Leading Through Innovation
featuring
MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action
February 19, 2020
The Promise of Community Action
Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities,
and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire
community and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves
and each other.
Purpose: The purpose of the LCRC is to analyze Community Action outcomes and identify effective,
promising, and innovative practice models that alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty.
BUILD CAA CAPACITY TO FIGHT POVERTY!
Tiffney MarleyProject Director, LCRC
• An initiative funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation ❑ dedicated to breaking the cycle of intergenerational
poverty through whole family approaches in Community Action
• Sponsored 10 agencies to participate in an 18-month cohort
Why A Whole Family Approach?
Our Children Are Our Future
• About 16% or 12 million children live in poverty (SPM)
• Our youngest children are our poorest
• 60% of poor children live in small cities, suburbs, and rural towns
• 2 in 3 poor children in related families live with an adult who works
Children’s Defense Fund, Ending Child Poverty Now
“While projected to be the majority by 2043, children of color are
disproportionately impacted by poverty, resulting in the lack of access to the
opportunities, resources, and support they need to thrive…”
Race and Poverty
“Growing up in poverty undermines healthy child development and can perpetuate negative impacts for a
lifespan.”
Growing Up In Poverty
Economic and Social Risk
Every year we leave millions of children in poverty, our nation experiences $700 billion in
lost productivity and increased health and crime costs
Our Future
The future social and economic security for all of us is at stake…
Vision
• Results beyond anything achieved before
– “Meeting Families where they dream…”
– Maximizing people's potential to contribute to the civic, social, and economic lives of our communities.
– Producing a legacy of family well-being that passes from one generation to the next.
Accelerating Social and Economic Mobility
• Achieving this vision will require accelerating social and economic mobility beyond anything we have done before.
• The vision many of us aspire to requires deeper engagement with families, being data driven, person-centered, trauma informed, giving attention to racial equity, innovation, and achieving greater impact.
Understanding the 2Gen/WFA
Building family well-being by working with children and the adults in their lives together
Results: Efficiency is improved and outcomes are enhanced for parents, children, families, and
communities
Whole Family/2 Gen Approach Defined
The Whole Family Approach Lens
• Families have the potential to grow and change
• Providing integrated, high-quality, intentional supports to parents and children at the same time through a Whole Family Approach has the potential to improve both parent and child social and economic well-being producing a legacy of family well-being that passes from one generation to the next.
New Brain Science-Young Parents
• Another window of brain development
• This is a moment in time to maximize investment-feeding directly into a two-gen framework
• “People change, brains change. Inequity is not inevitability.”
– Dr. Sarah E. Watamura, Stress Early Experience and Development Research Center, University of Denver, Ascend Fellow
New Brain Science-Young Parents
Ascend 2Gen Continuum
Aspen Ascend Theory of Change
Aspen Ascend Theory of Change
2Gen/WF Approach Characteristics
• Center on families—Experts and Co-designers• Integrate services—Alignment of Intentional, High
Quality, and High Intensity Supports, Systems and Funding
• Remove barriers—Access, Remove, Repeat• Coach—Shift from Case Management• Partner—Creative Internal and Community
Collaborations• Center in equity, particularly, racial equity—Practices
and Policies that Build Opportunities For Everyone• Measure child, parent, and family outcomes
There is a 13% return on investment in high-quality early childhood for each year of a child’s life. And a college degree doubles a parent’s income.
—James Heckman, Economist
Why 2Gen/Whole Family Approach?
Featured Participants will include:
• MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action• Wayne Metro Community Action• Enrichment Services Program, Inc.
• Aroostook Community Action Program• Central Missouri Community Action
• Metro Action Commission
Leading Through InnovationWebinar Series
Join us February – May to hear from Community Action experts as they share how their pursuit of a Whole Family Approach has
inspired and required innovation within their agencies
MAHUBE-OTWADetroit Lakes, MNLiz Kuoppala, Executive Director, CCAP
Whole Family Approach: Community of Practice
Leading Through Innovation
OUR SERVICE AREA:
• 5,000 Square miles in
Central North Western
Minnesota
• 5 Counties
• Includes the White Earth
Nation
• Very Rural
• Largest town has 13,000
people
Otter Tail
Becker
Mahnomen
Wa
de
na
Hu
bb
ard
Child Care Aware
Family Planning
Head Start, EHS &
EHS CCP
Housing/Homeless
LIHEAP
Senior Services
Weatherization
PROGRAM DETAILS:
• 16,000 Clients per
year
• $17m annual budget
• 150 staff
• 18 member board
MOTIVATION: MOVE BEYOND CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Generative Mindset of Abundance
Learning Community
Transformation
Stories
INNOVATION #1:
A new
look at the
Crisis to Thrive Scale
OLD
NEW
INNOVATION #2:
Relationship-
Based
Coaching &
the Platinum
Rule
Trauma-Informed Care
Family Voice
WHOLE FAMILY APPROACH
Out of 359* Head Start Families how many
accessed our other agency services?
• Family Planning 18 or 5%
• Tax Aid 29 or 8%
• Energy Assistance 160 or 44%
• FHPAP 35 or 9%
*Unduplicated households 2018-2019 program year
WHOLE FAMILY APPROACH
• Monthly Board Discussion items / book
group on diversity. Added 4 People of
Color and/or Indigenous to Board of
Directors in the past 2 years
• All staff encouraged to take Harvard’s
Implicit Bias Test /Intentional Reflection
• Intercultural Development Inventory
Qualified Administrator / Staff IDI Plans
• Diversity/Equity/ Inclusion Committee-
Friday Film Fests & Discussion on aspects
of inclusion
• Agency-wide recognition Days
Equity
TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE
GENERATIVE
• Journey-Mapping with Head Start and
Housing families
• Utilizing shared governance training
differently to better include family
experiences
• Addressing organizational culture to be less
top-down so staff closest to families are
empowered to make change
• DEED internships
• Employee training series on:
• Building a Strengths-based Team
• Work-Life/Fusion
• Emotional Economy in the Workplace
• Embracing Change
Family
Voice
TWO YEARS INTO OUR TRANSFORMATION, WHAT
HAS CHANGED?
EMPLOYEE SURVEY RESULTS
• Org makes clear what our priorities are and what’s most important, 91% agree, up from 66%
• I have consistent access to data for making decisions about and improving my work 74% agree, up from 48%
• Org regularly assesses and improves key admin and work processes 75% agree up from 53%
• Employee Turnover Rate decreased from 25% in 2018 to 14% in 2019
COMMUNITY RESULTS• Won President’s Award for Civic-Minded Employer from our local
college
• Stronger relationship with several large employers
• Secured a $1.5 million foundation grant to reduce caseloads
• Secured a new partnership with MN’s Dept of Employment and Economic Development for apprenticeship program
• Secured public and private funding for incentives to help families reach their goals
• Actively supported state advocacy that resulted in a $100/month increase in the TANF grant (for the first time since 1986)
• Org FB page from 300 followers to 2,600!
FAMILY RESULTS• 40 families screened for CLIMB
Initiative (relationship-based coaching)
• 4 apprentices (nursing, child development, community outreach tracks)
• 12 graduates of employability initiative
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES
• More Family Coaches + Coach Mentor
• Data Analyst
• Increased focus on professional development for all staff
• Training on relationship-based coaching for family coaches
• Identified CLIMB cohort
• Developed incentives program
AH-HA MOMENTS
• Slow and Steady Approach
• Learn from others/use existing tools
• Plan time to remain focused
• Working on culture, values, outcomes, empowerment each create small wins along this journey
• Staffing changes aligned with a shift in thinking
CAP TOOLS WE FOUND HELPFUL IN OUR CULTURE CHANGE
• Code of Ethics
• Pathways to Excellence process
• CCAP
• Whole Family Community of Practice
• Poverty Simulation
OTHER TOOLS WE FOUND HELPFUL
• Aspen Ascend https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/
• Annie E. Casey Foundation https://www.aecf.org/blog/learn-more-a-collection-of-resources-on-two-generation-approaches/
• MN’s 2-Gen Policy Network https://mn.gov/mmb/2-generation/
• UMN Future Services Institute http://futureservicesinstitute.org/
NEXT STEPS
• Universal Intake
• Continue to refine our data tracking
• Continue making improvements to coaching model based on family feedback
LESSONS LEARNED
• Know and keep your core purpose and core values
• Patience – everything takes longer than we think it should
• Start small
• Dream big
• Have fun!
WHOLE FAMILY TEAM (WEEKLY 30 MIN CHECK-IN MEETINGS)
• Alice Meyer, Family Service Worker
• Angie Kent, Office Manager
• Ashley Syvertson, Housing Case Worker
• Chandler Esslinger, Family Health Coordinator
• Dana Patsie, Child Care Aware Director
• Jamie Stollenwerk, Employment Caseworker
• Jen Soule, Early Childhood Services Manager
• Jenny Hagen, Data Analyst
• Liz Kuoppala, Executive Director
• Marcia Otte, Family Development Director
• Michelle Wilkowski, Head Start Director
• Sue Leopold, Head Start Home Base Teacher
QUESTIONS?
CONTACT INFO
MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership
www.mahube.org Facebook: /mahubeotwa
Liz Kuoppala, Executive Director
Office: 218 847 1385
Cell: 218 248 5963
https://communityactionpartnership.com/events/category/webinars/
Winter 2020
February 26: Encouraging Communities to Participate in the 2020 CensusMarch 4 & 11: Energy and Health Partnerships Pt. 1 & 2March 25: Leading Through Innovation – Wayne Metro
Community Action Academy
✓ On-demand courses, videos & resources
✓ Peer Engagement & Virtual Networking
✓ Virtual space for Learning Community Groups
Moodle is an online learning platform designed to provide trainers and learners with a single robust, secure, and integrated system to create personalized learning
environments. https://moodle.communityactionpartnership.com
Free & Accessible to the entire Community
Action Network!
NEW! Mobile App for Community Action Academy
1) Search your App Store (Apple) or Google Play(Android) for the official moodle app (can simply type "moodle").
2) Once the app is downloaded to device, enter URL: moodle.communityactionpartnership.com
3) Login on the Moodle app using your same credentials for Community Action Academy on the computer.
For more information, you can visit this link.
Save the Date2020 Annual Convention
August 26-28, 2020Seattle, Washington
For more information or questions contact The Learning Communities Resource Center Team:• Tiffney Marley, Vice President, Practice Transformation
[email protected]• Hyacinth McKinley, Senior Associate for Learning & Dissemination
[email protected]• Lindley Dupree, Senior Associate for Research
[email protected]• Courtney Kohler, Senior Associate for Training & Technical Assistance
[email protected]• Aimee Roberge, Program Associate for Learning Communities Resource Center
[email protected]• Lauren Martin, Program Associate for Training & Technical Assistance
[email protected]• Kevin Kelly, Director of Community Economic Development
This presentation was created by the National Association of Community Action Agencies – Community Action Partnership, in the performance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services Grant Number, 90ET0466. Any opinion, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations
expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.
For More Info