Return to PennySaver pageGowanda PennySaver / October 01, 2000
Happy occasion - There were smiles all around after Congressman Amo Houghton literally and symbolically helped "open the doors" to the new afterschool program during the announcement of the federal grant Saturday at Gowanda Central School. Pictured, from left, are: High school student Ryan Miller and Andy Burr, Gowanda Village Mayor Don Lazar, Congressman Amo Houghton, School Superintendent William Berg, and School Board President Michael Hutchinson. (Photo by Karen Blake.)
With a $395,000 federal grant, the Gowanda Central School District is starting an afterschool program that will include recreational as well as academic activities. The U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Center grant will be administered by the school district. The new program is scheduled to open in October 2000.
"This grant will allow us to develop a strong, innovative new afterschool program that meets the needs of families in the Gowanda area," said Rep. Amo Houghton (R-Corning). "Too many children are unsupervised between the time that school doors close and parents get home from work. This new program will provide children with enriching, fun, supervised activities during those hours."
The grant to Gowanda Central School is just one of 310 awarded by the U.S. Department of Education; there were more than 2,000 applications. Altogether, some 4,000 schools are conducting 21st Century Community Learning Center programs across the country. The bipartisan federal 21st Century Community Learning Center program has grown from $1 million in fiscal year 1997 to $453 million in fiscal year 2000 in response to growing need. It is the fastest growing afterschool program in the country. The initiative is designed to keep schools open longer to provide safe havens for children along with enrichment opportunities ranging from technology to arts to tutoring to recreation. "The need and demand for high-quality afterschool programs is tremendous," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "From every state in the nation, from large cities to small rural areas, parents, teachers and children say they need before and after school programs to help keep young people in safe places, out of trouble and engaged in positive learning opportunities,"
In the United States, more than 28 million school-age children have parents who work outside the home, including 5 to 7 million "latchkey children" who get no adult supervision after school.
Research shows that juvenile violence rises dramatically during afterschool hours, but students involved in afterschool programs exhibit fewer behavioral problems, better ability to handle conflicts and improved selfconfidence. Afterschool programs lead to increased school attendance and lower dropout rate.
A national poll of 1,100 voters commissioned in July of 1999 by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and JCPenney found overwhelming public support for afterschool programs. Nine in 10 adults (92 percent) agree that children and teens should have some kind of organized activity or place to go after school. Ninety percent favor providing afterschool programs to all children from 3 to 6 p.m., five days a week. Most adults believe that afterschool programs are likely to help families, keep kids safe and improve social skills. But 85 percent said that it is difficult to find afterschool programs in their communities.
"We are proud that Gowanda Central School is joining a dynamic national network of educators and community leaders who are creating innovative afterschool programs in communities across the country," said William C. Berg, schools superintendent. "We look forward to great success with this work. People who want more information should call Vicki Cocca, project coordinator, at 532-3325,"
Gowanda Central and other 2lst Century Community Learning Center grantees are receiving support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation of Flint, MI, through the National Center for Community Education (NCCE) a Michigan-based leadership training institute founded in 1962 to support community education initiatives. NCCE is being funded to provide training and technical assistance to all grantees selected to be 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation was established in 1926 by an automotive pioneer. It is a private philanthropy committed to supporting projects that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. It supports non-profit programs throughout the United States.