Area early childhood boards to merge

In just over a month (June 5), the Early Childhood Iowa (ECI) State Board will consider final approval of the merger of two local ECI boards.

The Des Moines/Louisa and the Henry/Washington Early Childhood Area boards have been working together since December 2014 to complete and submit a state application for merging into a single four-county area.  The new board will operate as the DHLW Early Childhood Area.

The board currently has 11 members, consisting of people who were already serving on the previous 2-county boards.  Additional members are needed from the Louisa and Washington County areas to fill vacancies.

The DHLW Early Childhood Board meets regularly to determine community needs for young children, establish priorities and provide funding to local programs offering services to families.  Members of the DHLW Early Childhood Area Board include elected officials and volunteer community leaders.

Current members of the DHLW Early Childhood Area Board include: Patricia Lipski (chair), Washington County; Paula Buckman, vice chair, Louisa County; Stan Stoops, treasurer, Washington County; Mary Campbell, secretary, Des Moines County; Dave Helman, Henry County; Jim Cary, Des Moines County; Sergio Ayala, Louisa County; Melody Raub, Henry County; June Morgan, Des Moines County;

Gary See, Henry County; Mike Steele, Henry County.Members of the board will be attending a planning retreat on May 1 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Marr Park, 2943 Highway 92, Ainsworth, IA.  Members from the public are welcome to attend.

The board received a total of 25 applications exceeding $1.1 million in requests.  The board has approximately $900,000 to award to programs for the state fiscal year 2016.

For more information about the DHLW Early Childhood Area Board or the programs currently funded contact Tasha Beghtol, director, 319-461-1369.