Programming Strategies
The Grinnell Education Partnership, a community-wide initiative, brings together area nonprofits, employers, the Grinnell-Newburg School District, and community volunteers. Supported by a team of AmeriCorps members, serving with local organizations across the community, the partnership is helping to ensure that Grinnell's kids and families get a strong start and a strong finish to their school experience. The GEP is aligned with the National Campaign for Grade Level Reading which focuses on promoting early school success as an important building block of more hopeful futures for children, families, and communities.
Grinnell College – together with the Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation – orchestrates a network of more than 30 organizations, who serve as community-based innovators, bringing their respective resources, skills, credibility, influence, access and knowledge to the table. Since the partnership’s inception in 2015, the Grinnell Education Partnership has engaged more than 160 AmeriCorps members, involved more than 30 local organizations and coordinated more than 100 projects to benefit kids and families.
The Partnership is dedicated to supporting kids and families through family-focused programming, summer enrichment opportunities and innovative programming through partnerships.
Cultivating
Family-Focused Programming
Coordinating Access
for essential services when needed
Financial Preparedness
through NEST – a basic income pilot designed to study economic stability
Workforce Readiness
through digital empowerment, real-world workforce exposure, and workforce readiness skills
Activating
Summer Enrichment Opportunities
Coordinating Alignment
between five community programs
GEP Summer Learning Corps
Recruiting, placing and training
Sustaining
Innovative Programming Through Partnerships
Healthy Readers
The Claude W. & Dolly Ahrens Foundation coordinates a variety of health and wellness solutions for children and their families
School Readiness
Read 2 Lead coordinates Pre-K support so children are better prepared to enter kindergarten
Attendance
The Grinnell Newburg School District identifies solutions to promote student attendance
Digital Access
The Grinnell Newburg School Foundation supports youth and family initiatives ensuring greater digital connectivity
School-to-Work
Grinnell High School supports workforce readiness programs for students, better preparing them for life beyond school
Skills Gap
Identifies soft skill development activities for youth cradle to career. Community partners and volunteers create enrichment opportunities, educational pathways, and career options in Poweshiek County to ensure that soft-skill building opportunities are available for students to be better prepared for life beyond school.
After School Enrichment
Helps ensure literacy-related activities are integrated beyond the school day for young children. Community partners and volunteers work together to offer a variety of activities for kids including onsite and remote homework help, engaging learning activities, and social/emotional support building lasting relationships with kids in Grinnell.
Summer Learning
Helps mitigate summer learning loss for young children through enrichment programs across the community. Community partners and volunteers collaborate, coordinate and plan programing for Grinnell youth with the goal of helping young people continue to learn and retain reading skills over the summer.
Healthy Readers
Identifies a variety of health and wellness solutions for children and their families. Community partners and volunteers work together on health and wellness activities (such as mileage club, food tastings, 5210 projects) and other sustainable programming to support the well-being of kids and families in Grinnell.
School Readiness
Prepares Pre-K students with tools to successfully enter kindergarten and kick-start their learning careers. Community partners and volunteers work together to ensure young children are prepared to learn from birth to school age, providing families with tools, tips, resources, and outreach opportunities so kids are ready to learn from day one.
Family Engagement
Encourages community, family and parental involvement in a child’s learning and development. Community partners are encouraged to engage families and build awareness of community-based education initiatives to better support families and kids in meaningful ways across all focus areas.
Attendance
Identifies solutions to promote student attendance. School leadership and community partners work with families to ensure there are support systems in place so students can attend school regularly.
Equity and Inclusion
Supports youth and family programming to ensure greater access, equity, and inclusion for children and families in the greater Grinnell area.