For those working in government supported programs serving lower income households, the 2012 Poverty guidelines have been released. For a family of 4, the amount is $23,050. View listing here: http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/12poverty.shtml.
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The IRS has started a new initiative called Facilitated Self Assistance (FSA). Under FSA, taxpayers prepare their own return using online interview-based software, while IRS-certified volunteers stand ready to assist with tax questions and/or computer issues.
We need your help in getting the word out. Please share with your affiliates, post links on your website or write news articles. Any means of distribution is greatly appreciated.
If you have questions please send an email to wi.spec.nat.partn. Thank you for your help with this initiative.
FILE YOUR TAXES YOURSELF FOR
FREE
If you have a simple tax return and need a little help or do not have access to a computer, you can visit one of the participating tax assistance sites and an IRS-certified volunteer will guide you through the process.
**Please see the attached listing or click on this link:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/fsa_list_irsgov_20120127_modified_v2.pdf
for a location near you!**
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The IRS has started a new initiative called Facilitated Self Assistance (FSA). Under FSA, taxpayers prepare their own return using online interview-based software, while IRS-certified volunteers stand ready to assist with tax questions and/or computer issues.
We need your help in getting the word out. Please share with your affiliates, post links on your website or write news articles. Any means of distribution is greatly appreciated.
If you have questions please send an email to wi.spec.nat.partn. Thank you for your help with this initiative.
FILE YOUR TAXES YOURSELF FOR
FREE
If you have a simple tax return and need a little help or do not have access to a computer, you can visit one of the participating tax assistance sites and an IRS-certified volunteer will guide you through the process.
**Please see the attached listing or click on this link:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/fsa_list_irsgov_20120127_modified_v2.pdf
for a location near you!**
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| Order your FREE copy of the Consumer Action Handbook to get helpful tips about preventing identity theft, understanding credit, filing a consumer complaint, and much more. The handbook is published annually by the Federal Citizen Information Center at the U.S. General Services Administration. |
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Assets for Independence (AFI) helps individuals and families secure long-term financial stability through asset building. Collectively, asset building leads to transformational change in low-income communities. If you think your community might benefit from an AFI Individual Development Account (IDA) project, the AFI Resource Center encourages you to apply for an AFI grant in 2012.
The AFI Program will review and fund new grants in three cycles during 2012:
Spring Cycle – due March 26, 2012
Summer Cycle – due May 25, 2012
The AFI Resource Center will host a series of calls this winter to help prospective applicants develop an AFI grant application. Register online now to participate in these interactive calls and learn more about AFI application requirements and procedures.
Upcoming Webinar dates:
· Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 2:00 p.m. EST: Tips for Developing Resources and Partners for AFI Projects
· Tuesday, February 28, 2012, 2:00 p.m. EST: AFI Program Overview and Grant Application Process
Additional information about applying for an AFI grant is available in the Apply for an AFI Grant section of IDAresources.org:
· Determine whether the AFI Program is right for your organization.
· Learn how to apply for an AFI grant.
· Locate Current AFI grantees near you.
· Learn about Asset Building in Native Communities.
The Apply for an AFI Grant section on IDAresources.org also contains the AFI Project Builder, a guidebook for organizations that want to design and implement an asset building program supported by the AFI Program. The AFI Project Builder toolkit contains worksheets and other tools to help grantees design and implement their program.
AFI Resource Center | Office of Community Services
www.acf.hhs.gov/assetbuilding | www.idaresources.org
1-866-778-6037 | info
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You can make a difference by educating low- and moderate-income families about federal and state tax credits that can help put thousands of dollars in their pockets!
When they file their taxes for 2011 in early 2012, working families may be eligible to claim valuable federal tax credits, such as:
In addition, many states offer their own child and dependent care tax credits and earned income tax credits, and a few offer child tax credits as well.
But families have to know about the credits in order to claim them on their state and federal tax returns, and you can help. Each tax filing season, the National Women’s Law Center, working with advocates and service providers across the country, conducts a national tax credits outreach campaign. Participating is easy!
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Announcing a Series of AFI-Sponsored Financial Education Training Academies
The AFI Resource Center is pleased to announce a series of two-day Financial Education Academies for AFI grantees and other financial educators. These sessions, conducted as “train-the-trainer” sessions for staff that deliver or manage financial education will be presented in various locations throughout the country. These sessions are offered free of charge (no registration fee), but attendees will need to pay their own travel costs; however, travel stipends are available for AFI grantees. Two different academies will be offered: Level One and Level Two. Please read on for a description of these sessions. In addition to the training sessions, at some locations we will also offer a Technical Assistance clinic where participants can get small group or one-on-one assistance on financial education needs.
Training One:
Content and Skills for Making Financial Education Effective and Engaging: Financial Education Training for Trainers. This training provides the foundation for making financial education accessible, engaging relevant and actionable for AFI participants. This training is designed for new AFI staff or individuals with less than three years of direct financial education experience. Practitioners with more experience have found the training extremely beneficial, too.
Training Two:
Content and Skills for Making Financial Education Effective and Engaging: Financial Education Training for Trainers: The Next Level. This training picks up where Level One ends and is designed for those who attended Level One previously or who have three or more years of direct financial education experience. The training is designed to provide AFI grantees and others with opportunities to further develop their financial education delivery skills and content knowledge on advanced financial education topics. The training includes the following topics:
Integrating concepts of media and economic literacy into financial education efforts. Facilitating sessions on budgeting for people at different stages of life. Training Three:
Effective Financial Education for Post-Secondary Education. The purpose of this training is to provide AFI Grantees with the opportunity to further develop their financial education facilitation skills and content knowledge on topics related to post-secondary education. Topics will include:
The locations and dates of trainings to be offered are as follows:
Trainings One and Two will start at 9 a.m. on day one and end at 3:30 p.m. on day two. Training Three will start at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m.
Travel Reimbursements Available to AFI Grantees:
For AFI grantees only, a $600 travel stipend reimbursement is available to help offset travel costs to the Financial Education Academy. Please indicate your interest in receiving information about this reimbursement when registering for the training.
Technical Assistance Clinics Available:
At the Tennessee, New Mexico and Pennsylvania trainings, we will also offer a “Technical Assistance Clinic” during the evening of the first day of the training. At this clinic, you will be able to meet in small group or one-on-one with a financial educator to discuss issues or concerns and to get assistance on those topics.
To Register:
If you are interested in attending one of these sessions, please complete theregistration form. Confirmation and additional information about the session will be emailed to you.
If you have any questions, please contact the AFI Resource Center at: info.
Filed under: Development | Comments Off
Announcing a Series of AFI-Sponsored Financial Education Training Academies
The AFI Resource Center is pleased to announce a series of two-day Financial Education Academies for AFI grantees and other financial educators. These sessions, conducted as “train-the-trainer” sessions for staff that deliver or manage financial education will be presented in various locations throughout the country. These sessions are offered free of charge (no registration fee), but attendees will need to pay their own travel costs; however, travel stipends are available for AFI grantees. Two different academies will be offered: Level One and Level Two. Please read on for a description of these sessions. In addition to the training sessions, at some locations we will also offer a Technical Assistance clinic where participants can get small group or one-on-one assistance on financial education needs.
Training One:
Content and Skills for Making Financial Education Effective and Engaging: Financial Education Training for Trainers. This training provides the foundation for making financial education accessible, engaging relevant and actionable for AFI participants. This training is designed for new AFI staff or individuals with less than three years of direct financial education experience. Practitioners with more experience have found the training extremely beneficial, too.
Training Two:
Content and Skills for Making Financial Education Effective and Engaging: Financial Education Training for Trainers: The Next Level. This training picks up where Level One ends and is designed for those who attended Level One previously or who have three or more years of direct financial education experience. The training is designed to provide AFI grantees and others with opportunities to further develop their financial education delivery skills and content knowledge on advanced financial education topics. The training includes the following topics:
Integrating concepts of media and economic literacy into financial education efforts. Facilitating sessions on budgeting for people at different stages of life. Training Three:
Effective Financial Education for Post-Secondary Education. The purpose of this training is to provide AFI Grantees with the opportunity to further develop their financial education facilitation skills and content knowledge on topics related to post-secondary education. Topics will include:
The locations and dates of trainings to be offered are as follows:
Trainings One and Two will start at 9 a.m. on day one and end at 3:30 p.m. on day two. Training Three will start at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m.
Travel Reimbursements Available to AFI Grantees:
For AFI grantees only, a $600 travel stipend reimbursement is available to help offset travel costs to the Financial Education Academy. Please indicate your interest in receiving information about this reimbursement when registering for the training.
Technical Assistance Clinics Available:
At the Tennessee, New Mexico and Pennsylvania trainings, we will also offer a “Technical Assistance Clinic” during the evening of the first day of the training. At this clinic, you will be able to meet in small group or one-on-one with a financial educator to discuss issues or concerns and to get assistance on those topics.
To Register:
If you are interested in attending one of these sessions, please complete the registration form. Confirmation and additional information about the session will be emailed to you.
If you have any questions, please contact the AFI Resource Center at: info.
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Please share this information with groups and individuals interested in this topic. Thanks!
Oklahoma’s children of incarcerated parents’ next topic in OKDHS Lecture Series
Oklahoma incarcerates more women per capita than any state in the nation, making their children the hidden, innocent victims. Those issues will be discussed in the Practice and Policy Lecture Series, sponsored in part by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). “Tell me a Story: The Reality of Oklahoma’s Children of Incarcerated Parents,” will be Friday, February 17, from Noon to 1 p.m. in the Chesapeake Room of the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City. Select here to pre-register
Cheri Fuller will bring to light some of the challenges facing children whose mothers are incarcerated as well as share an innovative model for keeping families connected.
Fuller says children are deeply affected socially, emotionally and academically by the incarceration of a parent—especially a mother. “Few children see their incarcerated parents on a regular basis and most not at all,” she says. “It is difficult for parents to maintain contact with their children while they are incarcerated due to a lack of resources. That may include the child’s distance from prison and family hardships, among other things.”
Without contact, Fuller says children may begin to perceive their parents as strangers, making their adjustment with caregivers or other adults more challenging and reunification with their parents even more difficult. However, she says “there is evidence that maintaining the child-parent relationship while a parent is incarcerated improves a child’s emotional response to the incarceration and also encourages parent-child attachment.”
Fuller is an author and international speaker who has taught at every level from elementary school to college. Additionally, she has written several books, appeared on national television and radio, and in 2004 was named “Oklahoma Mother of the Year. Fuller and her husband reside in Edmond.
The Practice and Policy Lecture Series has been developed to provide thought-provoking presentations on Oklahoma’s emerging policy issues, trends and best practices. The series is sponsored by the OKDHS Office of Planning, Research and Statistics and the University of Oklahoma Center for Public Management with the goal of providing the best educational opportunities available in a forum that offers participants an opportunity to question, share and learn.
All lectures are free and open to the public. For more information contact the Office of Planning, Research and Statistics at (405)521-3552. View the complete lecture series lineup at: Practice and Policy Lecture Series website.
March 30, 2012
Children’s Right to Thrive: The Foundational Years
Noon to 1 pm
Oklahoma History Center
Craig T. Ramey, PhD, Professor & Distinguished Research Scholar at Virginia Tech Carilion Research InstituteApril 2, 2012
Understanding Differences in Health Behaviors by Education
Noon to 1 pm
University of Oklahoma, College of Public Health
Adriana Lleras-Muney, PhD, Associate Professor in Dept. of Economics at UCLAMay 17, 2012
The Senior Safety Net in Jeopardy
Noon to 1 pm
Oklahoma History Center
Karyne Jones, President & CEO, The National Caucus & Center on Black Aged, Inc.Prior presentations are located on the Practice and Policy web site.
Categories:
Aging
Child Care
Child Welfare
Customer Service
Developmental Disabilities
Economy
Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Health Care
Leadership
Marriage and Family
TechnologyConnie Schlittler, LCSW, MPA
Chief Information Officer
OK Department of Human Services
PO Box 25352
Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0352
405-521-2907
Connie.schlittler@okdhs.org
Filed under: Development | Comments Off
Please share this information with groups and individuals interested in this topic. Thanks!
Oklahoma’s children of incarcerated parents’ next topic in OKDHS Lecture Series
Oklahoma incarcerates more women per capita than any state in the nation, making their children the hidden, innocent victims. Those issues will be discussed in the Practice and Policy Lecture Series, sponsored in part by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). “Tell me a Story: The Reality of Oklahoma’s Children of Incarcerated Parents,” will be Friday, February 17, from Noon to 1 p.m. in the Chesapeake Room of the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City. Select here to pre-register
Cheri Fuller will bring to light some of the challenges facing children whose mothers are incarcerated as well as share an innovative model for keeping families connected.
Fuller says children are deeply affected socially, emotionally and academically by the incarceration of a parent—especially a mother. “Few children see their incarcerated parents on a regular basis and most not at all,” she says. “It is difficult for parents to maintain contact with their children while they are incarcerated due to a lack of resources. That may include the child’s distance from prison and family hardships, among other things.”
Without contact, Fuller says children may begin to perceive their parents as strangers, making their adjustment with caregivers or other adults more challenging and reunification with their parents even more difficult. However, she says “there is evidence that maintaining the child-parent relationship while a parent is incarcerated improves a child’s emotional response to the incarceration and also encourages parent-child attachment.”
Fuller is an author and international speaker who has taught at every level from elementary school to college. Additionally, she has written several books, appeared on national television and radio, and in 2004 was named “Oklahoma Mother of the Year. Fuller and her husband reside in Edmond.
The Practice and Policy Lecture Series has been developed to provide thought-provoking presentations on Oklahoma’s emerging policy issues, trends and best practices. The series is sponsored by the OKDHS Office of Planning, Research and Statistics and the University of Oklahoma Center for Public Management with the goal of providing the best educational opportunities available in a forum that offers participants an opportunity to question, share and learn.
All lectures are free and open to the public. For more information contact the Office of Planning, Research and Statistics at (405)521-3552. View the complete lecture series lineup at: Practice and Policy Lecture Series website.
March 30, 2012
Children’s Right to Thrive: The Foundational Years
Noon to 1 pm
Oklahoma History Center
Craig T. Ramey, PhD, Professor & Distinguished Research Scholar at Virginia Tech Carilion Research InstituteApril 2, 2012
Understanding Differences in Health Behaviors by Education
Noon to 1 pm
University of Oklahoma, College of Public Health
Adriana Lleras-Muney, PhD, Associate Professor in Dept. of Economics at UCLAMay 17, 2012
The Senior Safety Net in Jeopardy
Noon to 1 pm
Oklahoma History Center
Karyne Jones, President & CEO, The National Caucus & Center on Black Aged, Inc.Prior presentations are located on the Practice and Policy web site.
Categories:
Aging
Child Care
Child Welfare
Customer Service
Developmental Disabilities
Economy
Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Health Care
Leadership
Marriage and Family
TechnologyConnie Schlittler, LCSW, MPA
Chief Information Officer
OK Department of Human Services
PO Box 25352
Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0352
405-521-2907
Connie.schlittler@okdhs.org
Filed under: Development | Comments Off
