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A5781355371AC4DC872582E3005EED98 Hearing Summary




PUBLIC
BILL SUMMARY For UPDATE FROM FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER ASSOCIATION

INTERIM COMMITTEE  EARLY CHILDHOOD AND SCHOOL READINESS
Date Aug 8, 2018      
Location SCR 357



Update from Family Resource Center Association - Committee Discussion Only
11:16:54 AM  
Mark Kling, Executive Director of the Family
Resource Center Association (FRCA), came to the table to begin his presentation.
 Copies of his presentation and a handout were distributed to the
committee [Attachments B and C].  Mr. Kling spoke about the mission
of the FRCA, and thanked the committee for a letter it provided to the
Joint Budget Committee to support funding for Family Resource Centers (FRCs)
for family support case management.  He explained that the FRCA uses
a two-gen approach to provide multiple services and supports to families
through strengths-based, comprehensive, coordinated case management, acts
as a family-friendly access point to the wider community, is tailored to
the culture, resources, and needs of each community, and works one-on-one
with families to help them set and achieve transformative goals.  He
said there are 10 FRCs that are currently receiving state funding.  Mr.
Kling explained that FRCs are statutorily required to provide comprehensive
family support and case management, system navigation and resource referral,
parenting education, financial literacy, early childhood education, adult
education, workforce development, a food pantry, and emergency services.
11:23:59 AM  
Mr. Kling stated that several FRCs are
using models that are very similar to the Warren Village model of providing
housing in addition to other wraparound services. He answered questions
about the gap in available services between urban areas and rural and frontier
areas and about the need to improve communication to get information out
about available services to those who need them.  He spoke about the
need for additional resources to focus on capacity-building in the local
FRCs in order to improve access and communication.  He said families
who engage in family support services are assessed in 14 self-sufficiency
categories and five protective factors in order to reduce child abuse and
neglect.  Mr. Kling reiterated that only 10 of the 29 FRCs in Colorado
received state funding support.
11:33:33 AM  
Mr. Kling continued to discuss the need
for additional state funding and requested that the committee send a letter
to the Joint Budget Committee to request funding for additional FRCs.  He
answered questions from the committee about the lack of centers in the
eastern plains and mountain communities, and stated that the oversight
state agency for FRCs is the Office of Early Childhood in the Department
of Human Services.