Resources

Dubuque County Early Childhood (DCEC) publishes an annual Family Resource Guide with comprehensive listings of organizations and businesses that offer programs, resources, and products for area families. Click on the following link to download the current DCEC Resource Guide.

To our valued parents, partners, and staff,We have been closely and continuously monitoring the COVID-19 situation in our schools and communities we serve. At this time it is St. Mark Youth Enrichment’s goal to do our part in keeping our schools safe throughout the holidays, as safety is our top priority. To maintain safety for our families & staff alike we have decided to suspend in-person programming, with the intent to return in-person on January 11th. Student fees for program will be waived from Nov. 23rd until Jan. 11th, as the St. Mark leadership team foresaw this situation occurring and secured funding for tuition coverage. St. Mark Youth Enrichment will do what it can to support the effort in keeping schools open. We feel that transitioning to a virtual format is the best way to support these efforts. We aim to be as prepared as possible with the expected spike in COVID cases following the holidays. While we understand this may be inconvenient for families, we feel it is the best decision to make at this time for the long-term. Thank you to all of you who are doing your part to keep our community safe! Virtual sessions will occur starting the week of Nov. 30th. A schedule containing virtual session times/dates will be sent later this week. We will also work on adding any families to our Google Classroom platform who have not done so already. Beginning the week of Nov. 30th social-emotional learning bags will start to be delivered to schools weekly to be taken by students at the end of the school day. Learning bags will contain an SEL activity, supplemental materials for virtual sessions, and at times may include basic school supplies. For your reference, I’ve included the initial guidelines below that were shared with all of you previously. Thank you for your support, wishing you well.  Initial Guidelines Shared:  In an effort to keep everyone as informed as possible during this school year we are sharing the following information update related to St. Mark Youth Enrichment’s program operations impacted by COVID-19. As our understanding of the COVID-19 virus and best practices surrounding health and safety are constantly evolving, all guidance is subject to change. In alignment with our top priority of safety for our students and staff, St. Mark is implementing the guidelines below. It is our hope that sharing this with you now will help you to be as prepared as possible for any transitions from St. Mark’s in-person to our interactive virtual model (see description of model below, which will be fully functional by September 21, 2020). In-person programs will transition to our interactive virtual model IF any of the following conditions are met: ●   If any program staff or student tests positive for COVID-19 at an individual site that site will transition to virtual for two weeks (14 calendar days) ●   If 14-day average county positivity rate is >15% or is on a continual climb nearing 15% all sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs ●   If district partners request St. Mark NOT provide on-site programming, those specific sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs ●   If schools and/or districts transition to a virtual model, those specific sites will transition to virtual programs until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs ●   If closure is dictated by state and/or local public health officials all sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs  Parents, partners, and staff will be notified via email any time a decision is made to transition to or from our interactive virtual model. Parents will also receive additional notification through Remind texts and Facebook notification.  St. Mark students and staff who meet the CDC definition of being in “close contact” with a program individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be informed of this. Per CDC guidelines, these persons would be required to quarantine for 14 days. A “close contact” is defined by the CDC as proximity of 6 feet or less for 15 minutes or more. In an effort to reduce the risk of exposures, only program participants and staff will be allowed into the building/program areas.  The interactive virtual model will ensure we continue to deliver quality, engaging programs that keep students connected to their peers and beloved site teams. As we experienced with the abrupt shut down in March, it is imperative that children stay connected and engaged for their social and emotional wellbeing. In order to ensure sustainability of our programs and employment of our site staff, tuition fees will continue to be billed monthly whether the program is offered in person or virtual for non-21st CCLC grant funded sites.  St. Mark Interactive Virtual Model includes: ●   Weekly supplies for at home activities (to connect with live engagement offered) ●   Supplies conveniently offered for families to pick up at their convenience on a scheduled day of the week ●   Recorded activities and interactive enrichment links that can be accessed at your convenience through Google Classrooms which is by invite only ●   Daily live engagement with site “families” via Zoom and/or Google Classrooms (offered by familiar staff members) ●   Social-emotional support, including materials/activities and St. Mark Buddies for students in need of additional support ●   Homework help  Remember to check our website for information on additional resources: Resources  We are so grateful for your continued support and encouragement as we all walk alongside one another in cultivating the academic and social-emotional growth of all our amazing students. We are committed to being resilient and confident we will prevail over this crisis. And we will do it together with you!  “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal …

To our valued parents, partners, and staff,We have been closely and continuously monitoring the COVID-19 situation in our schools and communities we serve. At this time it is St. Mark Youth Enrichment’s goal to do our part in keeping our schools safe throughout the holidays, as safety is our top priority. To maintain safety for our families & staff alike we have decided to suspend in-person programming, with the intent to return in-person on January 11th. St. Mark Youth Enrichment will do what it can to support the effort in keeping schools open. We feel that transitioning to a virtual format is the best way to support these efforts. We aim to be as prepared as possible with the expected spike in COVID cases following the holidays. While we understand this may be inconvenient for families, we feel it is the best decision to make at this time for the long-term. Thank you to all of you who are doing your part to keep our community safe! Virtual sessions will occur starting the week of Nov. 30th. A schedule containing virtual session times/dates will be sent later this week. We will also work on adding any families to our Google Classroom platform who have not done so already. Beginning the week of Nov. 30th social-emotional learning bags will start to be delivered to schools weekly to be taken by students at the end of the school day. Learning bags will contain an SEL activity, supplemental materials for virtual sessions, and at times may include basic school supplies. For your reference, I’ve included the initial guidelines below that were shared with all of you previously. Thank you for your support, wishing you well.  Initial Guidelines Shared:  In an effort to keep everyone as informed as possible during this school year we are sharing the following information update related to St. Mark Youth Enrichment’s program operations impacted by COVID-19. As our understanding of the COVID-19 virus and best practices surrounding health and safety are constantly evolving, all guidance is subject to change. In alignment with our top priority of safety for our students and staff, St. Mark is implementing the guidelines below. It is our hope that sharing this with you now will help you to be as prepared as possible for any transitions from St. Mark’s in-person to our interactive virtual model (see description of model below, which will be fully functional by September 21, 2020). In-person programs will transition to our interactive virtual model IF any of the following conditions are met: ●   If any program staff or student tests positive for COVID-19 at an individual site that site will transition to virtual for two weeks (14 calendar days) ●   If 14-day average county positivity rate is >15% or is on a continual climb nearing 15% all sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs ●   If district partners request St. Mark NOT provide on-site programming, those specific sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs ●   If schools and/or districts transition to a virtual model, those specific sites will transition to virtual programs until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs ●   If closure is dictated by state and/or local public health officials all sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs  Parents, partners, and staff will be notified via email any time a decision is made to transition to or from our interactive virtual model. Parents will also receive additional notification through Remind texts and Facebook notification.  St. Mark students and staff who meet the CDC definition of being in “close contact” with a program individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be informed of this. Per CDC guidelines, these persons would be required to quarantine for 14 days. A “close contact” is defined by the CDC as proximity of 6 feet or less for 15 minutes or more. In an effort to reduce the risk of exposures, only program participants and staff will be allowed into the building/program areas.  The interactive virtual model will ensure we continue to deliver quality, engaging programs that keep students connected to their peers and beloved site teams. As we experienced with the abrupt shut down in March, it is imperative that children stay connected and engaged for their social and emotional wellbeing. In order to ensure sustainability of our programs and employment of our site staff, tuition fees will continue to be billed monthly whether the program is offered in person or virtual for non-21st CCLC grant funded sites.  St. Mark Interactive Virtual Model includes: ●   Weekly supplies for at home activities (to connect with live engagement offered) ●   Supplies conveniently offered for families to pick up at their convenience on a scheduled day of the week ●   Recorded activities and interactive enrichment links that can be accessed at your convenience through Google Classrooms which is by invite only ●   Daily live engagement with site “families” via Zoom and/or Google Classrooms (offered by familiar staff members) ●   Social-emotional support, including materials/activities and St. Mark Buddies for students in need of additional support ●   Homework help  Remember to check our website for information on additional resources: Resources  We are so grateful for your continued support and encouragement as we all walk alongside one another in cultivating the academic and social-emotional growth of all our amazing students. We are committed to being resilient and confident we will prevail over this crisis. And we will do it together with you!  “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”  –James Stockdale  Wishing you well,  Your St. Mark Family  As always, feel free to reach out to our team at …

At this time it is St. Mark Youth Enrichment’s goal to keep all Western Dubuque programs running in person at least through November 19, 2020.

Hello Peosta, Seton and Dyersville Families, St. Mark Leadership just wrapped up their weekly meeting and it has been decided that we WILL plan on going back ‘in-person’ for programming in Western Dubuque starting Monday, October 19th! Of course our staff, students, families are #1 priority and we will continue to monitor the positive rate and our Covid Planning Policy and keep you updated with any additional updates or changes. We can’t wait to see your kiddos next Monday (10/19/20)!

Struggling to pay the bills? Know someone who is? The Iowa Department of Human Rights announced that it will begin accepting applications for energy assistance on Nov. 1. To learn more, visit https://humanrights.iowa.gov/dcaa/where-apply or call 211. Below is more information provided from the agency.

I am sad to share that we will be extending our program suspension an additional week due to the increasing positivity rate and lack of staff capabilities for in-person program. At this time, our plan is to return to in-person program on Monday, October 19th. St. Mark Leadership is continuing to monitor the positivity rate and will keep you posted on when we could/would transition back to in-person programming in the future in Western Dubuque. We will continue to offer virtual programming and families activity/and social emotional bags. We will be keeping parents/partners/staff updated on Monday’s during time time on program updates. We appreciate your understanding during this time, as safety of our staff, students, families are #1 priority.  Included below is our “What to Expect from Virtual Program” Flyer to remind you that we will be sending home weekly activity bags, offering live zoom calls, and providing one-on-one check-ins or homework help as needed. Please continue to utilize our staff to support your families needs!Linked below also are our COVID Protocols for your reference. If you have any questions, requests, or need assistance navigating our virtual platforms, please feel free to contact me! As always, feel free to reach out to our team at any time.  Thank you, Taylor Programs: Taylor Noel, tnoel@stmarkyouthenrichment.org  563-582-6211 ext. 108 Related https://stmarkyouthenrichment.org/coronavirus-protocol-update/  

At this time, we are hoping to return to programs on October 12th

To our valued parents, partners, and staff, In an effort to keep everyone as informed as possible during this school year we are sharing the following information update related to St. Mark Youth Enrichment’s program operations impacted by COVID-19. As our understanding of the COVID-19 virus and best practices surrounding health and safety are constantly evolving, all guidance is subject to change.  In alignment with our top priority of safety for our students and staff, St. Mark is implementing the guidelines below. It is our hope that sharing this with you now will help you to be as prepared as possible for any transitions from St. Mark’s in-person to our interactive virtual model (see description of model below, which will be fully functional by September 21, 2020). In-person programs will transition to our interactive virtual model IF any of the following conditions are met: If any program staff or student tests positive for COVID-19 at an individual site that site will transition to virtual for two weeks (14 calendar days)If 14-day average county positivity rate is >15% or is on a continual climb nearing 15% all sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programsIf district partners request St. Mark NOT provide on-site programming, those specific sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programsIf schools and/or districts transition to a virtual model, those specific sites will transition to virtual programs until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programsIf closure is dictated by state and/or local public health officials all sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs Parents, partners, and staff will be notified via email any time a decision is made to transition to or from our interactive virtual model. Parents will also receive additional notification through Remind texts and Facebook notification. St. Mark students and staff who meet the CDC definition of being in “close contact” with a program individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be informed of this. Per CDC guidelines, these persons would be required to quarantine for 14 days. A “close contact” is defined by the CDC as proximity of 6 feet or less for 15 minutes or more. In an effort to reduce the risk of exposures, only program participants and staff will be allowed into the building/program areas. The interactive virtual model will ensure we continue to deliver quality, engaging programs that keep students connected to their peers and beloved site teams. As we experienced with the abrupt shut down in March, it is imperative that children stay connected and engaged for their social and emotional wellbeing. In order to ensure sustainability of our programs and employment of our site staff, tuition fees will continue to be billed monthly whether the program is offered in person or virtual for non-21st CCLC grant funded sites. St. Mark Interactive Virtual Model includes: Weekly supplies for at home activities (to connect with live engagement offered)Supplies conveniently offered for families to pick up at their convenience on a scheduled day of the weekRecorded activities and interactive enrichment links that can be accessed at your convenience through Google Classrooms which is by invite onlyDaily live engagement with site “families” via Zoom and/or Google Classrooms (offered by familiar staff members)Social-emotional support, including materials/activities and St. Mark Buddies for students in need of additional supportHomework help Remember to check our website for information on additional resources: Resources We are so grateful for your continued support and encouragement as we all walk alongside one another in cultivating the academic and social-emotional growth of all our amazing students. We are committed to being resilient and confident we will prevail over this crisis. And we will do it together with you! “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”  –James Stockdale Wishing you well, Your St. Mark Family As always, feel free to reach out to our team at any time.  Programs: Taylor Noel, tnoel@stmarkyouthenrichment.org  563-582-6211 ext. 108 Billing: Linda Schmidt, office@stmarkyouthenrichment.org 563-582-6211 ext 101

As we continue to navigate this new, albeit temporary, normal together know that you have been on my mind every single day. I imagine all the beautiful things that are coming from this…things like families working together to make dinner, playing together in backyards, pets who are thrilled their humans will be home ALL day again, finding new and creative ways to stay connected to family and friends, and having this moment to pause and remember all that is really important in life centers on our relationships and those we love. I also know, though, that there are many challenges. I think about those too…the financial impact, fear of the unknown, trying to do things you either never signed up to do or at least not in the way you are doing them— being a teacher, a non-stop referee for sibling shenanigans, missing the physical connection of family and friends, wishing you could go back to the office or wishing someone’s job would finally make it possible for them to work from home… Due to the recent extension on guidelines and schools not yet reopening, our offices will continue to be closed to the public at least through April 30. All of our administrative staff are now working from home. We will continue to share the best and most recent news and resources with you. We want you to be safe and to know you are loved and supported. Know that all of us from your St. Mark family miss you dearly, are cheering for you, and continue to prepare to be ready once we get to be with you again…that thought makes my heart smile! In the meantime, please take advantage of ways to stay connected: We are offering Social-Emotional Learning kits that can be picked up at our Little Free Library outside our office. We are also working to figure out ways to ensure more of you can access these kits in both Dubuque and Western Dubuque/ Be on the lookout for updates on that soon. These small gestures help us to feel connected to all of you. And we hope it provides opportunities for you and your family to maintain your emotional health during these tough times.Virtual enrichment activities and stories are shared daily on our Facebook pageReach out to a team member just to say hi or to ask any questions you may have: https://stmarkyouthenrichment.org/staff/Share a video clip via email to Jon at jaguilar@stmarkyouthenrichment.org. It could be a hello from the kids to our team, a project you are working on together, using the SEL kit, or any other thing you want to share to help keep us all connectedKeep the clips coming of you reading, virtual field trips, or sharing a talent. Families and the community as a whole are loving them! Please be safe, protect yourself and those you interact with, and be healthy. Most importantly, thank you, as always, for all the extraordinary things you do every day! We appreciate you! With love and big air hugs, Dawn View Parent Resources