Kid Link
COLLABORATING TO BENEFIT KIDS, FAMILIES
Kid Link Goals
- Identify needs and wants of families in underserved neighborhoods
- Form an initiative charged with addressing needs using existing resources
- Implement changes
- Measure the change in student performance
Want to know what
other events are happening
in the Kid Link neighborhoods?
You’re Invited to Attend!
Kid Link Family Night
5–6 p.m. Tuesdays
Laura B. Anderson Elementary School
Terry Redlin Elementary School
Join our list to learn about coming events and how you can help!
Kid Link Guiding Principles
Establish trust and credibility with the school and neighborhood community.
Build relationships in the community with dignity and respect.
Engage the school and neighborhood community in identifying wants, needs and potential solutions.
Align existing resources to develop sustainable outcomes for each neighborhood.
Kid Link Riverside Outcomes
Click the tabs to learn more.
Kid Link Riverside is demonstrating a collaboration of agencies that provides enriching out-of-school activities for 50+ kids each week. An expanded 5-day-per-week after-school program enhances the existing offering from Kids Inc. at LBA.
Weekly activities are organized every Tuesday by the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire to include programming provided at no cost from several organizations, including Move to Heal SD, Sioux Falls Parks & Rec, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, First Tee, community volunteers, LBA parents and so many others. Volunteers generally number 15-20 individuals who assist with setup, cleanup and encouraging students.
Over time, volunteers have established a communications strategy that includes email, social media, connections to key employers, a relationship with school staff, and intensive neighborhood outreach.
- Three of the new Feeding South Dakota mobile food pantries are in or near this neighborhood. A follow-up survey confirms these sites are more convenient than previous sites, including the former food pantry building.
- Faith Temple Food Giveaway and the Helpline Center use a United Way Worldwide grant to offer a delivery solution for those families without transportation or other barriers to accessing charitable food.
- Volunteers serve a hot meal from the Nightwatch food truck to more than 150 individuals every Tuesday night.
- Sermon on the Mount Mennonite Church hosts a food giveaway every Tuesday. Food for this program is collected by Bread Break Ministry from several local businesses.
- Faith Through Frames have provided quick-print photo IDs that are accepted by Feeding South Dakota for food giveaways.
- The Salvation Army food pantry expanded food choices to include ethnic options and stopped requiring photo IDs to receive food.
- Church on the Street provides a comprehensive printed flyer to help people more easily find a place to have a meal or receive a food package.
- For the summer of 2021, the Boys & Girls Club and the USDA provided food boxes to families, regardless of income. Each box included 7 days of suppers and snacks for each child in the household. Delivery was available on Tuesdays at LBA or to the family’s home.
A critical outcome for this demonstration initiative was to develop a sustainable group of parents and other adults who could grow their own leaders and support their neighborhood school. Beginning in the summer of 2021, Kid Link tested the use of an operations manager to build rapport in the neighborhoods and increase participation.
Kid Link Riverside events have developed into family nights where kids and adults engage in activities together. Volunteers model appropriate ways to interact with and teach children. And a local church congregation is becoming a community center once again. All with one goal in mind: supporting the academic potential for students attending LBA.
How Can I Learn More?
News about this initiative is available at facebook.com/SiouxFallsThrive. Parents will also receive information through their child’s classroom.
Parents and other adults have a huge influence on each child’s success in school. Kid Link Riverside is helping families connect to LBA and support their children’s progress.
What Does Kid Link Do for Children?
Thrive’s leadership has adopted a neighborhood approach to collaboration that produced immediate benefits for school-age children. The Kid Link initiative works to realign community resources to better serve children and their families.
Outcomes have included increased collaboration between non-profits and the school district, a reliable schedule of weekly educational activities for kids and families, and a new prototype for after-school programs in all Sioux Falls elementary schools.
Kid Link began in 2020 in the Riverside neighborhood. A series of summer events at Laura B. Anderson Elementary School introduced the initiative and its volunteers. Activities included weekly visits from the Bookmobile and special guests, and twice monthly free hot meal service.
In the fall of 2020, amidst a global pandemic and colder weather, Sermon on the Mount Mennonite Church graciously offered to host indoor after-school activities for children and parents. Everyone was welcomed to safely join the group for:
- Educational Activities, Games and Crafts Focused on Math, Literacy, Science and Fun
- Snacks
- Parent Education and Engagement
- Bookmobile
- Food Giveaway
- Free Hot Meal To Go
None of this could have happened without the collaborative work of more than 100 volunteers. These passionate leaders represent more than 40 businesses and organizations, but also include dozens of advocates from across the community.
Their goal: a demonstration project that brings parents and families together to tackle common obstacles to student success.
Through a partnership with the Sioux Falls School District, in 2022 Kid Link became the prototype for a Community Learning Center model that is developing for every elementary school across the district. Kid Link opened at Terry Redlin Elementary School in October alongside the school district’s new strategy for regular after-school programming through Kids Inc., Volunteers of America and the Boys & Girls Club.
Read the Latest News About Kid Link
Friends and Neighbors Feeding Kids: You Can Help!
We’re looking for a few good team builders for this meal service opportunity in the Laura B. Anderson Elementary School neighborhood.
Donaldson Named Sioux Empire Volunteer of the Month
The Helpline Center and Sioux Falls Thrive congratulate Sherri Donaldson on being named the Sioux Empire November 2022 Volunteer of the Month.
Kid Link Terry Redlin Survey Reveals Unique Strengths, Challenges
Terry Redlin survey says teachers, staff, programming and a culture of adaptability help students. But neighborhood needs support.
How Can I Be a Part of This?
Kid Link is a way to meet neighbors, parents, and the staff at your local school. Volunteer task teams need your help communicating with families, planning activities, organizing distribution of supplies, scheduling out-of-school supervision, making food, cleaning up after events, and so much more.
