President’s Report 
ACCREDITATION: A SYMBOL OF EXCELLENCE

Northwood Children’s Services received notification on February 28, 2008 that it has been accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) through November 30, 2011.  Northwood was the first child caring center of its kind in Minnesota to achieve National Accreditation.  That occurred in 1980.  Accreditation occurs every four years.  Northwood has successfully been reaccredited seven times!

This is a significant achievement for our organization and one that we are extremely proud of.  Reaccreditation attests that an organization continues to meet the highest national standards.  It also provides assurance that the organization is performing services which the community needs, conducting its operations successfully, and managing its funds effectively.

Northwood is proud to join COA’s Community of Excellence, which is comprised of more than 1,800 private and public organizations that serve over 7 million children, youth, individuals and families in North America.

The COA accreditation process involves a detailed review and analysis of an organization’s administrative operations and service delivery against about 500 national standards of best practice.  All of the programs contained within an organization for which COA has a service standard are subject to review as COA reviews and accredits the entire organization, not specific programs.

Although the formal part of the accreditation process has been completed, our work is far from over.  COA accreditation is not an end in and of itself.  Rather, it is a process by which our organization can consistently strive for and achieve new levels of excellence.

Grandma's Holiday Party

For the past 19 years, the folks at Grandma's Restaurants have generously opened their doors and hearts to all the students of Northwood Children's Services. The children were treated to pizza and pop and had the opportunity to play the many arcade games and billiards. Our sincere thanks and appreciation to Grandma's for their effort in brightening the holiday season for our children!

Eagles Adopt a Hydrant

Despite copious amounts of snow and oppressive temperatures there have been plenty of opportunities for the Eagle team to provide an important community service this winter.  In conjunction with the local fire department, the team has committed to clearing 20 fire hydrants in the area so that they are readily accessible to firefighters should an emergency arise.  We are responsible for clearing all the hydrants on six avenues. Within 48 hours of a new snowfall we set out to make sure all of our hydrants are clearly visible and accessible. 

Our involvement with a life-saving organization like the Duluth Fire Department has provided much needed motivation for our boys and has helped them increase their work ethic through a purpose driven endeavor.  We are looking forward to taking part in similar cooperative efforts with the city in the future and are grateful for the excellent opportunity to serve our community.

Merritt Student Council

The Merritt Student Council was in the giving spirit when they raised $199 for a needy family in Duluth during the holiday season. They decided to not only raise the money, but purchase gifts and wrap them for a single parent family in Duluth.  The family they chose is made up of a single mother with two children ages 11 months and 1 month. The student council students reported feeling a great sense of pride in helping and giving during this time of year. Way to make us proud!

The staff and students at the Diagnostic & Assessment Center pitched in to remove snow from some of our neighbor’s sidewalks and front walks during the winter. The DAC students really enjoyed helping others and were happy to help out without any reward other than the satisfaction of reaching out to others in the community.  The DAC did receive recognition in the form of cookies and other treats.  The DAC staff and students have taken a step to better understanding how much of a positive impact that they can have in the community and look forward to further opportunities to be neighborhood nice!