Maria, to provide home visitation to Spanish-speaking families in Woodbury County. Maria has worked alongside LSI home visitor, Jennifer, to serve a total of 9 Spanish-speaking families since 2014. Jennifer has graduated 3 Spanish-speaking families at 5 years length of stay between December 2023-December 2024. Jennifer is currently working with an additional 5 Spanish-speaking families. The average length of stay for those Jennifer has served is 31.1 months. 100% of family satisfaction surveys returned report Jennifer demonstrates respect for their family, culture, beliefs, and parenting, and provides materials that are inclusive. A Spanish-speaking family served by Jennifer reported "[Jennifer] is very kind with a strong dedication to helping/supporting others."

We appreciate you! Thank you!

Anna is currently employed with Webster County Health Department. Here she serves as a family support worker and has been working closely with 15 families for the last 1.5 years! 

A word from her teammate:

She is a family support professional in the Family Foundations program in Fort Dodge, Iowa. She drives 30 minutes from her home to the office every single day to show up for her families. She has several years of experience supporting and caring for others and has been in her current role for over a year. Anna is passionate in supporting her families, from identifying activities tailored to each family to remembering personal details about each of them. She cares deeply for the well-being of these families and celebrates their successes. She is constantly looking for resources to support her families and puts her heart into each day. One of her clients shared, "I believe that Anna deserves this nomination as she goes above and beyond for the clients she visits with. She is kind, very caring, and understanding - always willing to help with whatever I need! She bonds great with the children. She helps them grow and learn while bonding with the parents to help them feel supported, confident, comfortable, and safe! I have had the awesome privilege to have Anna and can say she is the best!! Never have I felt judged, out of place, or misunderstood. She listens to what you need and gives you all the help she can to watch you and your family succeed!"

Anna, you are deeply appreciated!

Hannah is a family support worker employed by Webster County Health Department. She has been with the Webster team for the past 15 months and serves 15 local families! 

A word from her teammate:

She (Hannah) is a family support professional in the Family Foundations program from Fort Dodge, Iowa. Hannah has been a home visitor for over a year now with the program. She is one of the most kind, caring, and supportive people you could meet. She approaches each family with humility and a lack of judgment. Hannah looks for the good in her families and supports those characteristics. Being a mother herself, she appreciates other approaches to parenthood while also showing empathy. A client she sees shared, "She has brought me so much joy and has been with me this pregnancy when it's been difficult."

Thank you, Hannah, for being you!