Long-Range Plan

Dubuque County Empowerment Board
Long-Range Plan
Approved August 27, 2002

Vision Statement
The Dubuque County Empowerment Board will ensure that all children are healthy and successful.

Mission Statement
The Dubuque County Empowerment Board builds public commitment and works collaboratively with the community to ensure access to high-quality child care, health care, and family services for all children and families in Dubuque County.

Guiding Principles
To achieve the mission and accomplish goals, the Dubuque County Empowerment Board will implement the following steps in action planning. Specific steps to reach objectives will be based on this plan.

• Gather broad community input.
  
• Educate the public.
• Serve as a clearinghouse for information.
• Provide leadership.
• Promote collaboration to ensure efficient use of community resources.
• Focus on outcomes and community indicators.
  

Five Goals

Goal #1
Healthy Children

Objectives:

• Children born with an appropriate weight, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
• Children will be adequately immunized by age 2.
• Children will have a consistent health care provider.
• Children will have health care coverage.
  

Strategies:

• Assure parent educational opportunities for child health and development.
• Assure prenatal care for women in their community.
• Assure assessment of health care needs of young children.
• Assure access to well-child and dental, vision, hearing, and developmental screenings.
• Promote healthy lifestyles for families.
• Assure transportation systems are in place so there are no barriers to accessing health services.
• Assure case management of needed services and screenings.
• Increase enrollment in Title XIX and HAWK-I.
  

Goal #2
Children Ready to Succeed in School

Objectives:

• Children will achieve optimal levels of developmental performance. (Developmental domain areas: cognition, communication, motor, self-help, and social/emotional.)
• Children will have access to quality early learning environments.

Strategies:

• Eligible children will be served by Early ACCESS.
• Assure adequacy and availability of child development resources to parents, child care providers, and early education.
• Encourage National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation or Head Start performance standards.
• Improve the quality of preschool environments.
  

Goal #3
Safe and Supportive Communities

Objectives:

• Establish and strengthen community supports for children and families.
  

Strategies:

• Increase collaboration and coordination of child and family services
• Encourage participation in parenting classes and child abuse prevention programs.
• Increase the number of family-friendly employers.
• Encourage options for child care through employers, including sick child care options.
  

Goal #4
Secure and Nurturing Families

Objectives:

• Families have knowledge and skill of child development and appropriate parenting.
• Children will be safe from neglect and abuse.
• Children and families will have sufficient resources to meet basic needs.
• Children will live in homes free from violence.

Strategies:

• Increase collaboration and coordination of child and family services.
• Involve families.
• Assure parent education.
• Assure literacy programs.
  

Goal #5
Secure and Nurturing Child Care Environments

Objectives:

• Affordable, accessible, and quality child care will be available in the community.
  

Strategies:

• Encourage parents to research and utilize appropriate substitute caregivers.
• Assure adequate part-time and 2nd and 3rd Shift Care.
• Facilitate child care provider recruitment.
• Utilize Child Development Homes system for development and evaluation of child care providers.
• Encourage a variety of child care environments.
• Improve child care teacher retention through increasing compensation and education.
• Assure transportation systems are in place so there are no barriers to accessing child care services.
• Provide families with assistance in child care costs.
• Assure availability of special needs care.
• Encourage child care registration and licensure.