MCCSC grant to help support extracurriculars

A recent grant will provide Monroe County Community School Corporation with $300,000 in grant money each year for four years.

MCCSC was one of 53 organizations in Indiana to receive 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program grants to help enrich students’ learning experiences.

MCCSC was one of eight organizations to receive $300,000, the highest grant amount that could be received.

According to an Indiana Department of Education press release, the program is designed to help students who attend high-poverty, low-performing schools.

The money will be used to fund the Fairview EdVenture Camp at Fairview Elementary, as well as after-school programs at six of the neediest MCCSC elementary schools: Arlington Heights, Fairview, Grandview, Highland Park, Summit and Templeton, said Timothy Pritchett, director of school age care for MCCSC.

EdVenture is a day camp that also provides academic hands-on opportunities for students. He said the staff of the camp will create lesson plans.

The goal of the after-school programs are to provide a safe and active after-school environment for students, Pritchett said.

Pritchett said the programs are voluntary for parents to enroll their students, but students in need might be referred to the program. Students in need might be students who are not doing well academically, but they also could be students who have a troubled home life, for example.

MCCSC has been receiving this grant money every year since 2000, except for the current school year because of the government sequester, Pritchett said.

Pritchett said one of the main goals of the program is to get children to experience activities in class they don’t normally get to and maybe inspire some of the students to pursue careers in these fields.

A second goal of the 21st century program is to facilitate collaboration between school districts and community agencies, such as IU Health and Bloomington Parks and Recreation, Pritchett said.

Pritchett said he estimates more than 300 students in MCCSC benefit from this money each year.

“I look forward to working with these community organizations over the coming years as we continue to increase student performance throughout Indiana,” Indiana Superintendent Glenda Ritz said in the release. “These groups work throughout the state to support student learning and development in communities affected by poverty. I am honored to award these organizations, which are working every day to strengthen our communities.”

Seventy-eight school corporations, nonprofits and community organizations applied for grants in Indiana. The IDOE applies for funding, which is then distributed from the IDOE to organizations as sub-grants.

Indiana organizations received $11.1 million in grant money, with awards starting at $50,000.

DeVonne Richburg, 21st Century program manager for the IDOE, said reviewers who are experts in after-school education score each application, and the scores help determine which organizations receive grants.

Richburg said schools can receive priority points if they meet a certain set of criteria, such as a certain amount of students living in poverty in the school or if a school’s plans revolve around literacy achievement. She said the program tries to help programs become 21st Century Learning Centers.

“We try to help as many programs as we possibly can,” Richburg said.

Richburg said they try to reach programs in both rural and urban areas so they get good coverage throughout the state. She said these grants are important because the programs are an extension of the school day.

“Any out-of-school learning helps with in-school learning,” she said.