Getting to know downtown Youngstown

YOUNGSTOWN — Some 600 third-graders in the Youngstown City Schools will be getting guided tours of the city’s downtown area this fall in a program designed to give kids some knowledge and ownership of their community.

“Getting to Know My Downtown in the Third Grade” is a joint effort involving the city schools, the city, Youngstown CityScape, Youngstown State University, Ronald Cornell Faniro Architect Inc. and the American Architectural Foundation, all of whom are putting in either money or services to launch the $17,000 effort.

It’s all part of finding an innovative way to implement state academic content standards for the third grade, said Pat Bradley, supervisor of social studies K-12 and kindergarten for the city schools.

Part of those standards directs that third-graders must be educated about their communities — past and present, near and far.

In Youngstown’s case, that involves learning about the city’s history and becoming familiar with the downtown district, its architecture, physical features, its government and more, Bradley said.