Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Lord,
Our earthly life contains times filled with storms. We may feel as though we are being rained down on, blown around by the wind, or tossed and turned as though we are inside of a tornado. Just like our ever-changing weather outside, we fail to recognize the storms in our life will pass. Help us to keep an optimistic outlook as we weather the storms in our lives and to remember you are with us through it all.
Amen.
Announcements
- Joan Cordonnier reminded us that on Tuesday March 19th, during our regular lunch meeting, we will vote on the proposed amended By-Laws as approved by the Board of Directors. Click here to read the proposed By-Laws.
- Craig Dring, the co-chair for Tri-Star basketball, said that the next Tri-Star Basketball event will be on March 9, 2024, at Watts Middle School. Sign up to volunteer for the event using the Member Calendar. There are two shifts to choose from, 8-10:15 and 10-12:15. They need about 35 volunteers for this event. Kids aged 7-12 will compete in pass, shoot, and dribble contests. You don’t need any basketball skills. Volunteers are needed to help with setup, registration, running the contests, scoring the participants, and handing out trophies. The event is also an opportunity to get to know fellow CNO members.
Miami Valley Child Development Center
Kathy Rearick introduced Berta Velilla, the President and CEO of Miami Valley Child Development Center, the local Head Start program. MVCDC is a dynamic organization serving more than 2,000 children in a five-county area. Head Start has been supporting families since 1965.
Berta has more than 25 years of experience working in the early childhood arena and has served as MVCDC’s executive director since 2019. She has a B.S. in Psychology from Wright State and an MBA from Xavier University.
Slides
The slide deck has more information than is listed in this article.
You can view the slide deck of the presentation here.
About Head Start and MVCDC
Miami Valley Child Development Centers is southwest Ohio’s Head Start agency. For over 58 years, we’ve been providing FREE early learning and childcare to children from 6 weeks to age 5.
MVCDC currently serves 2500 families. About 60% of families have a single head of household. About 40% of families have both parents working.
What sets us apart is our two-generational approach that builds family well-being by simultaneously working with children and the adults in their lives to access new resources, solve problems and sharpen existing skills. We have Family Support Specialists, Home Visitors and Coaches ready to partner with you on this journey.
In most cases, families must earn 100% of the Federal Poverty Level or less. Children experiencing homelessness or who are in foster, or kinship care are also eligible. In some cases, children with disabilities may qualify.
This year, the Office of Head Start expanded eligibility to all children receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SPAN) program benefits.
Generally, a mother of two must have an annual income of $24,030 or less to be eligible for MVCDC services.
We have full-day and part-day options at our more than 50 convenient locations in Montgomery, Clark, Greene and Madison counties. Some programs offer FREE transportation.
All MVCDC self-operated programs are highly rated under Ohio’s Step Up to Quality initiative. Most have a 5-Star rating, which is the highest distinction.
By the Numbers
- 64% of Head Start teachers have a bachelor’s degree
- 100% of teachers in our program have earned a minimum of a Child Development Associate credential
- 73% of teachers at Early Head Start Childcare Partnerships have earned a Child Development Associate credential or are in the process of doing so
- 54% of our staff have worked at MVCDC for 5 years or more
- 100% of MVCDC’s self-operated centers are rated as “high quality” under Ohio’s Step Up to Quality initiative
- We served 131,779 breakfasts, 137,086 lunches and 132,474 snacks during the program year
- Successfully completed our Focus Area 2 federal review with 100% compliance with all regulations
Head start gives families early learning choices
- Part Day, 3.5 hours per day Monday-Thursday either AM or PM and part of the year
- School Day, up to 6 hours per day for the school year
- Home Based, 90 minutes per week in home sessions with monthly organized group socialization
- Full Day, up to 10 hours per day, part of the year
- Full Day, up to 10 hours per day, full year
Presentation
Berta Velilla said she was very much looking forward to speaking to a large group of people today that live life optimistically while doing so much for the community. She was extra excited at the meeting to see how much fun we were having.
Head Start is a national program that started in 1965.
The belief of the Miami Valley Child Development Center (MVCDC) is that everyone deserves an opportunity to thrive. They deliver exceptional early childhood education and develop compassionate partnerships with families to support them in realizing their hopes and dreams.
MVCDC uses a comprehensive approach that includes researched-based curricula, health, nutrition, mental health and family engagement. Examples include testing children’s eyesight, hearing and making sure they don’t have a toothache.
The first five years of a human being’s life are the most critical for development. MVCDC provides lots of interactions and support. They start serving children who live in poverty before they enter Kindergarten which makes their services unique. They want children to have a strong start in life and be ready to succeed.
MVCDC has 450 employees serving 2500 families with 2871 children. They have 50 different locations that are in the most distressed areas of Montgomery, Clark, Greene and Madison counties. They have a huge presence in East and West Dayton.
Many of the families have parent/guardians with jobs, which is why they give so many options for times of the sessions.
Much of their work is in partnership with many other organizations.
Many employees of MVCDC are people that MVCDC has helped.
MVCDC is building a new facility on the west side of Dayton in Lincoln Hill. It has taken 10 years to raise the money and plan the new facility.
MVCDC has a waiting list because of a shortage of teachers.
Thank You
Thank you, Berta Velilla, for educating us about the Head Start services of the Miami Valley Child Development Center.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Berta Velilla | Speaker |
| Chris Mackey | Patrick Arehart |
| Don Stafford | Carol Smerz |
| Jason Riley | Mike Bevis |
| Spencer Miller | Chris McAlpine |
| Vicki Thompson | Ron Thompson |
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Diane Flick | Mike Bevis | 2nd Reading |
| Donald Stafford | Carol Smerz | 3rd Reading |
| Chris Mackey | Patrick Arehart | 3rd Reading |
| David Seyer | Debe Dockins | Induction |
Happy Bucks
| Member | Reason |
| Jeff Busch | His son made the Freshman CHS Baseball Team. |
| Jeff Busch | His son was chosen by his peers to be on the Hope Squad. |
| Bill Stone | $10, Celebrating 10th Wedding Anniversary with Kelly. |
| Gary Hansen | Lots of CNO members have stepped up to be mentors for the Will Cale Scholarships. This means all nine of the well deserving students will now have mentors and receive scholarships from CNO. |
| Kelly Stone | $20, Celebrating 10th Wedding Anniversary with Bill. $10 for the last 10 years and $10 for the next 10 years. |
| Chris McAlpine | His daughter gave an in-person donation request presentation to the CNO Board of Directors and Chris wasn’t there. It wasa huge growth moment for her. He appreciates the board taking the time to let her present. |
| Stan Fronzaglia | One of the guests last week posted the Players Box flyer on a bulletin board. |
| Tom Henderson | He and Jesse Lightle are volunteering for the Centerville School Levy. |
| Greg Hoffbauer | Dots Market is now selling Contempo Roast coffee products. |
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| ** New Sergeants Nancy Lehren and Sue Brubaker started their reign today. | Better look out! |
| Roland Rapp | Wife Mary Ann attended Diva’s Day out. She won some money at the event and since she is not here, Roland is fined. |
| Beth Duncan | Got so into demonstrating the Texas Two Step at Diva’s Day out, she went off into the sunset, abandoning her group. |
| Larry Lynde, Charlie Goodwin, Paul Stull, Jeff Busch, and Don Massie | Being at a table of all men. |
| Karen Charnesky | Stealing the bell and gavel before the meeting started. She didn’t know you can’t do that until the meeting starts. |
| Tim Clemmer | For framing Greg Griffin after Karen Charnesky stole the bell and gavel early. Tim put them up on the counter by Greg. |
| Jean Pummill | Not obtaining the President’s pin for Joan Cordonnier. She claims they were out of stock. |
| Bill Stone | Not giving Joan Cordonnier her President’s pin when she was installed as president. |
| Paul Stull | Complained that he has not won the 50/50 drawing in a long time. He attempted to bribe the sergeants to draw his ticket by offering half of the winnings. |
| Jeff Umbreit | Been too long since he last attending a meeting. |
| Tom Henderson | Been too long since he last attending a meeting. |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Judy DeMarco | February 27, 1998 | 26 |
| Jane Fiehrer | February 27, 1998 | 26 |
| Melissa Deeter | February 27, 2023 | 1 |
| Greg Hoffbauer | February 27, 2023 | 1 |
| Mindy Hoffbauer | February 27, 2023 | 1 |
| Stephanie Llacuna | February 27, 2023 | 1 |
| Fran Sheehan | February 27, 2023 | 1 |
| Dick Stevens | February 28, 2001 | 23 |
| Kelly Stone | February 28, 2001 | 23 |
Birthdays
| Jon Wesney | February 26 |
| Aaron Campbell | February 28 |
| Joan Cordonnier | February 28 |
| Judy Johnson | March 1 |
| Tim Clemmer | March 2 |
| Rachel Goetz | March 2 |
| Tim Stull | March 2 |
| Greg Fay | March 3 |
| Karen Charnesky | March 6 |
CNO Donations – Since 2013
Click here to see a summary of donations the club has made since 2013
Thank You Notes Received this week
No Thank You Notes received this week.