Bettendorf Community School District is supporting the program in multiple ways, including cooperative planning, funding for transportation, and provision of healthy snacks, professional development, and technical assistance.
Bettendorf Parks & Recreation
The Bettendorf Parks and Recreation Department is partnering to offer Neil Armstrong children regular participation in its established summer day camp program from 12:30 to 4:00 each afternoon that the summer program operates. In keeping with its mission “to provide recreational opportunities that enrich the quality of life for all,” the BPR summer program includes many hands-on activities that incorporate the arts and physical activity which will greatly benefit Neil Armstrong children as they will pursue math and reading in the mornings. Bettendorf Parks and Recreation will help plan and conduct recreation, teamwork, and fitness activities for the Neil Armstrong program, and the Neil Armstrong program will encourage families to enroll and participate in the BPR program, which includes weekly field trips in the greater Quad City Area community. The district will transport children from Neil Armstrong to the parks & recreation program and to their homes.
Hy-Vee
Bettendorf Hy-Vee is partnering by providing nutrition information to the children, along with teaching them to prepare healthy snacks for themselves, such as fruit smoothies. Hy-Vee will assist with the Family Literacy events by enabling the children to plan and prepare a healthy meal for their families. A Hy-Vee dietitian will deliver nutrition information to the families as well, keeping in mind that many Neil Armstrong families have low incomes. Hy-Vee will host a field trip to the store for a guided tour, with more nutrition guidance for the children.
The Bettendorf Police Department
The Bettendorf Police Department is partnering by speaking to Neil Armstrong children and their families about public safety. As the holidays approach, the police department regularly coordinates baskets for needy families and Neil Armstrong program participants will assist the police department by helping help sort, wrap, and/or pack the baskets. The police department will host a field trip for the Neil Armstrong program as well.
Bettendorf Fire Department
The Bettendorf Fire Department is partnering to increase community attachment and fire safety awareness. The fire department regularly provides annual fire prevention puppet shows and will present their show for the children. The fire department also will host a field trip for the Neil Armstrong program, along with speaking about fire safety at a Family Literacy event.
Eastern Iowa Community College
Eastern Iowa Community College is partnering to provide family literacy services. EICC will accept referrals of family members from the NAE program and work with the family members to determine which of EICC’s adult literacy programs will best serve the family members’ needs. EICC will assist the family members with enrollment and in qualifying for all financial assistance and/or scholarships for which they are eligible and will provide the literacy services that they desire that will most benefit the family members.
All the partners described above will provide representatives who participate actively in the program’s Advisory Committee, along with parents and representatives of other community-based organizations and businesses. Partners will establish and meet timelines for program design, implementation, evaluation, fiscal management, and sustainability. The Advisory Committee will engage partners meaningfully over the lifetime of the grant and of the program, maintaining current partnerships and recruiting new partners from such sectors as faith-based and community service organizations and music and drama groups. The Committee will set goals for the number of new partners to recruit in a year, make a list of contacts, and arrange to meet with potential new partners to recruit their support. The Advisory Committee will actively build upon existing collaborative relationships, connect existing program strategies, and provide a unified system of service.