Iowa Department of Education Sponsored Research

 

2005-2006 Iowa Family Literacy Grant Recipients

In July 2004 the U.S. Department of Labor awarded Iowa a $750,000 Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Section 503 Incentive Grant to fund innovative job-readiness programs. The grant, which is administered jointly by the Iowa Department of Education (DE) and Iowa Workforce Development (IWD), is supporting a two-year project focusing on literacy as the essential foundation of success in employment, career growth, and economic self-sufficiency.

 

In August 2005, as part of this grant, the Iowa Department of Education, Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Preparation, put into action an innovative, statewide, family literacy plan by awarding grants to nine Iowa Community Colleges for the implementation of family literacy programming. Those nine community colleges are: Eastern Iowa Community College District, Hawkeye Community College, Iowa Central Community College, Iowa Lakes Community College, Iowa Valley Community College District, Iowa Western Community College, North Iowa Area Community College, Northwest Iowa Community College, and Southwestern Community College. Funding for these grants will run through June 30, 2006.

 

  1. Eastern Iowa Community College District
    • Partners: Scotty County YMCA, Davenport public library, Scott County health department, Head Start, elementary schools in Davenport, Clinton, and Muscatine, and Iowa State University Extension.
    • Proposed number of families to be served: 30 families, focusing on Spanish-speaking families.
  1. Hawkeye Community College
    • Partners: Waterloo Schools Early Childhood classes, Head Start, Title I, and the Every Child Reads project.
    • Proposed number of families to be served: 20 families, focusing on Bosnian and Hispanic families, low socioeconomic families and those families with low literacy skills.
  1. Iowa Central Community College
    • Partners: Storm Lake Community School District, Fort Dodge Community School District, Head Start.
    • Proposed number of families to be served: Ft Dodge program- 22 families, focusing on low socioeconomic families, high school students who are parenting or pregnant and African-American students in need of reading assistance. Storm Lake program - 50 families, focusing on low socioeconomic families and those in need of English literacy classes.
  1. Iowa Lakes Community College
    • Partners: Estherville Lincoln Central (ELC) Community School District and Prevent Child Abuse Iowa.
    • Proposed number of families to be served: 25-30 families, focusing on families not persisting in Even Start, participants in ABE/GED/English literacy classes with children and students attending the Alternative High School who are parenting.
  1. Iowa Valley Community College District
    • Partners: Marshalltown Central Business District, St Paul's Episcopal Church, AEA 267, Iowa State University Extension, Marshall County Childcare Services, Iowa Workforce Development Center, and two area Catholic Churches.
    • Proposed number of families to be served: 15-20, focusing on families whose native language is not English.
  1. Iowa Western Community College
    • Partners: Council Bluffs Centro Latino, Broadway Methodist Church, and the Lutheran Social Service's Building Families Boutique.
    • Proposed number of families to be served: 20-30 families, focusing on Hispanic population.
  1. North Iowa Area Community College
    • Partners: Mason City Community School District, Head Start, and AEA 267.
    • Proposed number of families to be served: 10-15 families, focusing on single parent households and families eligible for Head Start.
  1. Northwest Iowa Community College
    • Partner: Boyden-Hull Community School District.
    • Proposed number of families to be served: approximately five families (10 adults and 20 children) that have limited English ability or low socioeconomic status (specifically the growing Hispanic population).
  1. Southwestern Community College
    • Partners: The Village Early Childhood Center along with over 20 local agencies, industries, and organizations.
    • Proposed number of families to be served: 15 families, focusing on the Hispanic/Latino population.

       

In July 2005, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded Iowa a second Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Section 503 Incentive Grant in the amount of $560,267 to continue financial support for existing family literacy programs and the development of new family literacy programs. With those funds, the Iowa Department of Education, Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Preparation, awarded family literacy grants to five additional Iowa community colleges: Indian Hills Community College, Kirkwood Community College, Northeast Iowa Community College, Southeastern Community College, and Western Iowa Tech Community College The funding period for these grants is January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2006.

 

  1. Indian Hills Community College
    • Partners: Ottumwa Community School District
    • Proposed number of families to be served: 40 families will be enrolled with a concentrated effort to encourage participation of Hispanic families.
  2. Kirkwood Community College
    • Partners: Iowa City Community School District, three established Resource Centers and community-based resources
    • Proposed number of families to be served: 75 adult learners and their children who either live at the Regency Mobile Home Court or the children attend Horace Mann Elementary School.
  3. Northeast Iowa Community College
    • Partners: St. Mary's Child Care Center and Preschool, Dubuque Public Schools, Head Start, Helping Services of Northeast Iowa, Postville Multicultural Center.
    • Proposed number of families to be served: Dubuque program will serve eight families per semester. The Postville program plans to serve eight families during its first year.
  4. Southeastern Community College
    • Partners: "Kid Zone" after school program and Keokuk Community School District
    • Proposed number of families to be served: 25 families in the Keokuk area.
  5. Western Iowa Tech Community College
    • Partners: Log Cabin Head Start and Trinity Episcopal Church
    • Proposed number of families to be served: 24 Hispanic families with low English speaking skills that live in the Denison area.

 

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