What Is Community Empowerment?

Overview/Purpose

Commmunity Empowerment was established by Iowa state legislation during the 1998 session in an effort to create a partnership between communities and state government with an emphasis to improve the well being of families with young children.

Community Empowerment Areas are designed to empower individuals and their communities to achieve desired results to improve the quality of life for children ages 0-5 and their families.

It is believed desired results identified by communities, with the support of the state, will be achieved as individuals, governments, businesses and agencies work collaboratively within communities.

It is believed individuals in local communities working together can identify and implement the best means for attaining desired results.

The role of the Iowa Empowerment Board and the state is to support and facilitate growth in the community responsibility; not assume the directive role that the public has come to expect of government.

Community Empowerment Area

Community Empowerment enables local citizens to lead collaborative efforts involving education, health, and human services programs on behalf of children, families, and other citizens residing in the area.  The focus is to improve results for families with young children.

Community Empowerment Area Boards
There are 58 Empowerment Areas statewide representing all 99 counties.  Each area has a citizen-led board to support activities to promote collaboration and develop systems in the community for young children and their families.

A majority of the local board members are citizens and elected officials.  Board membership includes representatives from business, faith, consumer, human services, education, and health.

Comprehensive Services and Supports

The Empowerment legislation encourages communities to "work together" to assist families with children ages 0-5.

School Ready funds provide comprehensive services for children ages birth through five, including:

• Preschool and child care

• Parent support

• Family home visitation

• Parent education

Early Childhood funds enhance the quality and capacity of child care, including:

• Regular child care including recruitment of providers

• Child care for mildly ill children

• Second or third shift child care

• Infant child care

• Training regarding quality for providers, including center-base and home-base

• Support for registration and licensure

Empowerment at the state level is supported by interagency collaboration of the Departments of:

• Education

• Human Rights

• Human Services

• Management

• Public Health

Priority Issues

Summary of community plan priority issues (as identified in 2008) - The purpose of the Cerro Gordo, Hancock and Worth County Empowerment Area includes: improving the well being of families with young children, creating partnerships between community, state government and various organizations, and breaking away barriers that limits this designated area's efforts to address the educational, health and social support needs of families.  Through extensive needs assessments and community input, we feel the following proposed community plan fosters the system enhancements necessary for improving the well being of all children ages zero to five.

As part of this process, our goals include:

• Empowering new and expectant parents through a parent support/education/home visitation program

• Improving accessible and quality child care and preschool for all families with young children

• Enriching the network of community health services to guarantee children a healthy start

Through research, local experts' input and community members, well being opportunities emerged in the categories of: Healthy Children, Secure and Nurturing Child Care Environments, Secure and Nuturing Family Environment, Children to Succeed in School, and Safe and Supportive Community.  During the past year, the local empowerment board identified ten key priorities for area children's well being.

The following priorities/indicators are listed in no order of preference. They are:

• Low Birth Weight

• Immunizations

• Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention/Testing

• Prenatal & Postpartum Depression

• Quality Preschool

• Child Abuse 0-5

• Quality Child Care