A Community Action Agency

About CEO CEO was founded in 1965 as the Community Action Agency serving Rensselaer County CEO’s mission is to preserve and advance the self- sufficiency, well being and growth of individuals, children and families through education, guidance and resources CEO offers over 25 unique programs and services aimed at moving people out of poverty and toward self-sufficiency

C OMMUNITY S ERVICES

Community Services Programs  Career Development Services  Emergency Services  Family and Children’s Services  Financial Resource Center  Food Pantry  Foster Grandparent Program  Transport-a-Hero Program  Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

Career Development Services Assists employees in obtaining employment or career advancement Offers education and soft-skill development Provides resume and cover letter assistance Teaches proper interview techniques Connects customers with job skills training

Emergency Services Offers emergency and short-term case management services Provides advocacy, linkage and referrals with the purpose of averting crisis and stabilizing emergency situations Seeks to identify resources for a long-term solutions

Family and Children’s Services Provides comprehensive, confidential counseling services for individuals, children, families and groups Supports the Head Start and Early Head Start programs, as well as the general uninsured public Counseling topics may include such issues as anxiety, depression, relationships, children, family violence, parenting, financial stability and life transitions

Financial Resource Center Provides financial literacy education Offers linkage and access to banking services and financial institutions Helps customers access credit reports and develop a credit repair plan Provides linkage to Career Development Services

Food Pantry Provides a 3-day supply of nutritious food up to twice monthly for each individual in the household Provides information about resources and referrals Holiday Programs o Thanksgiving Food Baskets o Christmas Food Baskets

Foster Grandparent Program Provides at-risk children with an additional support and adult in their life Provides a small stipend which helps low income seniors make ends meet Keeps seniors involved and connected to their community by offering a position where they can be of value

Transport a Hero Program Enhance the accessibility of services provided to Rensselaer County Veteran, active or reserve military service men and women.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program Offers free tax preparation services to low- to moderate-income individuals and families. The VITA program helps working families access the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and many other credits.

E ARLY C HILDHOOD S ERVICES

Early Childhood Services Programs  Head Start and Early Head Start  Babies in Waiting and Fatherhood Initiative  Universal Pre-K  Stepping Stones II Early Learning Center

Head Start and Early Head Start Comprehensive child development program that focuses on the child and the family to minimize the educational disparities caused by poverty Positively impacts children’s cognitive, language, and social emotional development Improves school readiness Provides nutrition and health education Improves parenting skills Head Start: Children ages 3-5 years Early Head Start: Children ages 6 weeks to 3 years

Babies in Waiting and Fatherhood Initiative Babies in Waiting o Assists eligible pregnant women with pre-natal and childbirth classes, family consultations o Component of Early Head Start program Fatherhood Initiative o Encourages fathers to be more aware of and involved in their child’s life and education o Available to families in Head Start and Early Head Start

Universal Pre-K Comprehensive school readiness program to prepare children to be successful in Kindergarten Collaborations with Troy, Lansingburgh, Hoosick Falls, Hoosic Valley and Cambridge School Districts

Stepping Stones II Early Learning Center Childcare services for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years Provides a warm, relaxed, "extended family" atmosphere - a home away from home Reasonably priced; breakfast, lunch and snacks are included

Y OUTH AND F AMILY S ERVICES

Youth and Family Services Programs  21 st Century Community Learning Center  Family Support Services  Teenage Opportunity Program  Transitional Student Support  Women, Infants and Children (WIC)  WIC Vendor Management  YouthBuild

21 st Century Program o An after-school (and summer) program that assists students with: o Being more successful in school o Improving their standardized testing scores for English Language Arts and Math o Increasing school attendance o Decreasing the number of behavioral incident reports

Family Support Services Provides support and advocacy services to families of children experiencing on-going emotional, behavioral, and social difficulties Services may include: individual advocacy, system advocacy, supports, education, resources, and referrals

Teenage Opportunity Program Provides individualized case management, advocacy and referrals to youth ages Works with youth to identify goals and means to achieve goals to make positive changes in their lives and become self-sufficient

Transitional Student Support Provides homeless students with case management, advocacy, and referral services Aims to increase awareness of homeless students’ rights Aims to ensure schools provide services to homeless students Assists families to meet immediate needs and secure housing

Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Provides nutrition education, breastfeeding education and support, healthy food, and infant formula Facilitates peer counseling to expectant and postpartum omen during pregnancy and early days of breastfeeding Implements facilitated customer led discussion groups

WIC Vendor Management Ensures that all participating WIC vendors have adequate food and infant formula available in stock and fairly priced. Provides training and monitoring of all stores in a 20 County area Currently monitors over 250 stores

YouthBuild Provides education, occupational skills training and leadership development to youth ages who were unsuccessful in traditional school settings Youth perform community service and contribute to the construction of housing for low-income families Assists youth in obtaining employment or enrolling in secondary education

H OUSING S ERVICES

Housing Services Programs  EmPower NY  Weatherization Assistance Program  Weathertite

EmPower NY program Focuses on cost effective electric reduction measures Assists income eligible clients reduce energy use

Weatherization Assistance Program Performs measures to increase the energy efficiency of homes Assists income-eligible customers by reducing their heating and cooling costs Improve the health and safety of the home through energy efficiency measures

Weathertite A fee-based weatherization program Provides weatherization services at reasonable costs the general public who are ineligible for the Weatherization Assistance Program