Heather Loughman was our speaker at the Lincoln South Rotary Club meeting on Friday, February 24, 2023. Her presentation was on: "Community Action’s Home for Head Start Project: An Effort to Improve Provision of Quality Early Childhood Education Services for Lincoln’s Youngest Children".
Heather Loughman shared that our Community Action Partnership is one of 9 such organizations in Nebraska and there are 1100 in the United States.
Our Community Action Partnership serves the Lincoln and Lancaster County area. Established in 1965 it serves over 17,000 per year in 6 locations across the service area. They have a staff of over 180 and an annual budget of $23million.
The mission is to empower people living in poverty to reach economic stability. They identify the most pressing needs and put resources toward those needs.
The purpose off Community Action Partnership is to provide support and service in these areas:
Early Childhood Education
Homelessness Prevention
Financial and Family Well-Being
Hunger Relief and Healthy Food Access
Specifically Heather presented information about the Head Start program which is a national anti-poverty program enacted in 1964. The program provides early childhood education at no cost to families.
Our Community Action Partnership has center (there are 3 in Lincoln) and home-based options available. They are currently serving 493 babies, toddlers, preschoolers, expectant parents, and their families.
Early Head Start is designed to enroll children living in poverty. Per Heather than is defined as $30,000 per year but she reported that there is a high percentage of the families that are at the $15,000 level. Other factors are those with high barriers to success.
- 55% experience developmental risk factors, such as exposure to violence or traumatic loss
- 71% people of color
- 45% from single-parent households
- At least 10% with verified disability
In our service area, there are over 2600 children under age 5 living in poverty and there is a wait list of 350+ families. Early Head Start is one of two programs in Lancaster that does not charge for services.
The education services that they provide is comprehensive. They connect clients to health services including immunizations and dental services. They provide 2 healthy meals and snacks each day. Studies indicate that if children have access to fruits and vegetables they are more likely to develop healthy eating habits. They also work with families and teachers on mental health concerns.
The parents of Head Start children take an active role in governing the program. The parents are encouraged to volunteer to hep with the success of the program. Also, each family receives the support of a family engagement specialist to make sure that they have the environment they need for their development. Community Action Partnership may be able to arrange for rent assistance and they offer classes such as financial skills. Head Start has also brought back arranged play groups.
Heather talked about the building that houses Head Start. They started by leasing half of the building that was home to Kaplan University and now inhabit the entire building. There are many updates needed to provide the right environment for Head Start. A major change is providing bathrooms connected to each classroom. They are also enlarging some of the rooms to provide appropriate activity areas.
Contact Information:
Heather Loughman, CEO
(402) 875-9319
hloughman@communityactionatwork.org
www.communityactionatwork.org
Heather Loughman, CEO
(402) 875-9319
hloughman@communityactionatwork.org
www.communityactionatwork.org
BIO:
Heather Loughman was born, raised and educated in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan off the shores of Lake Superior. Upon receipt of a master’s degree in rhetoric and technical communication from Michigan Technological University in 2011, she moved to Nebraska for personal reasons with no other definitive career plan other than to become gainfully employed in order to start paying off her school loans. What she found – by way of a grant writing position at Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties – was so much more: an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the betterment of her community.
Heather became CEO of Community Action in October of 2021. She currently leads a team of 175+ staff working to fight poverty – specifically through provision of early childhood education, homelessness prevention, financial and family well-being, and hunger relief and healthy food access services – across Lancaster and Saunders Counties. She is an active member of the Community Action of Nebraska and Lincoln Workforce Development Boards as well as the Lincoln Littles Early Childhood Champions group. She resides in Fremont with her husband and two dogs, and loves to plan travel for herself and others in her spare time.