September 29, 2015

On September 4, representatives from five Iowa Campaign for Grade Level Reading communities convened at the State Capitol for the signing of a special proclamation by Governor Terry Branstad in honor of Attendance Awareness Month. Community members representing the Grinnell Campaign included Julie Gosselink president and CEO of the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation, Nicole Brua-Behrens coordinator of programs for the Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation, Sarah Seney principal of Fairview Elementary school, and Melissa Strovers program and communications manager for Grinnell College’s Community Enhancement and Engagement Office.

The Campaign for Grade Level Reading is a nationwide effort to make sure that all children can read at grade level by third grade, as third grade reading is an important predictor of high school graduation. Good attendance in pre-k and elementary school is one of five strategies of the campaign that directly correlates in developing strong readers by third grade. Based on the idea that schools cannot succeed alone, the campaign gives community stakeholders a framework to work together in support of this goal.

In Grinnell, the campaign began just over a year ago. In August of 2014, roughly 20 community organizations convened to learn about the effort and unanimously agreed to submit a letter of intent to join the nationwide program. In February and May, stakeholders met again to begin initial planning with future meetings and initiatives planned.