Youngstown schools gets $400K for after-school programs

YOUNGSTOWN

The city school district received $400,000 in additional grant money for after-school programs that focus on literacy and college and career readiness.

The new grants — $200,000 each for the after-school programs at McGuffey Elementary and East High schools — from the Ohio Department of Education are in addition to the $300,000 in continuing grants already in use for after-school programming.

“The old grants were written in partnership with outside agencies or support groups,” said Doug Hiscox, deputy superintendent for academic affairs. “Oftentimes the program itself didn’t have a strong connection to what we had going on during the day.”

The school district reached out to ODE for guidance and designed a program that aligns the after-school emphasis with what the students are studying during the school day.

The district still may rely on support from other agencies but will take the lead in the after-school programming, Hiscox said

Youngstown’s grants are among more than $45 million awarded to 247 schools and community-based programs as part of the 21st Century Community Learning Center grants.

The program provides opportunities for children who come from economically disadvantaged families and attend low-performing schools to receive additional academic support. This year’s program focuses more on reading instruction.

Read more about the programs at each school in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.