 On February 7, Board Chair Dr. Jeffery Johnson joined staff for the Maryland Community Action Partnership’s virtual Advocacy Day. Following a general session, meetings were held for members of the Montgomery County Delegation. Participants included Delegates Bernice Mireku-North, Julie Palakovich-Carr, David Moon, Pam Queen, Gabriel Acevero, and Lorig Charkoudian, along with staff for Delegates Sara Love and Ariana Kelly.
Each meeting included an overview of Community Action programs, MCAP, the board’s advocacy priorities, and a brief summary of the Self-Sufficiency Standard. MCAP’s legislative priorities this year include continuation of funding for “2-Gen”/Whole Family programs and the establishment of a Maryland Community Action Anti-Poverty Fund.
Across the Maryland legislative season, the Community Action Board has been busy submitting testimony in support of numerous bills on a wide range of issues, including tax credits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for college students, and streamlining the application process for human services programs. To date, the Board has submitted testimony in support of the following bills before the Maryland legislature:
- HB 0108 - Human Services - Universal Basic Income for Transition-Age Youth – Establishment (support with recommended amendment)
- HB 0087/SB 52 - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs - Waiver - Diapers and Menstrual Hygiene Products
- HB111 - Maryland Medical Assistance Program, Maryland Children's Health Program, and Social Services Programs - Eligibility & Enrollment
- SB160 - Human Services - TCA - Calculation of Benefits
- SB420 - Human Services – Temporary Cash Assistance – Housing Allowance
- HB547/SB552 - Family Prosperity Act of 2023
- HB323 - Social Services Programs - Eligibility and Enrollment
- HB1219 - Maryland Educator Shortage Act of 2023, and
- SB756 - Access to Counsel in Evictions - Funding.
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February was a very busy month for the Board’s Community Advocacy Institute (CAI). On February 4, Community Action Board member Pamela Luckett facilitated the fourth CAI workshop, The Nuts and Bolts of Advocacy. This session focused on communicating with elected officials via email and developing original testimony. Dr. Johnson led a presentation about public speaking and three CAI graduates--Odessa Davis, Vanessa Pierre, and Albert Reed, pictured above with Ms. Luckett--participated in a panel discussion about their advocacy efforts since completing the program. CAI Ambassadors also led small group discussions. Participants will now prepare their original testimony, which will be shared in-person at Council Office Building at the next workshop.
On February 16, Sarah Selim Milad, an attorney at Just Neighbors, led a well-attended CAI alumni workshop about immigration legal issues. The session also included an important “Know Your Rights” section where participants learned about their basic rights in the event of an encounter with ICE. Just Neighbors is a Community Action contract partner.
 CAI graduate and Head Start Parent Policy Council member Ramata Diop participated in a panel discussion at the Climate Change Film Festival, Our Grain of Sand, hosted by the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and Latino Health Initiative on February 23 at AFI Silver Theatre & Cultural Center. Ms. Diop and fellow CAI graduate Lynnette Hamrick were among seven CAI graduates who recorded their concerns about the effect of climate change on the community in the Climate Stories Ambassadors program. Learn more about the ‘Grain of Sand’ Film Festival and the Climate Stories Ambassadors Project. Pictured above at the film festival are (left to right) Sharon Strauss, Executive Director of Community Action; Ramata Diop, CAI graduate and Head Start Policy Council member; Leah Goldfine, Program Manager and liaison to the Community Action Board; and Lynnette Hamrick, CAI graduate. Congratulations to all who contributed to the Climate Stories Ambassadors Project.
 Thank you to students at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, who created Valentine cards with positive messages for Long Branch area seniors who participate in the Takoma-East Silver Spring (TESS) Community Action Center's Senior Social program. Sarah Day, Middle Years Program Coordinator, brought the cards and the seniors chose their favorites.
TESS Manager Maureen Larenas-Rivas says, “It was especially exciting and made a tremendous difference that [Ms. Day was] able to join us at our Senior Coffee Hour on Friday, February 10.... All of us were amazed by the artwork and the seniors were happy that they were remembered.”
Head Start registration for school year 2023 – 2024 will begin on March 1!
Applications are accepted online via https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org and Rocking Horse Road Center, 4910 Macon Road, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
From March 1 – 31, Head Start registration is also available at the following locations:
- Up County Regional Services Center, 12900 Middlebrook Road., 3rd Floor, Germantown, MD 20874. Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Extended hours on Wednesdays until 7:00 p.m.
- White Oak Community Center, 1700 April Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20904. Monday and Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., and Wednesdays 2:00 – 7:00 p.m.
- Long Branch Community Center, 8700 Piney Branch Road, Silver Spring, MD 20901. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Gwendolyn Coffield Community Center, 2450 Lyttonsville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Tuesdays and Thursdays, March 7 through March 30, 2023, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Head Start eligibility is based on family income (up to 100% of the federal poverty level). There is also a County and State-funded pre-kindergarten program that is available for families at different income levels. The registration process for both HS and pre-kindergarten is the same, and both have half-day and full-day classes.
Head Start/Pre-K registration fliers are available in English, Spanish, Amharic, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, French, and Portuguese.
The flier has a QR code that takes you directly to ParentVue, the MCPS parent portal. Families can apply online with no staff support if they feel comfortable doing so. The portal will have an option to enroll for fall 2023 (school year 2023 - 2024) after MARCH 1.
Fliers in English and Spanish direct parents and guardians to one link if they are new to MCPS, and another if they already have a child attending MCPS.
Do you have questions about Head Start? Check out the Common Questions online.
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 Following the successful addition of grant-funded service navigator positions at Community Action, it is with great excitement that we introduce three new merit Community Services Aide positions in the Navigation Team for Community Action Agency, Office of Community Affairs, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.
Ameha Dessie, who has been with the Navigation team since March 2022, brings a wide knowledge base in benefit programs. Ameha is fluent in Amharic and continues to build community among immigrants from Ethiopia living in Montgomery County. He is resourceful and compassionate, and we are fortunate to have him on board.
Paola Lopez has been with the Navigation program since September 2022. With a background in Community Health and case management, Paola brings problem-solving expertise to unique health issues and gaps in services, and she is fluent in Spanish. Clients are grateful for Paola’s kindness in delivering services.
Trica Young has worked in School Health Services for over two decades. We are excited to welcome Trica back to Community Action, as she is also a former Head Start Policy Council and Community Action Board leader. Trica’s willingness to jump in and assist those in need is inspiring.
Welcome to the Navigation Team, led by Program Manager Monica Rivera-Goldberg!
Highlights from the VITA Season
 Tracey Walker-Carter, Director of Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC) with the IRS, joined with Community Action and its partners at the WorkSource Montgomery VITA site on January 26th, recognizing the important role of VITA in helping people across the country to become more economically secure. Pictured above are (left to right) Wayne Ford, Senior Operations Advisor, IRS; Taunya Johnson-Oates, VITA Program Specialist with Community Action; Ms. Walker-Carter, and Lillie Williams, also with the IRS.
 Above, Mr. Ford and Ms. Walker-Carter are pictured with Eduardo Mendes, VITA Program Specialist with Community Action; Stephanie Crane, United Way; and Sharon Strauss, Executive Director of Community Action.
Comptroller Brooke Lierman, right, joined with community leaders at the Equity Center at Lakeforest Mall on January 20th to kick off the tax season and promote tax credits.
FREE TAX HELP IS AVAILABLE!
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Community Action's VITA offers FREE income tax preparation to Montgomery County residents with household incomes of $60,000 or less. By appointment, IRS-certified preparers assist residents in claiming refunds and credits for the 2022 tax year. Appointments are in Gaithersburg, Rockville, Silver Spring and Wheaton, and online. Appointment scheduling is filling up!
Information about the VITA Partnership is available in Amharic, Chinese, English, French, Korean, and Spanish and will soon be available in Vietnamese. Please check the CASHBACK website for the latest information, or call 240-777-1123.
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