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Quarterly
Newsletter
August 2025
| | Building Connections and Providing Services in East Central Kansas | |
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It’s back-to-school time for our Head Start kiddos and families! August is always a mixture of careful planning to ensure classrooms and curriculum are ready to go, excitement to welcome everyone back, and a bit of controlled chaos as routines are established and children settle in. Each year brings fun experiences and lots of learning. A HUGE shout-out to our Head Start staff as they kick off the 2025–2026 Head Start school year!
All our departments carry out ECKAN’s mission every single day. I encourage you to take a look at some of the statistics in this issue. They represent only a fraction of what happens here at the agency—so many impacts are being made! We’ll continue highlighting programs, staff, and partners, and the work happening to best serve our communities.
This month’s success story captures how ECKAN “makes things work.” I loved hearing our neighbor put it that way. I often remind staff that “heart work is hard work”—because it’s not always easy when we don’t see the end results right away or when we don’t have all the answers. If you feel moved to help a neighbor and create an impact in your community, please consider the link at the end of this newsletter. Your support helps “make things work” for individuals and families—and it’s deeply appreciated!
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The Head Start team returned the week of July 28 and hit the ground running! Between getting classrooms ready, holding screening and enrollment days, and completing Conscious Discipline and Supervision trainings, we've been gearing up for a strong start to the year - some classes kick off as early as August 12.
Conscious Discipline, developed by Dr. Becky Bailey, is an social-emotional learning program that teaches adults self-regulation so they can model healthy responses, understand and manage their emotions, and consciously guide children through their words and behaviors.
We're excited to welcome back our amazing staff and give a big shoutout to the new faces joining us this year. Huge thanks to our Admin team and Family Educators who worked hard all summer to keep Early Head Start, childcare, and home visits going strong. Here's to an awesome 2025-2026 school year.
| | | Weatherization Team Attends Different Trainings | |
In April, members of ECKAN’s Weatherization staff traveled to New Orleans to take part in the 2025 National Home Performance Coalition Conference. This annual event brings together professionals from across the country to share best practices, explore innovative technologies, and strengthen the impact of Weatherization programs nationwide. One of the major highlights of this year’s conference was the new Weatherization Assistant (WA).
The Weatherization Assistant focuses on a new inspection and auditing software scheduled to launch at the end of 2025. This cutting-edge system will transform the way inspectors evaluate homes and determine which Weatherization measures should be installed. By providing more accurate data and streamlining the auditing process, the software will help agencies like ECKAN maximize energy savings and ensure families receive the most effective improvements possible.
Pictured here is ECKAN inspectors participating in the hands-on training, gaining first-hand experience with the new tool. ECKAN will be using the WAWeb, Weatherization Assistant web based. Learning the system early ensures our staff is prepared and ready to use it as soon as it rolls out, keeping ECKAN at the forefront of Weatherization services.
The opportunity to connect with other agencies and learn about advancements in energy efficiency helps strengthen our mission of supporting families, lowering utility costs, and improving the health and safety of homes across our communities. ECKAN is proud to invest in professional development opportunities like this, ensuring our staff has the tools and knowledge needed to serve clients effectively—today and into the future.
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ECKAN Impacts-Stats
April to June 2025
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- Provided weatherization services to 51 households
- Used $663,773.61 from 5 funding resources
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- ECKAN has 10 open positions.
- On average, roles are filled in 17 days.
- Turnover rate: 14.4%
- 5 New Head Start Employees
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- Nutritional meals served
- Breakfast - 6,053
- Lunch - 5,952
- Snack - 1,129
- Early Head Start was fully enrolled.
- Head Start/Early Head Start generated $180,741 of volunteer time and donations.
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- Unduplicated Individuals Served: 1,625
- Unduplicated Households Served: 564
- Pounds of Food and Retail Recovered: 152,071
- CSBG Expenditure on Personnel Costs: $111,654.98
- CSBG Expenditure on Non-Personnel Costs: $69,793.87
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- Unduplicated Active Vouchers: 218
- Quarterly Housing Assistance Payments (HAP): $286,087
- Current Households on Waitlist: 488
- Active Housing Choice Voucher Landlords: 80
- Owned ECKAN Rentals: 54
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- 95.47% of ECKAN's agency expenses went directly to program services
- 4.53% of ECKAN's agency expenses were for general administration.
| | After four years of homelessness and a long battle with cancer, John (name changed for privacy) had almost given up hope. Although he received disability income, finding housing he could afford felt impossible. Despite reaching out to numerous properties, he was met with silence or rejection. That changed when he connected with Teresia Templeton, ECKAN’s Franklin County Human Services Coordinator. Teresia contacted two local property owners with whom she had built a trusted relationship. By the end of the same day, she secured a safe, affordable home for John. “He couldn’t believe it when I told him he had a place,” Teresia shared. “He said, ‘You made things work.’” John moves into his new home on Monday. At ECKAN, we believe connection opens doors and that everyone deserves a place to call home. | | |
ECKAN is proud to highlight Rob Roberts, our current Vice-President of the Board of Trustees. Rob has been an active member of the Board since December 2023, and this marks his first year serving as Vice-President.
Rob is a Miami County Commissioner. He enjoys woodworking during his retirement. He is drawn to the ECKAN Board of because of the Public Service ECKAN is able to provide to others.
ECKAN's Board of Trustees is a diverse, 15-member team representing the Private, Public, and Low-Income Sectors of the communities we serve. These committed individuals guide our work as a private, non-profit corporation, ensuring accountability and connection to those we support.
Thank you, Rob, for your service and for helping ECKAN build stronger communities across our region.
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🌟 Meet the Faces of ECKAN: Derek Rivera 🌟 We're proud to spotlight one of the dedicated team members helping drive ECKAN's mission forward-Derek Rivera, Quality Control Inspector (QCI) in our... | | | |
🌟 Meet the Faces of ECKAN: Trisha Morrison 🌟 We're honored to spotlight one of the amazing leaders behind our early childhood efforts-Trisha Morrison, Franklin County Area Manager! 🍎📚💛 ✨ How long... | | | | | ECKAN Head Start Policy Council | |
ECKAN is proud to highlight Andrea Manes, our Early Childhood Consultant to the ECKAN Board of Trustees and Head Start Policy Council.
Andrea has been a dynamic partner with ECKAN Head Start for over 25 years. She is also currently serving on the Kansas Head Start Association as a community partner and recently received the Excellence in Community Service Award from the Region VII Head Start Association (Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas).
The ECKAN Head Start Policy Council is responsible for the direction of the agency’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Parents of children currently enrolled in each program option must be proportionately represented on the policy council.
Thank you, Andrea, for your service and for helping ECKAN build stronger communities across our region.
| | ECKAN's Partnerships in the Community | | Children's Learning Center | |
ECKAN’s path to partnership with Children’s Learning Center (CLC) began in 2019 when a tornado hit an existing childcare partner and the center was partially demolished. Children lost childcare overnight and staff had to scramble to find other options. A handful of centers in Douglas County came to our aid and CLC was among them. During the months to follow, an affiliation was forged and ECKAN and CLC entered an official partnership. In 2023 when another childcare partner unexpectedly closed, CLC came to the rescue a second time. They acted swiftly and were able to accommodate all of the EHS children from the site that was closing. Since that time, CLC expanded to a second location, and the partnership grew yet again. These increases are not a simple undertaking. However, CLC remains committed to the ECKAN partnership and provides high-quality childcare to our youngest learners. Together we are investing in our future generation and building a stronger community. “With every child welcomed, we honor the promise of a stronger tomorrow.”
Pictured is CLC staff's children reading in the front lawn of the building and PJ, CLC's therapy dog, in the outdoor area.
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Pastor Kim Wilcox of North Baptist Church in Ottawa exemplifies the very best of what it means to be a dedicated and compassionate community partner.
In the summer of 2024, Pastor Wilcox reached out to our Franklin County Human Services Coordinator, Teresia Templeton, expressing a desire to support ECKAN’s Summer Lunch Program. When asked if North Baptist Church would be willing to serve as the program site, Pastor Wilcox welcomed the opportunity with open arms and genuine enthusiasm.
Since then, Pastor Wilcox has gone above and beyond—hosting the program for two consecutive years and playing an integral role in its daily operations. His hands-on leadership and unwavering commitment have ensured that every child who attends receives not only a nutritious meal but also a warm, welcoming environment that keeps families coming back each weekday.
Beyond the Summer Lunch Program, Pastor Wilcox also generously opened his doors for ECKAN’s 2024 Holiday Program, held in November and December. His support allowed us to transform his facility into a festive space filled with toys, treats, and holiday cheer for the children of Franklin County. Following the program’s success, Pastor Wilcox invited us to return in 2025, further demonstrating his ongoing commitment to uplifting the community.
ECKAN is incredibly fortunate to partner with someone as devoted, generous, and community-focused as Pastor Kim Wilcox. His support is instrumental in the success of these vital programs, and we are deeply grateful for all he does.
Thank you, Pastor Wilcox, for your outstanding partnership and unwavering dedication to serving others.
| | | | Congress needs to hear from constituents about the importance of ECKAN's programs. We, at ECKAN, encourage you to ask your family and friends to take action now. | | Make a donation from a neighbor to a neighbor | | Donate now and help ECKAN with our mission of building connections and providing program services in East Central Kansas to support low-income individuals and families' stability, health, and engagement. To donate click on the image below or visit https://eckan.org/fight-poverty/ | | | | |
