Families are full of strength, determination, and hope. ECKAN Head Start engages parents in a goal-setting process to produce outcomes that support them in their journey to attain their life dreams. The Program Indicator Report (PIR) collects and summarizes essential program data to help assess performance, ensure compliance, and guide planning and decision-making. The full PIR can be viewed at the Head Start Annual Report.

Dee Schlotzhauer, Douglas County Head Start Cook

For 8 years, Dee has been providing healthy meals to the Head Start families in Douglas County. Dee supports the Head Start classrooms with nutrition activities and loves sharing recipes with families and answering questions about Head Start meals. Thank you, Dee, for providing nutritious meals to our children in Douglas County.

Gayla Proehl, Lyon County Family Advocate & Child Care Partnership Specialist

For more than 18 1/2 years, Gayla has been serving Lyon County families through ECKAN Early Head Start as a Family Advocate and Child Care Partnership Specialist. Gayla's journey began in the 1990s as a Teacher's Assistant. Gayla later became a Lead Teacher. Gayla brings a deep love for working with children and building meaningful relationships with parents. Gayla finds joy in watching children grow and knowing she can make a difference in their lives. A true believer in the ECKAN mission, Gayla's experience, warmth, and dedication continue to make a lasting impact on the families she serves.

Stacy Roll, Anderson County Area Manager

For 10 years, Stacy has served ECKAN as a Family Advocate, building strong relationships and achieving meaningful outcomes for the families she supports. In November, Stacy was promoted to Area Manager in Anderson County, where Stacy now provides leadership and support to staff while continuing to work closely with families. ECKAN congratulates Stacy on this well-earned promotion and looks forward to the positive impact she will make in her new role!

A Fresh Start in a Familiar Home

This year, ECKAN's Early Head Start Home-Based Program welcomed a growing family preparing for an exciting new chapter. The household - Dad, a pregnant Mom, and their 9-month-old - recently moved into a beloved family home gifted by the children's great-grandmother.

For Mom, the house holds treasured childhood memories. Now, she is filled with joy knowing her own children will grow up surrounded by the same warmth, love, and history.

As they settle in, the family is already taking thoughtful steps to create a safe and comfortable space for their expanding household. They were recently approved for ECKAN Weatherization services, which will help improve their home's energy efficiency and overall comfort. In their older and drafty home, Weatherization updates will make a meaningful difference - reducing heat loss, improving cooling efficiency, and creating a more sustainable living environment.

Early Head Start is honored to walk alongside this family as they prepare to welcome a new baby, strengthen stability, and build a future filled with new memories in a home already rich with meaning.

Restored Routines, Rested Families

A family of six recently experienced a meaningful improvement in their daily life after successfully implementing a sleep routine for their one-year-old child. Following a staffing transition in September, the family was paired with a new Early Head Start Family Educator who focused first on building trust and continuing the support already in place.

At the time of their initial visit, disrupted sleep was taking a toll on the entire household. Frequent nighttime waking left everyone exhausted, and the ongoing lack of rest occasionally caused Mom to miss work just to recover.

Through ongoing visits, the Family Educator worked closely with both parents to better understand their nighttime challenges and develop a sleep plan tailored to their family's needs. Together, they created a structured evening routine with consistent timing, nutrition guidance to support a filling, healthy dinner, and strategies for responding to nighttime wake-ups. The plan also included written encouragement for both parents and a child-friendly visual routine using magnetic characters to help the child stay engaged and understand each step.

The Family implemented the plan right away and stayed in close communication with their Family Educator, making small adjustments along the way with continued encouragement and support. In less than one month, they reported a significant change. Their child was sleeping through the night, waking only once, if at all.

Through collaboration, consistency, and a strong partnership between the family and Early Head Start staff, the household is now enjoying better rest, renewed energy, and improved overall well-being.

For more than 35 years, Special Blessings Childcare, owned by Corinee Carr, has provided children and families with exceptional early care and education. Nearly 20 of those years have been spent in partnership with ECKAN Head Start, where her dedication to high‑quality programming has made a lasting impact. Corinne continually holds herself to a higher standard—not for recognition, but to elevate the quality of the experiences she creates for young children and their families.

Corinee's commitment to professional growth keeps her on the leading edge of the field. She is an active member of the National Association of Family Childcare Providers, a participant in Quality Links, the Childcare Provider Coalition 2025 Provider of the Year, and she recently accepted a nomination to the Kansas Childcare Training Opportunities Board of Directors. These honors reflect her ongoing pursuit of excellence, yet they are not the reason she does this work. Instead, they serve as pathways for maintaining the high expectations she sets for her program and for the generations of children and families she continues to serve.



Corinne’s career serves as a model of what dedication, professionalism, and lifelong learning can achieve in early childhood education.

ECKAN Head Start Impact Stats from January to December (1/1/2025 to 12/31/2025)

• Children Served: Head Start - 335 | Early Head Start - 211
• Volunteer hours: 1970
• Donations: $66,257
• Parent Goals Achieved: 90% of 228 families have completed their goals. (Including buying a car, better housing, going back to school, and budgeting)
• Meals served for the full year:
• Breakfast: 21,857
• Lunch: 21,857
• Snack: 4,846

The Weatherization Assistance Program helps low-income households significantly reduce their energy bills, freeing up resources for other essential needs such as groceries, medications, and insurance.

Weatherization improvements, such as insulation and air sealing, improve indoor air quality and reduce the risk of health problems associated with drafts, mold, and other hazards.



Weatherized homes are more comfortable, especially during extreme temperatures, which can be particularly important for vulnerable populations like the elderly and children.

Joy Powell, Weatherization Senior Administrative Assistant

For 17 years, Joy Powell has been a steady, caring presence at ECKAN—helping individuals and families connect with the resources they need, whether for a moment of crisis or long-term stability. As Senior Administrative Assistant, Joy believes deeply in the power of education, offering information, tools, and hope to help change lives. Her love for helping people and guiding them through challenging times truly reflects ECKAN’s mission and values.

A Home Made More Comfortable—and a Heart Full of Gratitude

A longtime homeowner recently shared her heartfelt thanks after receiving weatherization services through ECKAN. Living on a fixed income, she explained that completing major home improvements on her own simply wouldn’t have been possible.

Thanks to the ECKAN Weatherization team, critical updates were made that have already improved her home’s comfort and energy efficiency. She shared how much she appreciated the team’s flexibility, kindness, and professionalism—from the friendly office staff who helped with scheduling to the crew members who took time to explain each step of the process and ensure everything was done right.

She noted how respectful and knowledgeable the crews were, how clean they kept the work areas, and how reassuring it was to have inspectors carefully finalize the work. Most importantly, she can already feel the difference in her home.

After 25 years in her house, she expressed how grateful she is to remain there—safer, more comfortable, and supported by a team that truly cares.

Stories like this remind us why this work matters.

Founded in 2008, Green Factor Insulation grew from a small construction company into one of the state’s premier efficiency insulation providers, serving thousands of homes and businesses. Their skilled energy efficiency specialists and certified installers help identify energy loss, improve comfort, and enhance the health of homes through high-quality insulation and weatherization solutions.

Green Factor Insulation is dedicated to quality workmanship, excellent customer service, and a shared mission of strengthening communities through safe, efficient housing.

ECKAN Weatherization Impact Stats from January to December (1/1/2025 to 12/31/2025)

• Weatherized 255 homes
• Total spent directly on the homes: $3,229,872.98
• Average of combined funding sources invested to improve energy efficiency per home: $12,711.61

The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) supports ECKAN’s work to reduce poverty, strengthen stability, and promote self-sufficiency for individuals and families across our service area. CSBG funds flexible, locally driven services delivered through ECKAN’s Community Centers and food distribution and retail recovery programs, helping meet essential needs such as food access, housing stability, utilities, and transportation. Through Community Centers in each CSBG service county, ECKAN provides case management, emergency assistance, and connections to local resources. Together, these services remove barriers, support dignity, and help neighbors move toward greater economic security and long-term stability.

Adrien Davison, Human Services Coordinator

For the past 3 months, Adrien has been serving the Douglas County community as a Human Services Coordinator at ECKAN, providing timely, compassionate support while working to reduce barriers for those seeking help. Guided by the value of collaboration, Adrien creates a welcoming space where individuals can share their burdens, feel respected, and leave feeling supported and hopeful. ECKAN is grateful for Adrien’s dedication to making a tangible difference in the lives of those we serve.

Karessa Johnson, Human Services Coordinator

For more than 6 years, Karessa Johnson has served the Anderson County community as a Human Services Coordinator at ECKAN, helping individuals and families work toward stability, self-sufficiency, and dignity. Guided by empathy, Karessa meets people where they are, creates a safe and respectful space, and connects clients to essential resources while helping remove barriers. Her compassionate approach builds trust, eases stressful situations, and reflects ECKAN’s commitment to serving with understanding and care.

Strengthening Communities Through Strategic Support

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Lyon County Human Services Coordinator Colleen Smith, several new grant awards are helping address critical needs across our communities.

The Lyon County Community Center received $2,000 from the Sparklight Charitable Organizations Fund to provide rent and utility assistance for families facing financial hardship. An additional $1,500 was awarded through the United Way Emerging Needs Grant to purchase local bus passes, helping remove transportation barriers and improve access to essential services.

Support also extended beyond Lyon County. The Council Grove Area Foundation awarded $1,500 to assist with the Morris County Utility Assistance Initiative, expanding access to vital resources for households experiencing financial strain.

Food security was further strengthened through a $10,000 Trusler Grant from the Emporia Community Foundation. Shared equally between Lyon and Coffey counties, the funding allowed each county to purchase $5,000 in food from local grocery stores—addressing hunger while supporting local businesses.

These awards highlight the ongoing commitment of Colleen and ECKAN’s Human Services Coordinators, who continue to seek out funding opportunities that strengthen services and help neighbors across our service area meet their most essential needs.

ECKAN Community Services Impact Stats from January to December (1/1/2025 to 12/31/2025)

• Unduplicated Individuals Served: 2,782
• Unduplicated Households Served: 1,024
• Pounds of Food and Retail Recovered: 522,318
• CSBG Expenditure on Direct Service: $267,964.51

The Housing Department encompasses the ECKAN Housing Authority and ECKAN Rentals. The Housing department helps families by providing low-income rental housing or rental assistance funding in the East Central Kansas area.

ECKAN Housing Authority manages HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program and the accompanying Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) program. The housing authority helps pay a portion of monthly rent for qualifying families.



ECKAN Rentals owns and operates 53 rental properties. These properties offer rent at a lower rate than the market rent for the area to help low-income households within our area.

Dalen Kraus, Housing Director

As the Director of Housing, Dalen Kraus leads the Housing Department, which includes ECKAN Housing Authority and ECKAN Rentals. He accepted this role in 2024 and has been working hard ever since. With the help of his team, ECKAN provides housing assistance to nearly 300 families. He believes that compassion and empathy towards others empowers them to enact positive change in their lives. He enjoys building trust and providing a supportive environment to those in the communities he serves. Dalen is proud to be a positive influence at ECKAN and in his community.

Quick Plumbing Issues SOLVED

In late October 2025, ECKAN discovered a serious, emergent issue with the plumbing under one of its rental units. This left the family without access to a kitchen or a bathroom. ECKAN placed the family in a hotel, and within three days, the problem was solved with the help of two amazing contractors, Burns Handyman and Blue Heron Plumbing. The scope of work included the demo of most of a bathroom, crawlspace re-leveling, relocation of the sump pump, installation of a completely new drainage system under the entire house, and installation of new flooring. This family now enjoys the new plumbing system and a beautiful, brand-new bathroom, all thanks to the hard work and dedication of these contractors and the ECKAN housing team.

ECKAN Rentals has partnered with Blue Heron Plumbing, a new local plumbing company, to inspect and identify maintenance needs for all ECKAN rental properties. The owner and operator, Andrew Chapman, understands the needs of communities and knows that by working together to solve problems, everyone can thrive. His experience in property management and commercial plumbing practices has been extremely beneficial not only to ECKAN but also to communities across Eastern Kansas. Andrew goes above and beyond the typical scope of a plumber. He inspects the entire property to identify potential concerns, providing property owners with knowledge and peace of mind and helping ensure residents live in safe, healthy homes. He believes that a healthy community starts with healthy homes. ECKAN looks forward to our continued partnership with Blue Heron Plumbing.

ECKAN Housing Impact Stats from January to December (1/1/2025 to 12/31/2025)

• Unduplicated Active Vouchers: 220
• Quarterly Housing Assistance Payments (HAP): $1,151,378
• Current Households on Waitlist: 488
• Active Housing Choice Voucher Landlords: 82
• Owned ECKAN Rentals: 53

The Fiscal Department oversees all ECKAN financial operations, including budget development and monitoring, accounts payable, financial reporting, and payroll administration. The department ensures accurate, timely, and compliant financial management across all funding sources.



Working collaboratively with all programs, the Fiscal Department provides financial guidance and support to help programs operate efficiently and effectively while meeting grant requirements, regulatory standards, and organizational goals.

Jillian Oberly serves as ECKAN’s Director of Finance, leading the agency’s fiscal department since joining the team in 2022. She is committed to strengthening the agency’s effectiveness and expanding our ability to serve others, while continually improving efficiency. Driven by a heart for service, Jillian brings purpose and dedication to guiding the fiscal “heart” of ECKAN each day.

SSC CPAs + Advisors have proudly partnered with ECKAN as our annual audit firm since 2020. Throughout the challenges of the pandemic and evolving federal accounting requirements, their team has provided steady guidance and dependable expertise. ECKAN values the strong working relationship with SSC’s management team and staff. They understand ECKAN’s mission and the communities we serve, and they work alongside us to ensure we remain compliant, accountable, and well-positioned to carry out our work with integrity.

ECKAN Fiscal Impact Stats from January to December (1/1/2025 to 12/31/2025)

• Total Expenditures: $3,420,513.70
• Administrative Expenses: $188,386.57

Human Resources supports employees and leadership by recruiting, hiring, and onboarding new team members while ensuring compliance with policies and procedures. HR assists with benefits, employee relations, and compliance with employment laws and organizational standards. The department also promotes professional development, performance management, and a positive workplace culture, helping create a productive environment that supports employees and the organization’s mission.

For 5 years, Leslie Scott has served as ECKAN’s Human Resources Director, focusing on strengthening the agency’s workforce so employees have the support and resources needed to deliver quality services. Guided by the value of empathy, Leslie listens with understanding and works to provide thoughtful, supportive solutions that foster a positive workplace culture. Her dedication helps ensure ECKAN staff are equipped to serve individuals and families on their path toward economic stability and well-being.

ECKAN Human Resources Impact Stats from January to December (1/1/2025 to 12/31/2025)

• Average number of employees: 100
• New Hires: 32
• 38.8% Turnover Rate

This Valentine’s Day, let’s turn compassion into action.

Every day, families in our community face difficult choices — between rent and groceries, heat and medicine. Your donation helps provide the support and services that create lasting change.

Show your love for your community by making a gift today. Together, we can make hope possible.

ECKAN is HIRING!!!