IOWA VOICES FOR QUALITY CHILD CARE
Bylaws
Established May 15,
2007
Incorporated October
22, 2007
Article I. Name:
The name
of this organization shall be “Iowa Voices for Quality Child Care” (IaVQCC)
Article II.
Purpose:
The
purpose of this organization shall be:
To
improve the quality of home-based child care in the state of Iowa through
·
Trainings / education
·
Support / networking
·
Mentoring
·
Resources
To act as an informational source regarding state child
care related issues for
·
Providers
·
Consumers of child
care
·
Community
organizations
Article III.
Membership
Section
3.1 Eligibility
Any home based child care provider who is in compliance
with current registration or licensing laws may become a member upon payment of
annual dues.
Section 3.2 Levels of Membership
Members
·
Member:
Ø Dues are up-to-date.
·
Member in good standing:
Ø Dues are up-to-date.
Ø Must meet attendance requirements
by attending 10 IaVQCC meetings or events within the last 12 months. IaVQCC
meetings are composed of 12 general membership meetings, 4 quarterly Board of
Directors’ meetings, and 4 special events.
Ø Attendance waiver can be filed
with the Board of Directors.
A guest fee will be charged to
receive training certificates.
Fee to be determined by the Board
of Directors.
Section
3.3 Dues
·
The Board
of Directors shall determine membership dues.
·
Annual membership fees
are due by the September general membership meeting.
·
Any member who fails
to pay his or her dues for the current year by the Sept. general membership
meeting will automatically be suspended as a member.
·
Membership fees will
not be pro-rated.
Section
3.4 Code of Conduct
Follows
good conduct code. (As written in the IaVQCC Handbook, Article IV)
Article
IV. Meetings
Section
4.1 Business Meetings
The meetings of IaVQCC will be conducted in accordance with
Robert’s Rules of Order as a general framework and abiding by Iowa Open Meeting
laws.
Section
4.2 General Membership Meetings
Monthly meetings are held for
group trainings, support, and general business.
Held quarterly: February, May,
August, and November.
The time and place for meetings is to be announced
at least one month in advance.
Section 4.4 Fun Events
4 fun events will be held per
year.
Officer Nominations
·
Only dues paying
members in good standing may be nominated.
·
Nominations must be
received no later than the August general membership meeting in anticipation of
elections to be held at the October general meeting.
·
Officers will prepare
a sample ballot of eligible nominees to be presented at the September general
membership meeting.
Board of Director Nominations
·
General membership
should submit Board of Director
nominations to Co-chairs.
Members:
·
All members will have voting rights on action items.
·
Only members in good standing will have voting rights on structural
changes.
Structural Changes:
Ø Officer Elections
Ø Bylaw Amendments
Ø Changes in the Handbook /
Policies
Ø
Guests:
·
Guests have no voting
rights.
·
Officers are elected
for a 1-year term with a maximum of 3 consecutive terms served in a single
office and a maximum of 6 consecutive terms served in an Officer position.
·
Annual elections of
Officers must be accomplished using a written ballot distributed to each member
at the October general membership meeting.
·
Members not able to
attend the October meeting may request, complete, and return a sealed ballot to
the Secretary to be opened at the October meeting in front of the general
membership.
·
Election of Officers
shall be determined by a majority of the votes cast by members in good standing
of Iowa Voices for Quality Child Care.
(As defined in Bylaw Article III. Section 3.2 Levels of
Membership)
·
Vacated Officer
positions will be appointed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors until the next annual election is held.
·
Transition of Officers
will take place at the November general membership meeting when appropriate.
·
Any member may submit
in writing at a general membership meeting a motion to amend a Bylaw with the
intent to vote on the amendment at the following monthly meeting.
·
Only members in good
standing can vote to amend a Bylaw.
·
Another member must
second the motion before discussion.
·
Discussion.
·
A majority vote of
members present to pass.
·
Absentee ballots will
be used for Officer elections.
·
Members voting by
absentee ballot will be required to relinquish their anonymity.
Section 5.7 Appointment of Board of Directors
General Membership
Representatives (GMR) & Community Representatives (CR)
·
Member nomination.
·
Complete application form.
·
Present application forms at Board of Directors’ mtg. for consideration.
·
Vote on nominations at next general meeting.
Section
5.8 Replacements of Officers / Board Members
·
Voluntary Resignation
Any Officer / Board Member who chooses not to complete
their elected term must submit a written resignation to the Board of Directors.
·
Involuntary Removal
Officers
/ Board Members will be removed from their position for any of the following
reasons:
Ø Attendance requirements are not met. Attendance waiver can
be filed with the Board of Directors.
Ø Sponsorship is extended to outside organizations or
individuals without prior membership approval.
Ø Using the office for personal gain or to promote personal
agendas.
Ø IaVQCC funds are spent without prior approval.
Ø Non-performance of the majority of duties specific to their
position.
Ø Any grievance substantiated by the Board of Directors.
·
Removal and
Replacement Procedures
Ø A request for removal of an Officer / Board Member must be
submitted in writing.
Ø The Board of Directors will review the request at an open
session with both parties present.
Ø Deliberation by Board Members and voting by written ballot
will be conducted in a closed session of the Board of Directors excluding the
parties involved.
Ø A majority vote of the Board of Directors is required to remove an Officer / Board Member
from their position.
Ø Vacated positions will be appointed by a majority vote of
the Board of Directors until the
next annual election is held.
Section 5.8
Quorums
A quorum is needed to conduct business at any Board of Directors meeting. A quorum for the Board of Directors is 50%, plus one.
Section
6.1 Principle Officers
The elected Officers of Iowa Voices for Quality Child Care
shall be:
·
Co-Chair 1
·
Co-Chair 2
·
Secretary
·
Treasurer
·
Internet Services
Coordinator
·
Resource / Records
Coordinator
The Officers of Iowa Voices for Quality Child Care will
serve on the Board of Directors
while they hold their current office.
Section
6.2 Duties
The duties of the Officers are defined in the Iowa Voices
for Quality Child Care Handbook Article I, Section 1.1.
Article VII.
Governing Body
Board of Directors of Iowa Voices for Quality Child
Care
Section 7.2 Composition of the Board of
Directors
The 6 elected Officers of IaVQCC and 2 elected General
Membership Representatives (GMR) will serve as the Board of Directors. In
addition, the Board can also include Community Representatives (CR).
Section
7.3 Community Representatives
·
Educational Arena
o CCR & R
o AEA
o School District Educator
·
Parent / Consumer of
child care services
·
Business Sector
·
Elected Officials
Section
7.4 Board
of Directors Compensation
Board of Directors
position is voluntary. No salary or compensation will be given to anyone for
serving on the Board
of Directors.
Section 7.5 Powers of the Board of Directors
·
Co-Chairs will act as
Chairs for the Board of Directors.
(As written in the IaVQCC Handbook, Article II.)
·
All Board of Directors members will have
equal voting powers.
·
The Board of Directors will:
o Actively promote the purpose of Iowa Voices for Quality
Child Care.
o Advise and direct the affairs of Iowa Voices for Quality
Child Care.
·
Meet quarterly:
February, May, August, and November
·
Inform members of
statewide initiatives.
·
Periodically review
the IaVQCC Bylaws and Handbook.
·
Present any
recommended changes to the Bylaws / Handbook at a general membership meeting
for consideration.
·
Conduct Iowa Voices
for Quality Child Care business with no action that would change the structure
of IaVQCC. (For more detailed information see Handbook, Article II.)
Article VIII. Grievances
(As
written in the IaVQCC Handbook, Article VI.)
Article IX. Committees
Co-Chairs
or the Board of Directors can
appoint committees as deemed necessary.
Article X. Fiscal Year
September
1st to August 31st.
Article XI. Rules for Conducting Meetings
Roberts Rules of Order will act as the basis on which all voting and agenda items are addressed in accordance with Iowa Open Meeting laws.
Iowa Voices for Quality Child Care does not discriminate against any persons on the basis of race, color, age, sex, national origin, marital status, religion, political beliefs, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, citizenship, or U.S. veteran status.
·
Upon dissolution of
Iowa Voices for Quality Child Care (IaVQCC) all assets are bequeathed to the
Iowa Family Child Care Association (IFCCA).
·
If the Iowa Family
Child Care Association is no longer in existence or is unwilling to accept the
distribution, then IaVQCC assets shall be bequeathed to the Child Care Resource
and Referral agency (CCR&R) of Johnson County.
Copyright ~ IaVQCC 2007 / 2008