District announces after-school grants
November 14, 2007
Springfield Public Schools, in collaboration with the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, was recently awarded the 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant to fund after-school programs for Reed Middle School and Weller, McGregor and Weaver elementary schools.
These programs provide students with safe social, recreational, enrichment and educational opportunities during non-school hours.
Over the five-year grant period, the district will receive $1,274,865. The first year funding is $299,967. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will diminish funding by 10 percent in the third year, 30 percent the fourth year, and 50 percent the fifth year.
The Parks Department will sustain the program through these reductions and beyond the grant period.
The purpose of the grant is to create community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities for children, (particularly students who attend high-poverty, low-performing schools), to meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects. The grants offer students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs and offer literacy and other educational services to families of participating children.
In addition, Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt recently awarded Springfield Public Schools three Afterschool Health/METS grants, totaling $10,000 each, to fund after-school programs with a health or math, engineering, technology and science focus.
The programs will be provided in collaboration with Ozarks Regional YMCA at Portland, Bingham and Pittman elementary schools.
At Portland the grant will expand the current scope of offerings available at Portland Academy to include a science and math program.
At Bingham and Pittman, grant funds will allow Ozarks Regional YMCA to offer the Health Kids Academy during Prime Time. Health Kids Academy educates students on how to make healthy choices about their eating and exercise habits.
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