OTC receives $40,000 grant to get program underway

By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

Otter Tail County has been awarded a $40,000 grant to update the community assessment in Battle Lake, Fergus Falls and Parkers Prairie for development and implementation of Family Resource Centers in these communities.

Other resource centers have already been established in Pelican Rapids and New York Mills.

The goals of xa Resource Centers are to support families to be strong, healthy and successful. Services include parenting support, child development activities and parental leadership development. Currently there are more than 3,000 Family Resource Centers throughout the United States. 

County board members in Otter Tail County agree that establishing Family Resource Centers here in west central Minnesota is well worth the effort. Commissioners past and present have expressed thanks for the grants provided counties in Minnesota by the Sauer Family Foundation of St. Paul.

A Family Resource Center can be located at either a school or other location in a community, situated as a welcoming hub of support, services and opportunities for families. All across the nation are success stories about economic self-sufficiency, family resiliency, child nurturing and improvements in children’s educational success

Under the supervision of Otter Tail County Deputy County Administrator Lynne Penke-Valdes, a contractor will assist the county with the development of Family Resource Centers to assist families in building strengths and meeting needs.

The contractor, working with the existing Core Team which includes community members, will create an implementation plan for each location including such elements as service locations, budget, programming plans, start dates and parent advisory committee plans.