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Item Title: Four-Year Grant Award From the
Department of Public Instruction to Create 21st Century Community
Learning Centers
Specific Action Requested:
That the Board of Commissioners:
1. Approve the grant award,
2. Appropriate the additional $398,752 for FY05 and
3. Establish one new position to serve as Project Director for 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
Item Summary:
21st
Century Community Learning Center grants are federally funded. Funding goes
through the Department of Public Instruction to local school systems and their
partners for the development and delivery of comprehensive after school
programs that provide academic enrichment, youth development activities and
family literacy. In Wake County, the project has emerged under the auspices of
the Partnership for Educational Success between Wake County Human Services and
Wake County Public Schools with genuine grassroots support and leadership from
faith-based and community-based partners: Harvest of Hope Network Ministries,
El Pueblo, Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development, the Mary E. Wilson
Foundation, Diversified Resources for Better Living, Raleigh Worshipping Church
and the First Baptist Church of Garner.
The
project targets students in grades k-8 attending Garner elementary and middle
schools who are not achieving grade level on end of grade reading and math
tests. The project will establish a minimum of three community-based sites and
will serve 400 students and their families. All contracts will go to community
partners who will assist in the design and be responsible for delivery of
direct services to these families. Wake County Human Services will employ a
Project Director who will provide leadership to the program and partnership
development, curriculum alignment, evaluation and reporting. This position with
benefits will be retained for the duration of the four-year project. The
employee will be provided space in the Cooperative Extension office.
Evaluation
is an important element of the project and will include collection of core
indicators including end-of-grade test scores, absenteeism, suspensions and
expulsions of participants in addition to intermediate measures for healthy
decision-making by youth and increased involvement of parents in supporting
educational success for their children. The project represents considerable
planning and alignment of resources between the School System and Human
Services while acknowledging the important role of the community in the design,
delivery, management and sustainability of effective programming.
The
award is $398,752 for each of the first two years and is reduced by 20% and 40%
in years 3 and 4. The County will not supplement the funding reduction in
funding in years 3 and 4. Instead the program will be reduced in those years
and this will be reflected in the contracts that will be created with the
partner agencies that will be involved with this project.
The
Partners will work with the Human Services Successful Children’s Board
Subcommittee to leverage community support for quality programming and
effective delivery models. The County will need to consider the success and
effectiveness of this program as well as the emerging community needs during
the four years of implementation. It is possible that the County may be asked
at the end of the 4-year period to contribute in some additional way to the
sustainability of these programs. Such a request, however, would only come with
considerable outcome data and a demonstration of cash and in-kind support from
the community. There is no expectation on the part of any partner that the
County would be responsible for allocating general fund dollars to this effort
at the end of the 4-year funding cycle.
No matching county funds are required.
Attachments:
1. Budget Memo