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Governor Keating to speak at Legislative Conference

    Governor Frank Keating is scheduled to speak at the opening general session of OKACAA’s Legislative Conference that is scheduled for Mar. 20-22 at the Clarion Hotel on Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City.

    The general session will begin at 1:15 p.m. with a legislative update. Keating is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 20. Following the general session, conference attendees will have an opportunity to visit with their legislators at the Capitol. The annual legislative reception begins at 6 p.m. at the Clarion.

    The Legislative Conference will also feature a variety of concurrent training programs.

    There will be three training tracks for Head Start programs beginning at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 21.

    Head Start parents will be able to attend sessions on “Fostering Resilience in Children” presented by Dr. Walt Davis, Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma/Canadian Counties, and a presentation entitled “Nutrition – What is it?” presented by Loveta Hammond, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Services.

    For Head Start staff, there will be education roundtables and a presentation on “Children’s Outcomes.” Head Start coordinators will participate in a disabilities roundtable facilitated by Jan Moss, United Affiliated Programs. There will also be an Early Start roundtable.

    Tricia Auberle, OKACAA’s Homebuyer Education Specialist, will discuss “What the Oklahoma Homebuyer Education Association Can Do for Your Agency” during a session for Housing staff. Linda Tarpley, Housing Director, Southwest Oklahoma Community Action, will discuss “Operating a CHDO in a Rural Area” and Tina Lindsay, from the Okla

    Cathryn Cook, Consultant, Center for Non-Profit Management, will conduct training for board members.

   ODOC staff will discuss “CSBG Implementation and ROMA Problem Solving.”  Jere Bilodeau, Central Oklahoma Community Action; Gloria Love, Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma/Canadian Counties; Anita Cowan, Opportunities, Inc.; and LaQuita Thornley, INCA Community Services will present “Best Practices for Emergency Services.”

    Corporation Commissioner Denise Bode is scheduled to speak at the closing breakfast.

    Contact OKACAA at 405-524-4124 for registration information.

  Cheri Ezzell named CDSA Executive Director

    Cheri Ezzell has been named to replace Gary Theilen as head of Community Development Support Association (CDSA) in Enid. She is currently the agency’s Housing Director.

    A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Ezzell has been with CDSA since 1997. She was elected to the Enid City Commission in 1995 and has served on the Oklahoma Merit Protection Commission. She has been a member of the Garfield County Board of Health and currently serves on the Board of Autry Tech.

Upcoming Meetings

March 20 - OKACAA Board of Directors, OHSA and OWHAC meetings at the Clarion Hotel on Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City. Details: 405-524-4124.

March 20-22 - OKACAA Legislative Conference at the Clarion Hotel on Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City. Details: 405-524-4124.

April 17-18 - OWHAC meeting at the Biltmore Hotel in Oklahoma City. Details: 405-524-4124

April 18 - OKACAA and OHSA Directors meetings at the Biltmore Hotel in Oklahoma City. Details: 405-524-4124.

Case management suggestions

    Pam Pullman, CEO, Personnel and Management Co., offered a series of suggestions for effective case management during a presentation at the Community Action Association of Region VI Winter Conference in Little Rock.

    She suggested that case managers make sure their clients or families want them to serve as their advocate. “Consider having a clear understanding and agreement with your client.” Pullman said some develop a “Letter of Agreement” with the client that spells out what the client can expect and what is expected of the client.

    Successful advocacy requires good conflict resolution skills. “You must master the skills of how to defuse anger instead of running away from it.”

    Other suggestions:

•   To the extent possible, involve your client in all decisions about your advocacy on his or her behalf. Be willing to compromise when necessary and appropriate.

•   Understand the limitations and complexities that exist within human service agencies, and consider realistic options and alternatives proposed by the opposing party.

Central Oklahoma CAA hosts utility roundtable

    Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency (COCAA) hosted a utility roundtable in Norman recently for organizations fielding calls from people trying to cope with skyrocketing heating bills.

    “We wanted to be able to better direct people on what to do,” explained Ginny Corson, Emergency Services Case Manager for COCAA in Norman. “Our phones had been ringing off the hook,” she added.

    Representatives from Oklahoma Natural Gas (ONG), Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OG&E) and Oklahoma Electric Cooperatives (OEC) met with officials from the United Way, Salvation Army, Food and Shelter for Friends, Aging Services Elder Care, Cleveland County Mental Health, Norman Missions Ministry and COCAA.

    Forty-five people participated in the roundtable meeting. The focus was on providing information to the agencies so that they could help their clients.

    Utility representatives described their policies and procedures for turning off services. “We wanted to know how we can help people to keep them from getting to that point,” Corson said. Some clients are afraid of the utility company and won’t call when they have a problem, she added.

    Following the meeting, Corson said everybody walked away feeling much better.

Agency News

    Community Action Agency of Okahoma City and Oklahoma/Canadian Counties has received a federal grant to help fund a Community Mural Project, according to the Daily Oklahoman.

    Groups can apply to paint a mural in areas where graffiti might otherwise be found. Community Action will work with residents to reimburse them for their painting expenses.

  Northeastern State University faculty assisting

Cookson Hills develop Head Start curriculum

    Cookson Hills Community Action’s Head Start program is partnering with Northeastern State University to develop a curriculum that will be culturally appropriate and flexible.

    The goal is to have the curriculum ready to implement by June 2001, said Bea Dougherty, Head Start Director at Cookson Hills.

    Dr. Roxanne Fillmore, a member of Cookson Hill’s Education Advisory Committee and Chair of the Early Childhood Program at Northeastern, is leading a core group working on the project. Dr. Karen Gunter, Chair, Reading Department, and Bonnie Giese, Language Arts Specialist, are also working on the project.

    The project started out of a concern with literacy.

    “We looked at how children learn to read,” Dr. Fillmore explained. Dougherty briefed the project team on Head Start performance outcome requirements.

    The completed project will integrate a literacy component into the other parts of the Head Start educational curriculum, Dr. Fillmore explained.

    Dr. Fillmore visited several Head Start centers to talk with teachers about needs in their classrooms. She wants the lesson plans to be flexible so that changes can be made based on the needs of the children at the site.

    Dougherty is excited about plans to develop a curriculum that is culturally appropriate for the Cookson Hills Community Action Foundation area. There are a large number of children of the Cherokee and Creek Nations in the Head Start program.

    “Children couldn’t relate to some parts of the curriculum,” Dougherty said. The new curriculum will include lessons on bead work as a part of the arts and crafts component, for example. Some story books will be from the Cherokee culture, she added.

    Dr. Fillmore praised parents on the Policy Council who were “very supportive.”

    Dr. Fillmore began visiting Head Start centers in November. Cookson Hills Head Start teachers were to take the prototype lesson plans into the classroom to evaluate in February.

    Northeastern Early Childhood Education students will also be involved in the project. Up to a dozen graduate students will be placed in Head Start classrooms this summer to work with the new lesson plans as a part of their educational program.

Head Start children in vision screening study

    Cookson Hills Head Start children will participate in a study designed to validate a vision screening instrument, Pat Gower, Health/Nutrition Specialist, said.

    Dr. Lynn Cyert, Chair of Cookson Hill’s Health Services Advisory Committee and a Professor at Northeastern State University College of Optometry, was awarded the $1.2 million grant by the National Eye Institute.

    The study is designed to find the best way to screen children for vision problems at a young age.

    Final results of the five-year project should be a valid, easy to use assessment instrument, Gower said.

HUD to convene Native American housing conference

    The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will sponsor its first comprehensive homeownership planning conference for urban Indian areas March 27-28 in Seattle, WA.                                    

    The conference, Expanding the Circle: Building the Foundation for Self-Sufficiency, will be a unique collaboration of urban, tribal, public/private agencies and Indian organizations charged with addressing urban Native American housing, economic and community development issues.

    Participants will have the opportunity to learn and share ideas regarding urban planning and how it impacts urban Indian communities.                                     

    Conference presenters will include staff from key federal agencies, attorneys, urban community members, private lenders and representatives of nonprofit or public agencies interested in working with urban communities.                         

    Topics to be covered include fair housing laws, comprehensive planning, multifamily housing, housing for Native American veterans, community development and economic development. The conference will also feature training sessions and small group discussions to facilitate networking and to help participants develop comprehensive planning skills.                                 

     Indian populations in urban areas increased substantially after World War II and throughout the 1950s as a result of relocation and termination policies. In an effort to “mainstream” reservation Indians, policies were enacted that gave tribal members up to $1,800 for relocating from rural areas and reservations to urban areas.             

    As a result, urban Indians now comprise approximately half of the total Indian population and there are Indian communities in most major urban areas. For more information, call the conference information line at (800) 525-2859.

Neighborhood Reinvestment training institute April 16-20

    Chicago is the site for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Training Institute scheduled for Apr. 16-20.

    The Institute will feature 68 courses in management and leadership, community building, neighborhood revitalization, economic development, affordable housing, rural development, home ownership, and community lending.

    Call 800-438-5547 for details.

Serving clients with Limited English Proficiency focuses on ‘access’

    Community Action Agencies need to provide “meaningful accessibility” to services for persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) under provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to Tom J. Smith, Equal Opportunity Specialist, at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights.

    Speaking at the Community Action Associations of Region VI Winter Conference in Little Rock last month, Smith explained that LEP individuals are unable to speak, read, or write or understand the English language sufficiently to permit them to interact with health and social service agencies. The law typically covers Community Action Agencies because federal financial assistance enters into their programs.

    Smith cited as an example questions that might be asked of parents on application forms for Medicaid, State children Health Insurance Program, TANF, Food Stamp Benefits and of children enrolling in Head Start. Questions regarding citizenship, immigration status, social security numbers or the number and names of other people living in the home, might discourage parents from applying for services their child is entitled to receive. Therefore, these questions should not be asked if not needed or required by law.

    Communications barriers may result in denial of needed benefits or services, delay in providing services, wrong benefits or services, and ineffective or less effective services, Smith said.

    “It is the responsibility of the agency – not the client – to make sure there is effective communications and meaningful access,” Smith added.

    He suggested assessing language needs in the service area through census data, school records, and from advocacy groups. The agencies should assess LEP language needs then develop and implement written policies to insure LEP persons access to their programs and services.

    Oral language assistance might be provided through bilingual staff, staff interpreters, contractors, volunteers, or telephone language lines. Smith urged agency staff to verify the competence of providers of interpreters services.

    Do not require applicant/clients to use family members or friends or minor children to translate, Smith warned. They should only be used if requested by the client and after they have been informed of their right to receive “free” language interpretation, and only if it would not compromise the effectiveness of the service.

    When evaluating the type of language assistance an agency must provide, the Office of Civil Rights looks at the size of the agency, size of eligible population, nature of the program, program objectives, resources, and frequency of encounters with LEP clients, Smith explained.

At the Legislature

    Only about 40% of the nearly 100 bills being tracked by OKACAA had cleared committee by the legislature-imposed deadline last month. Among those that were passed out of legislative committees:

    SB 35 by Sen. Bernest Cain (D-Oklahoma City) and HB 1933 by Rep. Opio Toure (D-Oklahoma City) which provide for a state earned income tax credit of 10% of the federal earned income tax credit.

    SB 146 by Sen. Angela Monson (D-Oklahoma City) that provides a utility cannot retain a customer’s service deposit for longer than one year if the customer maintains an adequate payment history.

    HB 1767 by Rep. Susan Winchester (R-Chickasha) that creates the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness Board to facilitate community collaboration of efforts that will prepare children to enter school healthy and ready to succeed. The Head Start State Collaboration Project Director would be a member of the board.

    SB 210 by Sen. Kelly Haney (D-Seminole) and Cal Hobson (D-Lexington) is the shell bill to appropriate funds to the Department of Commerce. It was assigned directly to the Senate Calendar.

    HB 1297 by Rep. Darrell Gilbert (D-Tulsa) that requires a group of state agencies to develop a program through which unused prescription drugs may be transferred from nursing homes to respositories to be distributed to medically indigent residents.

    Meanwhile, HB 1897 by Rep. Kevin Cox (D-Oklahoma City) was approved by the full House. It directs DHS to provide $25 monthly vouchers to poor, elderly residents to pay for medication and medical supplies.

Cookson Hills Foster Grandparents serve children in 11 county area

    Over 180 senior citizens are helping children who have special needs or are not working up to their grade level through the Cookson Hills Community Action Foster Grandparents program.

    Eva Shipp, Project Director, said the seniors range in age from 60 to 96 and work an average of 20 hours per week. They must meet income guidelines and receive a stipend of $2.55 per hour.

    There are 570 children assigned to  Foster Grandparents at 54 work sites in an 11 county area. Most children range from three to 12 years of age.

    The $575,000 budget is funded by the Corporation for National Service and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

    Delta is the only other Community Action Agency to operate a Foster Grandparents program in the state.

    Shipp said many first join the program to earn some extra money. For those living on a limited, fixed income, the extra $210 earned monthly can make a real difference.

    However, she added, once they start working with the children it develops into a love.

    “They really get into it,” Shipp said. “We rarely have one quit because they don’t like what they are doing,” she added.

    Foster Grandparents are assigned to children based on needs. For example, in a Head Start class a Foster Grandparent may help a child learn to use scissors while developing fine motor skills.

    “There are as many needs as there are children,” Shipp said.

    She noted there is one lady in Commerce who is blind but helps children learn their multiplication tables. In Stilwell, a man works with children at risk in the high school agriculture program.

    Shipp said the program participants are recognized during an annual special event in November. Each county nominates its Foster Grandparent of the Year. The Advisory Council interviews each nominee and selects the Foster Grandparent of the Year who receives a trophy. Each county nominee receives a plaque.

    The program began in Cookson Hills in 1967, Shipp said.