Tips to make retirement savings last

According to USA Today one unexpected financial disaster can

Older Workers in the Workplace

 

     This subject is near and dear to me because I fall in this category. However, before you judge me so harshly, let me describe my passion for children. As well as, how I ended up in the Early Childhood Education industry, I saw a child struggling in reading and I thought that if this child could be taught in his earlier years and have fun learning, I could learn how to reach and make a difference in this child’s life. This is how I want to make a difference with my work and one person can make a difference and contribute back to the community. With that being said, hiring an older employee to your business will add value to your organization because the older employee will deliver a superior customer service and register a much lower turnover. According to SHRM Magazine, reasons to hire an older worker they are able to transfer their knowledge to others, they are advisers and historians. They are loyal and bring the highest retention rate of all the age groups. Therefore, employers do not be hesitant to hire older employees.

     Contrary, older workforces have a tendency to be in good health than unemployed individuals in their age group. Because people in general need to feel that they are making a difference and contributing to society as a whole. The question should be asked could this individual do the job. According to Robert Grossman, writer for SHRM magazine, “Older personnel are crucial to our employment mix.” Many people in this age group are eager to learn new and different ways, for example, the hottest social media, is Pintrest, absolutely love it, there are so many ways to use this media for example, in business and pleasure. Not to mention, this is most employees like to arrive early and leave late if there is deadlines and work needs to be accomplished.

Reference

Grossman, R. J. (2013, August 11). Invest in Older Workers. HR Magazine, Volume 58, 20-25.

Finding Local Funding For your Business

Looking for major foundations may seem easy enough. With this day in age full of information all a person has to do is look the topic up online. This seems easy enough, doesn’t well yes and no, I say that because yes you type in grants for women and you get about 89,900,000 results, unless you are more specific, for example;  grants for women entrepreneurs, How to Apply For Small Business Grants For Women or Women-Owned Business Grant Program. So where do you go if you are looking for locally-based projects and organizations? There are grant directories that provide names of donors and executors, as well as statistics on monies and grants paid. You could look at your local foundations which the directories are made for your region for example; Regional Associations of grant makers (RAGs) each state should have one. There are other sources that might help your search for example www.grantsmart.com is an online resource that offers a searchable tax information database for private foundations. 

How do you find the right Foundation? This is a very important question because of our economical circumstance foundations are thinking more like a business so when applying for a grant it would be wise to see if your organization matches up with the foundations guidelines. For instance, the foundation might list they support women businesses; however, you learn that their purpose is to strengthen training program grants in their region. Therefore, your program for getting new computers or expanding your business is not in their interest and not a good fit. So look at each individual foundation’s profile and read the purpose statement to make sure they share the same interest as your project. Do not forget to read the qualifications and criteria carefully, follow all directions to the T in order to obtain your grant.

On that note I would like to say, if you have been in a classroom setting or had to turn in a report of any kind and follow the teacher’s request, no matter if you agreed or disagreed with the specifications this is what you had to do in order to pass the paper and the class, or they would deduct points from the paper.  Writing a grant proposal has the same concept, follow the directions according to what they require put it in their order and then you will reap the rewards, on the other hand, do the proposal as you see fit and they may just reject your proposal.

Women's Business Center Program Initial Grant

Attention any woman that has a business, I would love to share this information with you.
 The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued Program Announcement!!!!

Description of Modification
This Program Announcement is amended to: 1. Include the state of Oregon; 2. Include the state of Florida and the U.S. territories of The Virgin Islands and Guam (anticipates one per state or territory); 3. Extend the closing date to July 31, 2013; and 4. An award made to any organization that previously operated a women’s business center within the past five years of the application, and previously operated a women’s business center within 50 miles of the proposed territory of the application, would be issued as a Renewal Phase WBC Project rather than an Initial Phase Project at the funding level not to exceed the level shown in Section I.

Document Type:	Modification to Previous  Grants Notice
Funding Opportunity Number:	OWBO-2013-01
Opportunity Category:	Discretionary
Posted Date:	May 24, 2013
Creation Date:	Jun 24, 2013
Original Closing Date for Applications:	Jul 08, 2013    The closing date is July 8, 2013 at 11:59pm EST.
Current Closing Date for Applications:	Jul 31, 2013    The closing date has been extended to July 31, 2013 at 11:59pm EST.
Archive Date:	Aug 30, 2013
Funding Instrument Type:	Cooperative Agreement
Category of Funding Activity:	Business and Commerce
Category Explanation:
Expected Number of Awards:	4
Estimated Total Program Funding:	$546,056
Award Ceiling:	$136,514
Award Floor:	$136,514
CFDA Number(s):	59.043  --  Women's Business Ownership Assistance
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement:	Yes

Eligible Applicants

Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
 

Additional Information on Eligibility:

See Synopsis

Agency Name

Small Business Administration

Description

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued Program Announcement No. OWBO-2013-01 to invite private, 501(c)- certified non-profit organizations that are located within and will provide services to the population of Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, and Washington as outlined in Program Announcement No. OWBO-2013-01 to apply for a five year Women's Business Center (WBC) grant. The SBA Women's Business Center is a program or project funded, in part, by a grant from the SBA to provide technical assistance to women entrepreneurs, both nascent and established in the areas of finance, management, and marketing, and other areas as defined in Program Announcement OWBO-2013-01. A representative number of clients served by a WBC must be socially and economically disadvantaged. The WBC may exist within the framework of a larger economic development organization and may make use of the resources provided by that organization but must be a clearly identifiable separate program or project of that entity. Four successful applicants will receive an award in the form of a cooperative agreement for the base year. Four additional option years may be exercised, subject to the availability of funding and the WBC's performance during the previous year. Program authority is detailed in the Small Business Act, Sections 2(h) and 29 (15 U.S.C. Sections 631(h) and 656), as amended. Award recipients must provide non-federal matching funds as follows: one non-federal dollar for each two federal dollars for years one and two, and one non-federal dollar for each one federal dollars for years three through five. At least 50% of the non-federal matching funds must be in the form of cash to include program income (e.g., fees generated from services). The remaining 50% may be made up of in-kind contributions.

Link to Additional Information

http://www.sba.gov/content/womens-business-center-grant-opportunities

If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact:

U.S. Small Business Administration
Office of Women's Business Ownership
Phone 202-205-6673
OWBO@sba.gov

Early Childhood Education Funding: Federal, State, and Private Resources

With the increased focus in recent years on Pre-Kindergarten learning, you may be asking where you can find funding for early childhood education.  Your school may be looking to establish or expand a pre-school program, or you may need funds for an independent pre-school program.  Public funding for Pre-Kindergarten education mainly comes from three sources: state funding, federal Special Education (IDEA) funds for Pre-K, and federal Head Start funding.
Federal Funding
One way in which the federal DOE has shown its commitment to early learning is by increasing the funding to both IDEA for Pre-K and federal Head Start over the last two years.  In addition, there are other federal funding sources for Pre-K: social services programs, like the federal Child Care and Development fund, and federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.  And there are provisions in Title I that allow schools to use some Title I funds for Pre-Kindergarten programs, such as the stipulation allowing school wide Title I programs to “establish or enhance prekindergarten programs for children below the age of 6.”  According to the federal non-regulatory guidance, Serving Preschool Children Through Title I, “The use of Title I funds for a preschool program is a local decision.”
Some new federal sources of Pre-K funding have also been created: Promise Neighborhoods (which has an early learning component) and the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge grants are likely to continue in some form as signature programs of the Obama administration. During the next four years, the federal DOE will focus more intently on the full Pre-K – Grade 3 continuum, especially working with Congress to embed Pre-K-3 strategies in a new ESEA.
But some Pre-K programs have also been cut from the federal budget, such as Even Start and Early Reading First.  The purpose of the latter – “to enhance the early language, literacy, and pre-reading development of preschool age children” – has been absorbed into the newer Striving Readings Comprehensive Literacy grant, which provides a continuum of reading from birth through twelfth grade, though the future of SRCL is somewhat in question.
State Funding
In 2011, 39 states provided Pre-K funding (the other 11 states were: Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming).  In fact, more children are enrolled in state funded Pre-Kindergarten programs than in any other publicly funding Pre-K program, though the per-student amount varies dramatically in states from $2,000 to $11,000.  State Pre-K funding goes to both community based organizations and school districts.
Want to Research Further?

1. State Pre-K Funding: http://nieer.org/yearbook.
2. Federal, State, and Private Pre-K Funding: http://febp.newamerica.net/background-analysis/pre-k-funding.
3. Special Education/Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
   • Office of Special Education Programs: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html.
   • Special Education – Grants to States Home Page: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/osepgts/index.html.
   • Special Education, Parts B and C State Allocation Tables: http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/osep/2012apps.html.
   • Special Education State Contacts: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/monitor/state-contact-list.html.
   • IDEA, Title I, Part B, Section 619: Preschool Grants: http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cstatute%2CI%2CB%2C619%2C.
   • IDEA, Title I, Part C, Sections 631-644: Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cstatute%2CI%2CC%2C.
   • State and Local Funding Formulas: http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CTopicalArea%2C9%2C.
4. Title I
   • Title I Home Page: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/index.html.
   • Title I State and District Award Amounts: http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/titlei/fy11/index.html.
   • Non-Regulatory Guidance, “Serving Preschool Children Through Title I”: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/preschoolguidance2012.pdf.
   • Title I Law: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg2.html#sec1112, in particular, Sections 1112(b)(1)(E)(i), 1112(b)(1)(K), 1114(b)(1)(B)(iii)(I)(bb), 1114(b)(1)(G), 1114 (c), 1115(b)(1)(B), 1115(b)(2)(B), and 1115(c)(1)(D).
5. Head Start
   • Office of Head Start: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs
   •  Head Start Funding Opportunities: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/funding.
   • Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge
     1. Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Home Page: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-earlylearningchallenge/index.html.
     2. Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Applicant Info: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-earlylearningchallenge/applicant.html.
     3. Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Awards: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-earlylearningchallenge/awards.html.
   • Promise Neighborhoods
     1. Promise Neighborhoods Home Page: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/promiseneighborhoods/index.html.
     2. Promise Neighborhoods Applicant Info: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/promiseneighborhoods/applicant.html.
     3. Promise Neighborhoods Awards: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/promiseneighborhoods/awards.html.
   • Child Care and Development Fund: http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/programs/acf/childcare.html.
   Though Pre-Kindergarten education has in the past sometimes languished as the stepchild of K-12 education, its importance is now being realized, resulting in resources increasing for early learning and programs growing.

February 5, 2013 by Joseph Noble, Ph.D

Increase in College Attainment Rates Not Enough to Meet Goal 2025

Report Finds the Lumina Foundation report found that while 38.7 percent of Americans ages 25 to 64 had a two- or four-year college degree, the rate of improvement in attainment rates was insufficient to meet the foundation?s goal of 60 percent by 2025.... More»

 

Northeast Ohio Regional Economic Development Fund Announces Nearly $2 Million in Grants

The Cleveland-based Fund for Our Economic Future has announced nearly $2 million in grants to advance regional strategies and initiatives aimed at strengthening Northeast Ohio's economy.
Awarded under Phase 4 of the fund's strategic plan, which runs through 2015, the grants will support efforts to enhance the region's economic competitiveness, promote good jobs and vibrant communities, and provide equitable access to opportunity for the people of Northeast Ohio.
Grants announced by the fund include an award of $640,000 to WorkAdvance, an effort involving several organizations to demonstrate the long-term value of an innovative approach to helping lower-skilled workers advance along career paths in health care and manufacturing; $550,000 to NorTech to coordinate the expansion of promising technology-based industries such as advanced energy, flexible electronic materials, and water technologies; $400,000 to the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET) to continue expanding its Partnership for Regional Innovation Services program, a nationally recognized collaboration of universities and research institutions working to help small to mid-sized manufacturers innovate new products; and $300,000 to Team NEO to continue coordinating, with a variety of stakeholders, the region's business attraction strategy.
"The fund's grants are aligned with efforts by private sector funders to support these strategies and build a more competitive region," said Fund for Our Economic Future president Brad Whitehead. "Over the next three years, we look forward to working even more closely with our private sector partners to support existing and new strategies that will result in good jobs, higher incomes, and increased opportunity for the people of Northeast Ohio."
“Fund for Our Economic Future Awards Nearly $2 Million in Grants to Support Five Regional Strategies.” Fund for Our Economic Future Press Release 6/11/13. Primary Subject: Community Improvement/Development
Location(s): Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, Ohio FC019367