Mayor Greg Fischer and officials from the Community Foundation of Louisville and Metro United Way today announced 27 grants totaling $250,000 to area nonprofit organizations that help create a college-going culture in the Louisville community. This funding is in response to the vision created by 55,000 Degrees, a public-private partnership that is working to increase the number of people in our community with college degrees by 55,000 by the year 2020. Over 140 requests for funding were received.
Grants were awarded for programs that address five key “tipping points” that are predictors of students’ future success in their educational journey: early childhood, reading at grade level by fourth grade, middle school transition, high school graduation, and transition to college or career.
As a development professional, having organizations come together around common goals and have just one application (and thus reporting) process is a great thing – more time for great people to do the things they do best and less time on paperwork.
More exciting is the breadth of initiatives funded! All organizations are pictured here with Mayor Fischer, Sonny Altman, Joe Tolan of Metro United Way, Susan Barry of The Community Foundation of Louiville and kids from our community who all wore t-shirts with the year they will graduate from college. Just FYI that the baby in this picture will graduate in 2033. Wow. Feeling old yet?
TURNING UP THE HEAT GRANT RECIPIENTS:
Tipping Point: Early Childhood Education
- California Area Family Development Center (Jefferson County, KY) – $6,400
To acquire new toys and equipment to provide teachers with much needed resources to better implement all aspects of early learning program
- Community Coordinated Child Care, Inc. (Jefferson County, KY) – $10,000
To pay for detailed planning phase in developing shared service alliance to develop new approaches to early childhood education business management so programs are more fiscally stable and providers can focus on child development and quality improvement.
- Family & Children’s Place (Jefferson County, KY) – $10,000
For staff to complete 14 on-line training modules to equip them to train parents and caregivers of children enrolled to increase parents’ skills and knowledge so they remain engaged in child’s development and education.
- Iroquois Child Care Center (Jefferson County, KY) – $6,400
To purchase toys, games, computers, sports equipment and other age appropriate furnishings to supplement and enrich a vital program.
- Jefferson Community & Technical College Foundation (Jefferson County, KY) – $9,450
To enhance ability to provide wider variety of engaging literacy opportunities for children and improve skills in letter recognition, phonological awareness, reading comprehension, and writing. Improve home-school connection and provide more examples for best practices for our IEC college students.
- Reach Out and Read (Floyd & Clark Counties, IN) – $10,000
A pediatric literacy program educating 5,500 children annually to ensure all young children enter kindergarten ready to learn and equipped to succeed.
Tipping Point: Early Grade Reading
- Communities in Schools of Clark, County, Inc. (Clark County, IN) – $10,000
To create program enhancements to its Extended Day Learning Program to provide academic, enrichment, and childcare services to approximately 200 children in nine Greater Clark County elementary schools, which includes academic structure, enrichment programs, physical activity, service learning, art and theater instruction and special programming by area organizations.
- Family and Children’s Place (Jefferson County, KY) – $9,880
To join U of L Dept. of Psychology and Brain Sciences to provide the Families and Schools Together (FAST) program at Wheeler Elementary School. The FAST, a Best Practices Model with research-based outcomes focuses on delinquency prevention through enhanced family functioning and improving relationships between parents and schools.
- Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Inc. (Jefferson County, KY) – $10,000
Through Leap into Literacy, Kentucky Refugee Ministries will promote reading, family literacy, and regular school attendance for 80 primary grade refugee children and their families, who are recently arrived in Metro Louisville, by partnering with the Louisville Free Public Library and Stage One’s Children’s Theater.
- Jefferson County Public Schools ( Jefferson County, KY) – $9,995
Partnership with the JCPS English as a Second Language Program to provide a summer bridge focusing on literacy development for 75 rising primary grade English Language Learners attending Klondike, Goldsmith, Jeffersontown Elementary Schools and/or living in the 40218 or 40219 areas.
- Spalding University (Jefferson County, KY) – $10,000
To support literacy programs for first and second grade English Language Learner students at Maupin Elementary School, which include supporting literacy skills education for these students’ parents and professional development opportunities for Spalding education teachers and Maupin faculty.
Tipping Point: Transition from Middle School to High School
- Actors Theatre of Louisville (Jefferson County, KY) – $8,550
This grant will support a partnership with Western, Stuart, Olmsted and Thomas Jefferson middle schools to provide free programming to eighth grade students to attend 10 sessions of New Voices: Monologue vs. Dialogue residency program. Students will learn about playwriting, drama and incorporate the arts into lifelong education and career exploration.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana (Jefferson County, KY) – $10,000
This grant will enhance BBBS’ existing mentoring program for middle school youth by increasing college and career awareness.
- Family & Children’s Place (Jefferson County, KY) – $9,905
Family and Children’s Place in partnership with U of L Dept of Psychology and Brain Sciences and Western Middle School will provide a middle school transition program for at-risk 8th graders and their parents to better prepare their transition into high school.
- Greater Clark County Schools Educational Foundation (Clark County, IN) – $10,000
This grant will enhance Clark County Schools’ existing program to prepare middle school students’ preparation for the ACT standardized tests and to envision their post-secondary educational future.
- Lanesville Community School (Harrison County, IN) – $8,000
This grant will support a college “boot camp” for at-risk middle school students during the summer 2011 and 2011-2012 school years to allow them to visit college campuses, participate in a college class, etc. Students will experience college in a fun and educational way.
Tipping Point: High School Graduation
- Americana Community Center (Jefferson County, KY) – $10,000
Program supports refugee, immigrant, and low-income youth in and outside the classroom
- JCPS Liberty High School (Jefferson County, KY) – $10,000
A three Component dropout prevention program designed for 9th and 10th graders
- Louisville Urban League (Jefferson County, KY) – $10,000
A program to enhance student knowledge, skills, responsibility, and attitudes towards school and the community
- One Plus One Equals U (Jefferson County, KY) – $10,000
A stay –in-school program targeting 30 –at-risk youth 13-19 in year round activities.
- Presbyterian Community Center (Jefferson County, KY) – $10,000
Program will target 30 at risk youth 13-19 to participate in year round after-school programming
Tipping Point: Transition to College to Career
- Blue River Services, Inc. (Harrison County, IN) – $7,50
A 5-day intensive summer camp designed to show participants that college is attainable and to excite youth about furthering their education beyond high school by immersing participants in the college experience.
- Boys and Girls Haven (Jefferson County, KY) – $10,000
A goal for youth aging out of the foster care system(locally and eventually statewide) to have a specific living plan that includes a stable living situation, employment and /or continuing education with specific life goals in mind and a contingency plan to prevent future homelessness.
- Family Scholar House, Inc. (Jefferson County, KY) – $6,420
Offering an innovative approach to lifting families out of poverty by helping single parents address all of their barriers to education so they may earn college degrees.
- Jefferson Community & Technical College (Jefferson County, KY) – $10,000
Designed to assist students to better access entry services at the college and to prepare for and achieve academic success during the first year at JCTC.
- Purdue University College of Technology at New Albany (Floyd County, IN) – $10,000
Program allows high school students and their parents to interact with Purdue’s local faculty in a local classroom setting.
- Jeffersonville High School (Clark County, IN) – $7,500
A workshop series designed to address all perceived obstacles of the college prep and entry process.
