WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today congratulated the Mid-Iowa Community Action, Inc. (MICA, Inc.), a Marshalltown-based human services agency, on receiving a grant award from the U.S. Department of Education. The award of $495,000 will go toward planning the implementation of a Promise Neighborhoods program.
“I congratulate MICA, Inc. and Marshalltown on winning this grant. They have developed a truly community-based collaboration that will support the growth, development, and academic achievement of children as they work toward becoming college and career ready, helping children move out of poverty and gain the dream of being solid middle-class citizens,” said Harkin. “This grant will show that the Promise Neighborhoods model can be implemented in rural settings, and I have great confidence MICA, Inc. will have a positive impact on the children and families of Marshalltown.”
The Promise Neighborhoods initiative brings together organizations, agencies, and caring adults to revitalize communities by coordinating education, health, employment, and community supports to ensure success of children in the community, in their schooling, and throughout their lives. Promise Neighborhoods communities work together to combat the devastating effects of poverty on children’s development and academic achievement.
MICA, Inc. will use this planning grant to establish the Roger’s Promise Neighborhood Project, an effort that will provide children and families served by the Rogers Elementary School in Marshalltown, Iowa, with access to community-based, high quality services that include early learning opportunities, high-quality schools coordinated with community supports, and family services for those living in poverty. The MICA, Inc. award is one of the only rural awards and will show the importance of comprehensive, coordinated services and supports in rural communities.
