Get out and enjoy the Great River Trail on December 10th then come into Duey’s Corner Tap for BRRunch. Our friends at Duey’s are donating brunch with the hope you’ll donate $10 toward Spring Forward Learning Center’s end of year giving campaign.

You can come from brunch only or you can also get out and enjoy the trail. It’s December so it could be cool or downright cold, raining or snowing, windy or calm, dry or muddy. Plan wisely and in accordance with trail conditions. You can bike the Great River Trail from the Quad Cities or any point in between, take a hike or mountain bike at Iliniwek Forest Preserve or simply take a winter walk along the trail.No pre-registration is required.  Drinks, including Bloody Marys and coffee cocktails, will be available for purchase.

About Us

Spring Forward Learning Center is celebrating ten years as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, serving children and families in the Rock Island-Milan School District by offering free education programs for families in need. This year, Spring Forward will serve more than 600 children and adults in our after-school, summer enrichment and family literacy programs.

Our History

In 2007, the growing need for after-school programming in Rock Island motivated Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Rock Island to create Spring Forward Learning Center, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization to provide out-of-school time programs for Rock Island and Milan schools. Prior to that, Spring Forward had been operating as a mission project at the church. The volunteer tutoring program was supported by the generosity of church members and served fewer than 40 students from Audubon Elementary School. The original purpose of the program was to provide a safe after-school environment for children coupled with a little extra help with homework.

In 2009, SFLC opened a second after-school campus at First Presbyterian Church in Milan to serve students from Ridgewood and Thomas Jefferson Elementary Schools. Since then, after-school programs and summer enrichment camps have been steadily added each year.

In June 2015, SFLC moved its administrative offices to the Rock Island-Milan School District Administration Center. The move helped SFLC foster close working relationships with key district staff, increase its network of community partners and gain increased access to resources needed to continually expand and improve its community-based out-of-school programs. 

Our Programs

After School Programs

Spring Forward after-school programs are held up to four days a week at six sites, serving K- 6 students in the Rock Island-Milan School District. We focus enrollment on struggling readers first through third grade with a goal of having all program participants reading by third grade. Spring Forward also offers STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) activities.

Summer Enrichment Camps

Spring Forward offers Summer Enrichment Camps for children entering first through seventh grade at seven sites in Rock Island and Milan. More than 400 students participated in camps this past summer. Our summer enrichment camps help children avoid the “summer slide” that occurs while children are out of school. The goal of the Summer Enrichment Initiative is to have 100% of students maintain their reading level at the end of summer.

Family Literacy Program

Spring Forward Learning Center (SFLC) is entering its second year of offering family literacy for immigrant and refugee families at Church of Peace in Rock Island. The program runs Monday through Thursday, 9 am – noon, serving 35 adults and 8 children, with priority given to families with children in the Rock Island Milan School District.

Classes for Adult English Learners are designed to teach students literacy and life skills. Our Families come from many different countries and speak many different languages. In 2016-17, the program included students whose native languages included Burmese, French, Karen, Swahili, Kirundi and Arabic.

The program also provides onsite child care/education, so parents have a safe, nurturing environment for their children while they attend class. Our trained staff provide enrichment activities and snacks for the children.

Partners & Contributors

Community Partners

Over the past ten years, many community partners have supported Spring Forward programs by providing volunteers, outreach programs and hosting field trips. Partners for the 2016-17 school year and summer included Rock Island-Milan School District #41, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, City of Rock Island, Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, United Way of the Quad Cities Area, Figge Art Museum, Quad City Botanical Center, Illinois Extension Office, Check and Connect Community Partners, Rock Island Public Library, St Mary’s Monastery, Putnam Museum, Milan Hy-Vee, Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, Nahant Marsh Education Center, First Presbyterian Church in Milan, WQPT Public Television, Ballet Quad Cities, River Music Experience, Boy Scouts, Youth Hope and Living Lands and Waters. 

Contributors  Major funding for Spring Forward Learning Center comes from the Doris & Victor Day Foundation, Rock Island-Milan School District, Deere Foundation, Amy Helpenstell Foundation, Bechtel Trust, Hubbell Waterman Foundation, Brissman Foundation and Ascentra Credit Union Foundation.

·       For more information about Spring Forward, visit our Website or our Facebook page

·       Supporters can give on-line by going to our Donate Page, or sending gifts to Spring Forward Learning Center, 2101 6th Ave, Rock Island, Illinois, 61201

 

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