(Kansas City, Kan., Sept. 22, 2011) - Through Nov. 8, EPA Region 7 will accept proposals from eligible applicant schools and entities for a $150,000 environmental education grant to develop new programs promoting environmental stewardship in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska communities.

The environmental education grant program is a competitive grant program that supports EPA's efforts to increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues.

Proposals for the grant should be mailed to Environmental Education Coordinator Denise Morrison, Office of Public Affairs, EPA Region 7, 901 North 5th Street, Kansas City, Kan., 66101. Proposals must be received by 5 p.m. (CDT) Nov. 8, 2011; those received after the due date will not be considered.

A solicitation notice announcing the grants program is available online at

www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants.html.  Go to the website to learn how your questions about the solicitation and the application process can be answered via email or three conference calls on Sept. 22, 27 and 30. For additional information, contact Denise Morrison at morrison.denise@epa.gov.

Environmental education grants provide funding to local education agencies, state education and environmental agencies; colleges and universities; not-for-profit organizations; and non-commercial broadcasting entities. Tribal education agencies controlled by an Indian tribe, band or nation, including schools and community colleges, may also apply.

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DES MOINES, IA (09/22/2011)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald wants to remind Iowans it is their last chance to celebrate College Savings Month by registering their child to win a $1,000 College Savings Iowa account. "I encourage everyone to register for the giveaway and explore the benefits of using a 529 plan, such as College Savings Iowa, to save for their loved ones future higher education expenses," stated Fitzgerald. "Don't miss out on this great opportunity to jumpstart your child's college savings." For more information and to register for the giveaway, please visit www.my529iowaplan.com before September 30th.

September, College Savings Month, helps bring attention to the fact that saving for college is one of the most significant things families can do for the children in their lives. Studies have shown that children who have money saved for school are almost four times more likely to attend a four-year college than those with no account.* This makes saving ahead of time one of the most significant things families can do to help make college a reality for their children. By starting early, saving a little at a time and making smart investment choices, parents can make their savings work for them.

College Savings Iowa is an affordable, tax-advantaged option for families who are saving for their children's higher education. It takes just $25 to open a College Savings Iowa account, and anyone - parents, grandparents, friends and relatives - can invest on behalf of a child. Participants who are Iowa taxpayers can deduct contributions up to $2,865 per beneficiary account from their adjusted gross income in 2011 and there no income or residency restrictions.**

Investors do not need to be a state resident and can withdraw their investment federally tax-free to pay for qualified higher education expenses including tuition, books, supplies and certain room and board costs at any eligible college, university, community college or technical training school in the United States or abroad. To learn more about College Savings Iowa, go to www.my529iowaplan.com or call 1-888-332-7545.

*From the Center for Social Development study: The Role of Savings and Wealth in Reducing "Wilt" between Expectations and College Attendance. William Elliott III and Sondra Beverly, 2010.

**Adjusted annually for inflation if withdrawals are not qualified, the deductions must be added back to Iowa taxable income. The earnings portion of nonqualified withdrawals may be subject to federal income tax and a 10% federal penalty tax, as well as state and local income taxes. The availability of tax or other benefits may be contingent on meeting other requirements.

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ALBANY, NY (09/20/2011)(readMedia)-- The following Quad Cities area students have graduated from Excelsior College:

Ramon I. De La Fuente, a resident of Bettendorf, IA, has earned a Bachelor of Science.

Amanda Maria Sansone, a resident of Davenport, IA, has earned a Bachelor of Science.

Excelsior College is an accredited, private, nonprofit institution that focuses on the needs of working adults. Its primary mission is to increase access to a college degree for adult learners by removing obstacles to their educational goals. Excelsior's unique strength is its acknowledged leadership in the assessment of student knowledge. It does so by providing working adults multiple avenues to degree completion that include its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance of credit in transfer from other colleges and universities.

DES MOINES, IA (09/19/2011)(readMedia)-- Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) members around the state have used ISEA's student-designed stickers to celebrate student achievement and good work for over 26 years. Now in its 27th year, the popular Design-a-Decal program helps give statewide recognition to budding art students when their winning designs are printed on stickers and teachers use them to give positive feedback to their students. With encouraging messages like "Sweet Job" and "You Rule," the stickers get used on anything from homework assignments, to papers and projects-anything that can get stuck!

Students competed in three, grade-level categories: elementary (K-5); junior high/middle school (6-8); and high school (9-12). The 24 winning designs are printed in full color on sheets of one-inch square stickers and each design is featured twice.

"The Design-a-Decal contest is one of our longest-standing programs because it's so much fun for the students. The art teachers who administer the program are very enthusiastic and the students who submit designs love to participate, so it's a win-win for everyone. It's a wonderful way to encourage creativity and the end result are stickers teachers can use on homework and other assignments to encourage more great work," said Chris Bern, president of the ISEA.

The students who created the designs used on the decal sheets receive two plaques from the ISEA-one they can keep and one to be displayed at their school.

(A listing with names of the schools, supervising art teacher, and students whose designs were selected for use on the decal sheets is attached. Also attached is a sheet of the winning decals.)

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