Our Mission 
To improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth by providing services and leadership in partnership with families, schools and communities. 

Our Goals 
• Increase learning growth for students 
• Decrease the gap in achievement 
• Increase annual graduation rates 
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success

Reminder: FOUR Days Left to Enroll in or Waive Dependent Care Flex Plan

Our online enrollment for the 2018 dependent care flex benefit plan is open for four more days!

All full-time employees will need to either enroll during this period or waive participation through the enrollment process. For eligible part-time employees, due to system configurations, it is assumed that you automatically waive the benefit; however, if you wish to participate and are a CU employee with a 96-day contract, contact Juliette Houseman to enroll via paper.

The dependent care benefit allows you to pre-tax child, spouse or elder care expenses that you incur in order to allow you (and your spouse, if married) to work. If married, both spouses must be working to claim dependent care expenses. A dependent is defined as: 

• A dependent of the employee who is under 13 years of age
• A dependent or spouse who is physically or mentally disabled

The maximum amount your family may flex per calendar year is $5,000. All claims must be incurred by Dec. 31 and submitted for reimbursement within 60 days of the end of the plan year (March 1).

The deadline for enrolling in or waiving the dependent care plan is Nov. 30 at 4:00 p.m. 

As a reminder, all dependent care expenses for the 2017 plan year must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2017 and must be submitted to 121 Benefits for reimbursement by March 1, 2018.

To Enroll
First, go to your Employee Dashboard and go to the Employee Online Tab. On the left-hand side of the screen, click on the ENTER Your Dependent Care Deduction.

Next…

• Click Dependent Care Coverage Type. 
• If you want to waive Dependent Care and not have this benefit for the upcoming year, enter 0 under the New Change Request column.
• If you elect to enroll in the plan, your maximum deduction per pay period can be $208.33, which equates to $4,999.92 ($5,000) total for the year.
• Click Save to complete your Flex Dependent Care. (In clicking Save you agree to the Terms and Conditions.) 

NOTE: IF YOU ENTER AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN “0” IN EMPLOYEE COST PER PERIOD, THEN THAT AMOUNT WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM YOUR PAYCHECK PER PAY PERIOD. 

If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, at or ext. 14315.

Registration for Five to Thrive Challenge Opens This Week!

Pizza or a salad. A candy bar or an apple. Soda or a smoothie.  These are the choices we face on a daily basis. Even when we know what is right, we sometimes choose the less-than-healthy option. If you fall into this category, you are not alone. 

But don't worry – the Five to Thrive Nutrition Challenge is here to help! For 28 days, you will challenge yourself to eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day and record your progress. You will also get tips and advice on how to eat a healthier, more balanced diet. To earn credit for this challenge, you must track consuming 5 or more fruits/vegetables servings on 14 of the 28 days of the challenge.    

You will receive a message from the Wellness Center on Nov. 29 letting you know registration is open to join the challenge! 

Challenge begins: Dec. 11, 2017 
Challenge ends: Jan. 7, 2018 
Last day to record: Jan. 14, 2018

Reminder: Tuel Shed Training Presenting About Health & Fitness Goals on Dec. 14




Javier Tuel from Tuel Shed Training will discuss going after your health and fitness goals in a Lunch and Learn on Dec. 14. He will breakdown how to set achievable goals, how to refocus your thoughts and how you describe “your well.” Are you describing “your well” in a negative way that prevents you from accomplishing your goals or are you describing “your well” in a purposeful way that helps you further your goals? Come join in this positive, goal-oriented session!   

Tuel Shed Training Lunch and Learn 
Dec. 14, 2017 
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Johnston REC, Conference Rooms 152 A/B/C 
Registration

Reminder: Budgeting & Planning for Emergencies Workshop Coming to Ames in January

Did you know that 80% of workers polled nationally indicate they want their employer to provide financial wellness education? Consider where we are as a society today: 

• 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck – Wall Street Journal 
• 30% of Americans have outstanding loans on their 401ks – Business Record 
• #1 cause of stress is money problems and money fights – multiple studies 

Heartland AEA is excited to announce that Justin Bennett of Strong Tower Consulting is coming back to teach more financial wellness workshops in 2018. Budgeting & Planning for Emergencies will be offered at the Ames regional office! Whether you are looking to pick-up a few nuggets of information, or you need a financial overhaul, this 90-minute workshop will teach you all of the basics of how to handle your money well.  

Budgeting & Planning for Emergencies Workshop 
Jan. 26, 2018 3-4:30 p.m. 
Ames Regional Office 
Or via Zoom 
Registration 
RSVP by Jan. 24

Changes Coming to Educational Evaluation Report on Dec. 1

At the request of the Iowa’s AEAs Special Education Directors, the following data fields will be removed/replaced from the Educational Evaluation Report (EER) effective Dec. 1, 2017. This change will impact EER forms that are open at the time this update is rolled live as well as future EERs that are created.   

• The field highlighted in red will be removed from the EER. 

• This question and its text field will also be removed from the EER: “Which of the above needs, if any, will require services and supports that exceed the capacity and obligation of the general education program and resources.” It will be replaced with the statement “The evaluation/IEP team will meet to review the Full and Individual Evaluation results and make an eligibility decision.” 

An example of the updated EER blank form when printed on and after Dec. 1, 2017 is included here for your reference. If you have any questions, contact your regional director. 

Tech Tip of the Week: MiFi Best Practices

Nearly half of the Agency’s staff have MiFis (WiFi hotspots) issued to them, and there are many available for checkout. Check out this week’s Tech Tip for a quick list of MiFi do's and don'ts and some best practices when using them.