JOBsolutions Offers New Small Business Development Resources
FINDLAY— JOBsolutions has unveiled several new resources to benefit entrepreneurs and small business owners.
A Small Business Development function has been added to the website at www.jobsolutions.net. This free tool allows small business owners and entrepreneurs a platform to seek “expert” advice from a small group of Hancock County professionals. Participating members of the business panel include the Small Business Administration, [KAH1] JOBsolutions, The University of Findlay, Hancock Regional Planning Commission, Community Action Commission, Owens Community College and the Findlay•Hancock County Alliance, which includes the Findlay•Hancock County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development office.
The project was coordinated with cooperation from the Findlay•Hancock County Alliance and allows business owners the opportunity to seek advice from the panel in a secured, private communication via www.jobsolutions.net. Business owners will access the website and submit their questions. These will be fielded by The Alliance and answered directly by the expert with the most knowledge about that subject. Any business owner or entrepreneur can sign up for the resource online. The Alliance will serve as the coordinator to make sure requests are handled in a timely manner and the proper follow-up is conducted.
“The Chamber’s Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Council has been working in tandem with JOBsolutions to provide additional resources, including program offerings, to help area businesses grow and prosper,” said Dionne Neubauer, Director of the Findlay•Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. “This new resource provides one central location for those seeking support, and guides individuals to specialized areas to meet their needs.”
As a partner in this effort, “Assessing and assisting the needs of small business owners and entrepreneurs is very important for the growth of our local economy” states Dr. Chris Ward, Associate Professor at The University of Findlay. “This new system will allow us to quickly evaluate the needs of the client and determine the best person to assist the client at that point in time”.
Antony Iriti, Director of Findlay•Hancock Economic Development, agreed.
“This new Small Business Development resource is a great tool for existing businesses looking to expand and for entrepreneurs looking for some professional guidance to get their ventures off the ground. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved…business owners and the economic climate in Findlay and Hancock County,” Iriti said.
Another valuable resource now available at JOBsolutions is the Small Business Resource Room for current small business owners and entrepreneurs.
“Small business is the life-blood of many communities,” said Carolyn Rodenhauser, Workforce Development Administrator. “The new Resource Room provides entrepreneurs a place to go to gather information and speak with specialists about the specific topics new business owners must be knowledgeable about to succeed.”
The Resource Room contains a wide variety of information for new and potential small business owners on such topics as research and planning a business; choosing a location; financing; the legal aspects associated with small business operation; taxes; permits; and more. Counselors are also available to review business plans. There is no charge to use materials or seek assistance from job counselors.
The Small Business Resource Room is open during regular business hours 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call JOBsolutions at 419-422-3679.
JOBsolutions is an employment resource that works with its partner agencies to enhance workforce preparation and grow area employment levels. JOBsolutions staff and representatives from its partner agencies are available at the One Stop Center located at 7746 CR 140, Suite B, Findlay.
[KAH1]Check with Craig – it may need to read “Small Business Development Center”
Ohio’s Electronic Child Care Swipe Card System
Important News for Child Care Providers About
Ohio’s Electronic Child Care Swipe Card System
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) is excited to announce the new Ohio Electronic Child Care (Ohio ECC) swipe card system. This new system will allow child care providers to track the attendance of publicly funded children in their care. In the coming months, sales Ohio ECC will be implemented across the state.
The new system requires caretakers to record attendance using a swipe card to check children in and out of care. Caretakers will swipe their cards through a card?reading device – known as a Point of Service (POS) device – which is like credit/debit?card readers used in stores. All child care providers caring for children with current authorizations will receive a POS device for caretakers to use.
As a result, shop providers will no longer need to submit invoices to the county. The attendance information entered is sent directly to ODJFS from the POS device through your phone line. Attendance and payment detail reports will be available to providers on the Ohio ECC provider web site.
ODJFS has contracted with Affiliated Computer Systems (ACS) to develop and implement this system. Beginning in late March, and for several months thereafter, ACS and ODJFS will offer a series of “webinars.” Webinars are meetings conducted over the Internet to give you more information, demonstrate the new system, and provide an opportunity to ask questions.
ACS’s business partner, Media Riders, Inc. will call you to arrange a time to install the POS device and train you on how to use it. There is no charge for the POS device or the training. All installers have passed strict security checks and will have photo identification.
More information about the Ohio ECC system will be posted on the CCIDS web site, http://www.jfs.ohio.gov/cdc/childcare.stm . We will also continue to send updates to providers via e?mail in the “CCIDS Provider E?Blast”, including the schedule for webinars.
Please expect a mailing from ACS containing more details about the POS device and the installation process.
ODJFS and ACS look forward to working with the provider community as we implement Ohio’s ECC system.
HJFS Unveils New Website
FINDLAY–Hancock County Job & Family Services has unveiled a new website which offers its clients more comprehensive information than ever before.
The website was designed to be user-friendly and cover all areas encompassed with HJFS: child care, child support, children’s protective services, family stability and workforce development. Users will find answers to many frequently asked questions and will even be able to submit secured emails with their caseworkers through this new website.
Senate Bill 5 Issue on November Ballot
Senate Bill 5 Repeal Question Will Be On November Ballot Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted said enough valid signatures have been gathered to place a repeal question on the November ballot regarding the state’s controversial new collective bargaining law. The group We Are Ohio spear headed the signature drive to place the question before Ohio voters whether or not to repeal Senate Bill 5. Opponents contend the law unfairly attacks workers while supporters say it helps state and local governments control spending. Groups on both sides have been raising money in anticipation of the ballot question. Senate Bill 5 signed into law by Governor John Kasich in late March bans strikes by public employees and restricts collective bargaining rights for more than 350, ailment 000 teachers, police officers, state employees and others.
HCJFS gets a new website
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The Mission of the HJFS
The mission of Hancock County Job and Family Services Children’s Protective Services Unit is to assure the children of Hancock County greater protection from abuse and neglect, thumb preserving families whenever possible. This will be accomplished utilizing available resources and working with the community to eliminate service gaps.
Job and Family Services Plans Collaboration Effort
The Hancock County commissioners on Wednesday authorized Hancock County Job and Family Services to enter into a joint program with the Job and Family Services agencies of seven other counties for the purpose of sharing resources.
The program, designed to reduce costs and provide more efficient services to clients, is called “Collabor8,” and will include a shared call center as well as shared Web services between counties.
Counties involved in the collaboration include Hancock, Knox, Marion, Morrow, Sandusky and Wood. Seneca County will also join the program in its second phase.
Judy Wauford, director of Hancock County Job and Family Services, has said the agency is moving toward more telephone- and Internet-based services, as opposed to face-to-face services, as a way to reduce costs.
Job and Family Services has seen its funding decrease over the past three years, Wauford has said. As of early this month, the staff at Job and Family Services had been reduced by 32 percent since 2008, through attrition and layoffs, in an attempt to cut costs.
The agency is also bracing for additional funding cuts when the new state budget takes effect in July.
Wauford told the commissioners Wednesday that the new collaboration with the other counties will result in cost savings, but she’s not yet sure what the amount of the savings will be.
“The project’s costs are the only thing I have any concern about. I don’t know what they’re going to be yet. We are going to share them according to each individual county’s requirements. There is no specific dollar amount attached to it at this point,” Wauford said.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will pay part of the cost of combining the counties’ services, Wauford said.
(Article By LINSEY MAUGHAN, Staff Writer. Reprinted with Permission From the Courier/June 23, 2011)
