OREGON — Jill Calkins, president and CEO of the Tri-County Opportunities Council, briefed the Ogle County Board Tuesday night on the agency’s programs and the challenges it faces as federal budget negotiations continue. TCOC, which serves nine counties across 5,500 square miles in northwest Illinois with an annual budget of about $20 million, provides housing aid, energy assistance, weatherization, scholarships, and early childhood education programs such as Head Start. Calkins said potential cuts or delays in federal appropriations could affect services including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Head Start, which help thousands of families.
“We’d serve less children,” she said, “making less of an impact in early childhood and getting children ready for school. We make sure children’s nutrition needs are met, their medical needs are met, dental, mental health, and we work with the families on family development, giving them a hand up also out of poverty.”