Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc.

2012

Upcoming November Calendar Items:* Nov. 5- Region V Head Start/Early Head Start Policy Council. (6:00 pm - 9 pm) * Nov. 12- Tri-Valley Offices Closed (Veteran’s Day)* Nov. 22-23- Tri-Valley Offices Closed (Thanksgiving)* Nov. 26- Grandparents Night at Washington School in Crook-ston. Sponsored by CFSC. (6:30 - 7:30 pm)

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

“People Helping People”www.tvoc.org

Tri-Valley Head Start Receives Highest Possible Rating from Parent Aware

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. announced today that the Tri-Valley Head Start program earned four out of a possible four stars on the Parent Aware ratings. The Parent Aware star rating system measures the best practices which are most predictive of school readiness.

The ratings particularly focus on teaching and re-lationships, assessment of child progress, teacher training and education, and physical health and well-be-ing. The Parent Aware sys-tem helps parents find high quality early childhood pro-grams that will nurture their children and prepare them for school and life.

“This award is a testament to the teachers and staff we have at all of our 14 Head Start centers that provide high quality early childhood education to over 1,300 children. I am very proud to be working with such competent and dedicated staff,” says Head Start, Child and Family Programs Director Laurie Coleman.

Parent Aware is led by the Minnesota Department of Hu-man Services in coordination with the Minnesota Office of Early Learning. The Child Care Resource and Referral system is coordinating local-level implementation. Parent Aware is also supported by a unique partnership with com-

munity leaders through Parent Aware for School Readiness and Greater Twin Cities United Way.

Tri-Valley Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Programs Hold Recognition Luncheon

(Crookston, Minn.)- Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs held an annual recognition luncheon at the Crookston Eagles Club on Wednesday, October 3. The event acknowledged the hard work and dedication provided by so many. Years of service certificates were given to volunteers from new en-rollees to those who have provided an outstanding 21 years of service volunteering 15 hours or more per week. Three Foster Grandparents, Jeanie Jacobson, Grant Schmitz and Helen Lyczewski were recognized for providing 21 years of volunteer service.

21 Years of Foster Grandparent Service (L-R):

Helen Lyczewski, Grant Schmitz,Jeanie Jacobson,

T.H.E. Bus was utilized for emergency operations and sup-port during the serious wildfires at the end of September and early October in Kittson and Pennington Counties in Northwest Minnesota. Four Tri-Valley buses were used to help with evacuations in coordination with the Kittson County Sheriff ’s Office and were instrumental in getting residents to safety.

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc.

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. (TVOC) is a community action agency headquartered in Crookston, MN. It is our Mission to provide opportunities to individuals and communities in order to improve the quality of our lives. In existence since 1965, TVOC provides services in 84 counties in Minnesota and Northeast North Dakota. For more information on services offered by Tri-Valley please call 218-281-5832 or 800-584-7020.This information is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities. Contact us at 1-800-584-7020 or by calling the Telecommunication Relay Service at 711 or 1-800-627-3529. Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer/provider. EOE/M/F/D/V

Did You Know?...* You can receive more information on Tri-Valley’s programs and services by calling 218-281-5832 or 800-584-7020.

* You can keep up with Tri-Valley news on the TVOC website at www.tvoc.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TVOCInc and on Twitter at @TriValley_TVOC.

* Everyone can receive the Tri-Valley Newsletter. If you know of anyone who would like a copy please have them contact Mitch Bakken at 218-281-5832 or mitch.bakken@tvoc.org.

Emily Schwichtenberg, Food and Nutri-tion Specialist at Tri-Valley was named the Association of Nutrition & Food Service Professional (ANFP) Certified Dietary Man-ager (CDM) of the month! Emily also holds licenses as a Registered Dietitian (RD) and a Certified Food Protection Professional (CFPP).

Children from the Migrant & Seasonal Head Start center in Monticello recently enjoyed a field trip to Como Zoo!

The Foster Grandparent Program took part in the 2012 United Way Soup and Chili Cook Off and Chocolate Extravaganza held on Tuesday, Octo-ber 2 in Crookston. In the picture from left to right are Foster Grand-parent Gabe Amon, Senior Programs Man-ager Jeanette Larson and Foster Grandparent Fern Elshaug.

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. Offers Bio-metric Testing to City of Crookston Employees

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. offered biomet-ric testing to City of Crookston employees on Tuesday, October 23 from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at Crookston City Hall. The event had an outstanding turnout with nearly 60 employees taking part in the testing which will di-rectly affect each individual’s insurance premiums. This level of biometric testing is a first for Tri-Valley.

In northwest Minnesota, it can be difficult to find a clin-ic that can perform biometric testing for larger groups of people. Tri-Valley employs several Registered Nurses (RN) and a Registered Dietitian (RD) so it was a great opportunity for Tri-Valley to provide this needed ser-vice to City of Crookston employees.

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. and the City of Crookston are members of the Northwest Service Co-operative and are in the same health insurance pool through Blue Cross Blue Shield. As a part of Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Wellness Pilot Program, employees who are enrolled in a health insurance plan can voluntari-ly participate in the Wellness Pilot Program’s biometric testing (blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumfer-ence, cholesterol-ldl/hdl, blood sugar, and triglyceride levels) to receive a reduction in their health insurance premiums for the 2013 benefit year.

Children from our Migrant & Seasonal Head Start center in Rochester loved learning about apples at Tweite's Pumpkin Patch.