In September Boys Town Iowa will partner with three Des Moines Public Elementary Schools in high-risk neighborhoods to take part in preventive action for young students.
This new partnership will allow Boys Town In-Home Family Services® (IHFS) to work closely with faculty, support staff, parents and children of three elementary schools that are located in high-risk neighborhoods and are in need of additional resources.
The supervisor of this new program will be Yoly Smith, transfer from Boys Town Nevada, and Haley Stoll as the consultant. The Des Moines Public Schools will be providing office space for these new additions.
By teaming up with these elementary schools it will allow IHFS staff to work more directly with children who may be experiencing behavioral issues that could be preventing them from succeeding in the classroom.
"This new partnership will allow us to monitor a child's individual school plans, work with their parents on parenting skills, and prevent children from entering formal system involvement" said Debbie Orduna, Executive Director Boys Town Iowa, "This allows us to work very closely with teachers, support staff, and parents to help them understand and be empathetic to how a child's home dynamic can affect a child's education."
The goal of working with elementary age students is to prevent children from getting involved in Iowa's Child in Need of Assistance (CINA) formal system. This program aims to be proactive by assisting children and families during the elementary school years rather than addressing these problems in junior high or high school.
Kristina Krause-Bumgardner, Director, In-Home Family Services Program, explained how amazing a partnership like this is because it will start to bridge the gap between Boys Town services and public schools.
"I think this will greatly expand the population we are serving," said Kristina. "This will foster new relationships with the education services and allow us to work together in a proactive way to benefit these young children."
This partnership is a great step in strengthening our relationships with the community and becoming more connected with the children and families we serve. Thanks to employees who worked to make this proposal happen.
