The Midwest Migrant Educational Resource Center (MMERC), through a contract with the state Department of Education, provides a variety of free resources to public schools in South Dakota that assist children (ages 3-21) of migrant workers.

MMERC services and resources include:

• Free access to 8,000 educational materials including games, manipulatives for hands-on learning, and books – many of which are bilingual or in Spanish;
• Thematic multimedia unit boxes;
• Teacher and parent references;
• Materials appropriate for ESL students;
• Teacher workshops, in-service training or site visits to meet specific district needs or topics.

For those public schools enrolling identified migrant students, the free resources of the MMERC staff and library can be accessed through an online resource catalog.  The catalog is located at http://www.hamline.edu/graduate/centers/mmerc. Shipping charges to receive and return borrowed resources are prepaid by MMERC. For information, call 1-877-891-6379.

For questions about identifying or serving migrant students in your school, contact Jerry Meendering at the Department of Education, (605) 773-4437. jerry.meendering@state.sd.us