Thank you for taking the time to read about our vision, plan, and hopes for the future of Howe Community Resource Center. We hope you will join us in the next steps of the journey.

In February 2017 the Board of Directors of the Howe Community Resource Center adopted a new mission statement and strategic plan to get us through to the end 2018. This process helped to strengthen our resolve to continue to be a vital downtown resource center. We believe that providing education and support to children and their families will lead to greater success for all. Parents want to be good parents and we give them the tools to be even better. Parents want the best for their children and we help in identifying ways to achieve goals for the children.

We have seven strategic goals and they are as follows:

1. Be proactive in meeting the needs of Howe School students and families

a. Meet with leadership of school to identify areas of need
b. Create a volunteer program for Howe School
c. Focus on attendance, parent engagement and academic success
d. Join efforts with school on providing services in a trauma informed way
e. Provide support for activities for the school

2. Maintain Parenting Program

a. Provide the following services: home visitation, parenting classes, parent-child playgroup, parent cafes, support group and family connections

3. Build a strong and engaged Board of Directors

a. Create board development committee

b. Define board-staff roles

c. Board-staff shadow days

d. Board is at capacity of 21

e. Provide the board with monthly fundraising exercises

4. Grow fundraising to meet needs

a. Enhance donor stewardship

b. Grow resources from businesses

c. Build financial reserve

d. Engage major donors

e. Develop a monthly giving program

5. Develop and execute a marketing plan

a. Regularly scheduled marketing activities

b. Greater use of social media

c. Highlight relationship with school in marketing efforts

6. Recruit and retain quality staff

a. Offer competitive wages

b. Offer health insurance benefit

c. Expand vacation schedule

7. Become a trauma informed agency

a. Change to a live answer for phones

b. Staff is adequately trained in trauma informed care

c. Create partnerships with like agencies to share and encourage trauma

informed practices

d. Programming is inclusive of trauma informed resources and tools