Feds award YSU $1.7M for afterschool programs in Girard
The Center for Human Services Development at Youngstown State University has received two 21st Century Community Learning Center Grants totaling $1.7 million.
The grants from the U.S. Department of Education fund after school programs at Girard Intermediate/Prospect Elementary School and Girard Junior-Senior High School, said Angie Cameron, director of the YSU Center for Human Services Development.
The 21st Century Community Learning Center program supports the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools.
The programs in Girard began in mid-October and operate Mondays through Fridays through May and also include a summer component. Both programs have literacy, math, youth development and family engagement components, as well as a college and career readiness focus. Students are provided a snack daily, transportation home and field trips.
The grants will fund the programs for five years. The YSU Center for Human Services Development is the fiscal agent and both schools are collaborating partners. Center staff will be on site each day to provide and coordinate services for students.
The YSU Center also runs afterschool programs in Brookfield Elementary School, Campbell Elementary School, East Liverpool School District, and EJ Blott Elementary in Liberty.
The Center, housed in the Beeghly College of Education, was established in 1985 to serve as a community resource for health and human service organizations, and community leaders. The Center works with a community-wide spectrum of people to identify community problems and needs, develop solutions, and evaluate activities in the health and human services field.