The PRISON PROJECT is currently being implemented at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville, and will soon be initiated at the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility. The purpose of this project is to improve the reading ability of incarcerated persons to improve their quality of life and enhance employability.  Selected residents will be trained as tutors and then matched to other prison residents needing instruction.

PROJECT PEERS (Parent Empowerment for Early Reading Strategies) is an early intervention project that has been piloted in Sioux City. The objective of the project is to provide parents with the knowledge, skills, and resources to work with their child/children ages 4-6 to improve early literacy skills. Early intervention has the potential to increase the likelihood that the child will become an adequate reader. LDA-IA will develop a state­wide dissemination system to:

1. Provide a research-based screening instrument on the Internet for parental access. Parents will be taught how to use the instrument, interpret the test results and learn when an intervention plan is needed.

2. Provide resources and information that will support the parent in planning and carrying out family-friendly interventions.

3. Provide a support system to answer specific questions that parents may have.

LDA-IA plans to collect data about the effectiveness of the project and project activities.  If you are interested in taking part in this project or would like more information, please contact the LDA-IA office.

The THYROID PROJECT will educate females of childbearing age about the many substances that can disrupt the production of thyroid hormones. A DVD and presentation package will be developed and made available to community groups and for presentation at state and local conferences. Call the LDA-IA office for more information.