The Kimball Area Early Childhood Visioning group met Wednesday, March 30, to identify strengths and weaknesses of the Kimball area, and to select priority areas that need attention. In attendance were seventy-one adults who gave the session an average rating of 3.75 (out of 4) as to how valuable the time spent at the session had been. Assets The top assets identified in the Kimball area were quality daycare providers, the public library, the family advocate, caring community, ECFE connections and teachers, churches/ faith community, the school district, community organizations and recreational activities. Barriers Barriers identified in the Kimball area were the need to increase participation in early childhood opportunities, lack of parent cooperatives for support and transportation, lack of adequate funding, lack of transportation, the number of age 0-3 opportunities, the need to be more welcoming to new families, lack of knowledge about resources, the need to increase communications between organizations and services. Top priorities The group identified four areas they considered top priorities in improving early childhood opportunities in Kimball. o Create early childhood resources and opportunities that are available to all families. o Build awareness and increase access to programs and resources. o Increase local, state and federal funding for early childhood opportunities. o Develop expanded preschool opportunities with no waiting lists.
