The 2012 Missouri Reentry Conference will be held November 14-16 at Tan-Tar-A Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks. The Conference has issued a "Call for Presentations." Proposals are due by Friday, Aug. 10, 2012. Follow directions on link.

The Conference provides high-quality education and networking opportunities for corrections professionals and community-based partners who contribute to the prisoner reentry process. The multiple tracks format offers a self-directed, facilitated learning environment with education sessions, interactive forums, and exhibits. Education sessions are carefully designed to transcend all industry sectors, focusing on current and emerging issues, best practices, and the many challenges that the community, corrections staffs, and ex-offenders face.

The annual Conference is sponsored by Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS), the Missouri Department of Corrections, the Missouri Department of Social Services, and the Family and Community Trust (FACT).
  
Conference registration will be available the end of August at www.stlarchs.org.

ARCHS' USDA Partnership has distributed 5,000 "Sesame Street: Food for Thought" packets to students in Saint Louis Public Schools. The packets focus on healthy food choices and gives children tips on how to make their own nutritious snacks.

The USDA awarded grant funding to Missouri this year to implement Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (SEBTC) for the summer of 2012. Through ARCHS, the funding will provide benefits this summer for approximately 5,300 eligible, randomly chosen, children who attend Saint Louis Public Schools. Chosen households are receiving $60 per month per child in June and July, and a pro-rated amount in May and August based upon the school district's schedule.

With 5,300 children expected to receive benefits this summer, St. Louis area stores and farmers' markets will redeem more than $800,000 in SEBTC benefits. This program is not open to the general public and participants have already been selected for this year.

ARCHS' USDA PARTNERSHIP PHOTO GALLERY

ARCHS' Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) Families Component just wrapped up its seven weeks of classes, which aims to use group interaction, activities, and skills practices to engage parents and children to foster positive family functioning.

As an alternative to long-term suspension, the Jennings School District has identified five families to participate in the program. In return, the students are allowed to stay in school with the understanding that they must attend all the classes and complete the program. One hundred percent of the five families successfully completed and graduated from the program.

•     GREAT FAMILIES PHOTO GALLERY
•     GREAT FAMILIES GRADUATION PHOTO GALLERY

$10 Million State Budget Cut to Impact 80 ARCHS' Supported Child Care Programs Serving 3,000 children

ARCHS has been notified it must suspend two of its most important programs due to State of Missouri budget cuts.

ARCHS’ early childhood Start Up and Expansion and Accreditation support programs will be suspended for the FY2013 (July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013).

The $10 million in FY2013 funding cuts approved by the state legislature ($1.5 million of which would have funded ARCHS' programming) will directly impact ARCHS’ current support of more than 80 area child care programs, serving more than 3,000 children each day – primarily in St. Louis’ urban core.

ARCHS will not be issuing a planned June 2012 request for proposals (RFP) for its early childhood Start Up and Expansion program and its Accreditation program.

At this time, ARCHS anticipates continuation of its successful Educare and Stay at Home Parent programming that support more than 105 area child care programs.

The most recent example of ARCHS’ work to improve the quality of area early childhood programs is the April 2012 national accreditation of the Gingerbread House child care program (shown above). Over the past two years, ARCHS has provided strategic technical assistance and professional development to 15 area child care programs (like Gingerbread House) that have achieved national accreditation and to another 18 programs who became licensed.

In April 2012, ARCHS successfully completed an annual state audit by the Missouri Department of Social Services for its early childhood and after school programs. The audits review all aspects of ARCHS’ financial and programmatic responsibilities, and includes review of thousands of pages of documents and on-site visits to area programs.

ARCHS has a strong track record related to early childhood programs.  In fact, many of ARCHS’ early childhood quality improvement processes have been adopted statewide. In 2005, ARCHS was honored with a “What’s Right With the Region” award for its work to improve the quality of child care programs. Members of ARCHS’ senior leadership team have also served on the Missouri Governor’s Pre-K Readiness Panel.

ARCHS will have more information about these cuts in the June 2012 newsletter.

If you know of other funding sources to support these highly successful programs, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .