ILLINOIS VALLEY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

ENERGY PROGRAMS - THE ILLINOIS VALLEY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OPERATES TWO PROGRAMS PROVIDING HOME UTILITY ASSISTANCE AND ENERGY SECURITY IN THE AGENCY'S FOUR COUNTY SERVICE AREA. THESE PROGRAMS ARE THE LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP), AND THE ILLINOIS HOME WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (IHWAP). LIHEAP ANNUALLY PROVIDES BENEFITS TO ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS TO OFFSET WINTER AND SUMMER UTILITY COSTS, PROVIDE FOR RECONNECTION OF UTILITY SERVICES, AND PROVIDE FOR FURNACE REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT. THE NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS ASSISTED VARIES EACH YEAR DUE TO THE CHANGING ALLOCATIONS PROVIDED. IN FY25 PROGRAM YEAR, THE AGENCY PROVIDED 3,298 HOUSEHOLDS WITH UTILITY ASSISTANCE, OVER 926 HOUSEHOLDS WITH FUNDS FOR EMERGENCY RECONNECTION, AND APPROXIMATELY 34 HOUSEHOLDS WITH FURNACE REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT. FOR FY25, THE PERCENTAGE OF INCOME PAYMENT PROGRAM (PIPP) PROVIDED UTILITY ASSISTANCE TO APPROXIMATELY 266 HOUSEHOLDS. IHWAP PROVIDES WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE IN THE FORM OF INSULATION, WEATHER STRIPPING, AIR-SEALING, REPAIRING WINDOWS AND DOORS, PURCHASE OF REFRIGERATORS, AND PROVIDING FOR MAINTENANCE, REPAIR, AND/OR REPLACEMENT OF HEATING SYSTEMS. THE NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS THE IHWAP PROGRAM CAN ASSIST YEARLY DEPENDS ON PROGRAM FUNDING, AND THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS NEEDED PER HOME TO MAKE THE HOME MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT, AFFORDABLE, AND COMFORTABLE. IVEDC RUNS A CREW BASED PROGRAM FOR ARCHITECTURAL AND A CONTRACTOR BASED PROGRAM FOR HVAC. USING THIS HYBRID APPROACH, 28 HOMES WERE WEATHERIZED IN FY25.

EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS - THE HEAD START PROGRAM PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN, AGES 3 THROUGH 5, TO RECEIVE COMPREHENSIVE CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND ASSISTANCE TO THEIR PARENTS IN FORMULATING AND ACHIEVING SELF-SUFFICIENCY GOALS. WE ARE FUNDED TO SERVE A TOTAL OF 210 CHILDREN, 10% WITH DISABILITIES, WITHIN OUR SERVICE AREA OF MACOUPIN, GREENE, JERSEY, AND CALHOUN COUNTIES. CHILDREN ATTEND EITHER A CENTER BASED MODEL WITH CLASSES 5 DAYS A WEEK, 5.5 HOURS A DAY, FOR A TOTAL OF 160 DAYS OR A HOME BASED MODEL IN WHICH CHILDREN AND PARENTS PARTICIPATE IN A WEEKLY HOME VISIT FOR 37 WEEKS WITH GROUP ACTIVITIES HELD TWICE A MONTH. AS PART OF THE PROGRAM, CHILDREN RECEIVE EDUCATION, MEDICAL, DENTAL, NUTRITION, AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS AND OUTCOMES ARE TRACKED THROUGH THE TEACHING STRATEGIES GOLD, DIAL 4 SCREENINGS, AND OBSERVATIONAL INSTRUMENTS THREE TIMES DURING THE YEAR. CHILDREN SHOW DRAMATIC PROGRESS IN THE AREAS EVALUATED WHICH INCLUDE SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE, AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT. APPROXIMATELY 50% OF THE CHILDREN TRANSITION INTO KINDERGARTEN EACH YEAR. THE EARLY HEAD START PROGRAM OFFERS SIMILAR AGE APPROPRIATE AND PARENTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED FAMILIES WHO HAVE CHILDREN UP TO AGE 3. THE PROGRAM IS A HOME-BASED MODEL SERVING 24 FAMILIES A MINIMUM OF 48 WEEKS/YEAR. PARENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO BECOME DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAM BY VOLUNTEERING IN THE CLASSROOM, ATTENDING PARENT MEETINGS, SERVING ON THE POLICY COUNCIL, PARTICIPATING IN HOME VISITS AND PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES, AND ENTERING INTO FAMILY PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS FOR GOAL SETTING PURPOSES. BY PROVIDING INDIVIDUALIZED SERVICES FOR BOTH CHILDREN AND PARENTS, THE HEAD START PROGRAM PREPARES THE CHILDREN FOR KINDERGARTEN AND THE PARENTS FOR SETTING AND ACHIEVING FAMILY GOALS AS WELL AS STRENGTHENING THEIR ROLE AS THE FIRST AND PRIMARY EDUCATORS OF THEIR CHILDREN. IN FY25 IVEDC SERVED 136 CHILDREN. CHILDREN WERE ASSESSED USING TEACHING STRATEGIES GOLD AND MET OR EXCEEDED OBJECTIVES IN SOCIAL EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL, LANGUAGE, COGNITIVE, LITERACY AND MATHEMATICS. PREVENTION INITIATIVE 0-3 PROGRAM PROVIDED SIMILAR SERVICES AS THE EARLY HEADSTART PROGRAM. PI SERVED 12 FAMILIES WITH LIKE SERVICES.