Improvements for Literacy and Early Brain Development Database

In July 2012, Jordan Manis, an Archway Partnership employee and Dalton State College student, initiated a project to create a community database that included a list of programs and services supporting literacy and early brain development in the Dalton-Whitfield community.  The need for this database was first articulated by the Archway Partnership Executive Committee and the Investing in Public Education Issue Work Group, noting that there is no comprehensive list of these programs in the area.  In November 2012, Jordan completed the first phase of data collection and program research.  With the help of University of Georgia Masters in Nonprofit Administration student Leize Marie Davis, a searchable database was created.  On December 5,2012, Jordan and Leize Marie discussed the newly created database with the Archway Partnership Executive Committee and sought guidance on how to move forward with the information.  This meeting led to the creation of the Literacy and Early Brain Development Database Workforce Development Team.  This team brings together local partners with the knowledge and insights of child and adult literacy programs and early brain development programs and services in the community.  The team will advise Jordan and Leize Marie on improvements to the database and make it more useful to the community. 

UGA Masters in Nonprofit Administration student Leize Marie Davis (Left) and Archway Partnership employee and Dalton State student Jordan Manis (Right).

The Literacy and Early Brain Development Database Workforce Development Team met in February to discuss the programs in the database and identify any missing entities or additional information to be added.  The group worked together, using their connections in the community to enhance the database.  The team met again on March 13, to suggest potential reports from the database information that will be helpful to the community.  For example, a report could show a map of locations across Dalton-Whitfield that provide nutrition programs.  This information will be useful not only to clients in need of a nutrition program, but also for service providers to identify nutrition program gaps that need to be filled in certain areas.  The team will meet again in April to determine the next steps of this project.

Members of the Literacy and Early Brain Development Database Workforce Development Team discuss progression for the database.