Success Over the Decades

As Kellie Collins, Early Childhood Family Support Worker, reflects on her over two decades of successes in her position, one fact remains true: Kellie was called to service.

Kellie has been with LSI for over 26 years, serving the Sioux City area. In her role, among many other services, Kellie holds groups in LSI’s Teen Parenting Program in high schools, where our program is the sole provider of this service.

“Each family and situation are unique, and we provide services in many different areas which include: setting goals; providing development tools and resources; coaching and teaching skills to both parents and children, and providing screening or referring families when needed,” said Kellie.

“I have seen much success with our programs and services in the Sioux City area,” said Kellie.

“In my years of service, I have witnessed: clients who have fought addiction and stayed sober; clients who have dealt with mental health issues; families who have been in the HHS system and have been able to stay on the right path and raise their children; parents who became citizens and purchased their first home, and first-generation students that  have graduated from high school or college.”

“The list of successes can go on and on, and there are many levels of success, whether big or small,” said Kellie. “I have learned along the way that we may never know how we have helped or impacted a family that we have worked with, but I love hearing from former families and learning how they are doing.”

A message from Mallory Berkenpas, Service Coordinator at LSI:

“Kellie Collins has been a constant comforting presence for the Siouxland families and communities she has served for the past 27 years. Kellie has witnessed the changes the field has experienced over time and continues to put her best foot forward in providing quality services to the children and families of Siouxland. Kellie has a profound passion and unique skill in building rapport and relationships with the families she serves and is a wonderful collaborative partner to peers, school districts, and the communities of Siouxland. Kellie is an immensely valued team member of the Early Childhood team in Sioux City and we are so incredibly grateful to have her!” 

 

Teta’s Story

“Thinking back to where I was a few years ago, barely able to pay my bills, compared to where I am now, I feel blessed,” said Teta, a client of LSI. 

LSI’s Child Care Business Development program helps individuals like Teta, a single mother of three, start her own in-home child care business and support her family while providing culturally appropriate child care to her community. 

After hearing about LSI’s Child Care Business Development program through a friend at her local church, Teta enrolled in the program as a single mother of three young girls while working full-time. She knew the struggles of finding culturally appropriate, affordable child care for her children and wanted to help other families in her community. 

Teta worked around the clock to make the dream of owning her own business a reality – so much so that she worked on class material for LSI’s program during her breaks at work. After about four months, Teta became certified to open up her own at-home child care business, where she now cares for ten children. 

The LSI Child Care Business Development program helps immigrants, refugees, and non-native English speakers to start or expand licensed in-home daycare businesses through education, training, language, business, and other support. LSI’s program began in 2012 with the goal of expanding culturally and linguistically appropriate care and providing small business opportunities for secondary income earners.

“LSI has been a huge help in this journey for me and my three kids,” said Teta. “Because of LSI’s Child Care Business Development program, I can stay home to watch my kids grow and learn, and I am able to do things like help my 8-year-old daughter with her homework.”

Since the program’s inception, LSI has helped over 200 providers from 16 language groups start home-based child care businesses in Polk County. As a result of LSI’s work, the majority of home-based child care providers in Polk County are now immigrant and multi-lingual providers. 

Teta doesn’t just care for the children in her child care business but helps them learn, grow, and have new experiences. She prioritizes teaching young children to count and the alphabet, and takes the kids on outings, such as going to the local zoo. 

“We have people in the community who need child care and are looking for a provider that speaks their language and has a similar background , lives close to them, and is open during their working hours,” said Mu Da Paw, LSI Community Resource Navigator. “By providing culturally appropriate, high-quality child care, LSI is helping solve the child-care crisis in Iowa.” 

Through additional support from the State of Iowa and Iowa Women’s Foundation, LSI is expanding the Child Care Business Development program to key communities in Iowa such as Sioux City, Buena Vista County (Storm Lake), Black Hawk County (Waterloo), and Scott County (Davenport). 

“LSI’s classes help you learn how to better care for infants and young children. Where some people were born, we did not have the privilege of knowing how to care for children and infants,” said Teta. “At LSI, I learned how to perform CPR, and now I know how to save my own kids and my child care kids in an emergency.” 

In the beginning, Teta’s goal was to make enough income to support her three children and create a better life for her and her family. Through LSI’s services, she surpassed that goal and even purchased a new car for her and her children. 

“I want to thank LSI for approving me to be a child care provider and helping me put food on the table for my three kids. Working with LSI has been an honor and a blessing, and I want to make sure my children follow in my footsteps.” 

Learn more about services that help people like Teta:

Immigrant and Refugee Community Services

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