May 2021
BRIGHT SPOT
Shining the light on great work underway around the Northfield Promise benchmarks!
Northfield Named a Bright Spot for COVID Response

The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CLGR) has named Northfield a 2021 Bright Spot community for its responses to the COVID crisis last year. Northfield was one of 54 communities across the country, and the only one in Minnesota, to receive this recognition.

CGLR highlighted communities that developed exemplary or innovative responses to the COVID crisis between May and December 2020, including new or adaptive roles, programs, organizational relationships, policies, or resources. These Bright Spot communities were recognized for crafting solutions that seemed especially effective and deserving of being sustained post-COVID.

In Northfield, four efforts – all initiatives supported by Northfield Promise – were specifically called out: Early Childhood Navigators, Family Engagement Navigators, 100% Connected, and “Move 5 Kids.”
Data Snapshot – Northfield Student Survey

In partnership with Northfield Promise, Northfield Public Schools administers a short survey each winter/spring. Using questions from the Minnesota Student Survey, it provides a snapshot look at the social-emotional well-being of Northfield youth. Data nuggets from the 2021 survey included:
  • 87% of students in grades 9-12 agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “At my school, teachers care about students.”

  • “How much do you feel adults in the community care about you?” 56% of students in grades 9-12 said extremely, almost always or very often; 32% said somewhat or sometimes; and 13% said not at all. 

  • 64% of 8th graders said they felt good about their futures, and 63% said they felt in control of their lives and futures. This was down from 77% and 75% in the 2020 survey.
NHS Alumna Featured for Early Childhood Service
“I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I weren’t living in Northfield. And thanks to the LEAP program, being able to give back to my Northfield community convinced me that my heart is with the kiddos and I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else.”

– AmeriCorps LEAP participant Adriana Bermudez, who is in her second year as an Education/Public Sector Fellow through the Northfield Community College Collaborative. The Public Sector program supports Northfield graduates of color in pursuing careers in education, government, and other public sector fields. 

Learn more about Adriana’s experience in this program, and the importance of the local AmeriCorps partnerships and the Ready for Kindergarten efforts, by reading this recent profile by the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation: “Why I love Northfield and AmeriCorps”
Hiring for AmeriCorps 2021 Positions
Do you know someone who likes working with youth and is interested in giving back to the community, while also getting paid? Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) is looking to fill several Reading Corps and AmeriCorps Promise Fellow positions for the 2021-22 school year. 

  • Reading Corps tutors work one-on-one or in small groups with students age 3 to grade 3. No experience is necessary; tutors receive comprehensive training in strategies proven to help students build skills and become successful readers. Full-time and part-time positions available. Potential Reading Corps openings include Bridgewater, Greenvale Park and Spring Creek Elementary Schools; Hand in Hand Preschool, Early Ventures Childcare, HeadStart Preschool, and in-home daycare locations.

  • Promise Fellows work directly with cohorts of 25-30 youth who are at risk of not succeeding in school. Promise Fellows provide academic support and also connect youth with afterschool programs, mentors, and community service opportunities. Promise Fellows form significant connections with the youth in their cohort and have the chance to help change their lives. Full-time, part-time, year-long, and half-year positions available. Potential Promise Fellow openings include the Northfield Middle School, Northfield High School, Arcadia Charter School, Northfield Union of Youth/The Key, Northfield Area Learning Center, Greenvale Park Community School, Faribault Middle School, and Northfield Area Family YMCA.

Tutors and Promise Fellows receive a living stipend every two weeks, an education award, and federal loan forbearance, and can be eligible for health insurance.
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Northfield Promise exists to ensure all children in Northfield reach their full potential.
Northfield Promise has been recognized as a Proof Point community by the national StriveTogether network. StriveTogether is a national movement with a clear purpose: helping every child succeed in school and in life from cradle to career, regardless of race, zip code or circumstance. In partnership with nearly 70 communities across the country, StriveTogether provides resources, best practices and processes to give every child every chance for success. The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network reaches 13.7 million students, involves 10,800 organizations and has partners in 29 states and Washington, D.C.
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