02 May Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City Receives Grant for $823,368 from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 21st Century Learning Centers
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City (BGCKC) recently received a grant for $823,368 from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers to provide youth development and academic improvement opportunities to middle school students at Clifford H. Nowlin Middle School.
The Whole Child program model will provide comprehensive educational development and a personal growth model for many of the community’s most vulnerable youth. The 21st CCLC program will provide afterschool programming to youth in grades six through eight at Clifford H. Nowlin Middle School (Nowlin) in Independence, Missouri. Project Learn, an evidence- and research-based afterschool strategy designed to build and reinforce academic skills, will provide the framework and guidance for all afterschool offerings. Project Learn features five components: Homework Help and Tutoring; High Yield Activities; School Day Collaboration; Parental Involvement; and Student Incentives/Recognition. High Yield Learning Activities are afterschool learning experiences that are hands-on, interactive, and linked to specific academic skills. Activities in the areas of academic achievement and college/career readiness include tutoring, Power Hour homework help, Brain Gain (a project-based learning approach to reinforce skills in reading, writing, math, and STEM), Coding programs, College & Career Readiness programs, Diplomas to Degrees program, and Money Matters financial literacy program.
The new 21st CCLC program will target students, and families of students, in grades six through eight at Nowlin Middle School who are at risk for academic failure, dropping out, criminal involvement, or lacking positive role models. BGCKC will continue working closely with school administration and teachers to identify students most in need of youth development opportunities and will utilize a variety of communication methods to recruit those students and their families into programming that addresses the expressed needs of the school and community.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City promotes the development of self-esteem, values, and skills for boys and girls, ages 5-18, with special emphasis on youth from disadvantaged circumstances. The vision of the BGCKC is to be the leader in providing development opportunities for youth from disadvantaged circumstances and to offer comprehensive and generation-changing activities for members of all ages that will result in tangible outcomes by utilizing attractive Club locations with exceptional space, equipment and staff. Ultimately, we will strive to demonstrate true partnerships between our members, their families, the volunteers and staff, and to value active and involved participation by each in the daily life of the Clubs.