Genesee County Offers Bridges to the Future
Participating in Safe, Organized Activities Is An Alternative to Being Home Alone
by Alex Nikoloff, Communication Specialist
Genesee County’s innovative after-school program Bridges to the Future began in 1996 as a way of providing elementary and middle school students safe and organized activities as an alternative to being home alone after school. In just seven years, Bridges to the Future has grown from a pilot program, tested in three Flint-area schools, to a nationally recognized community-school partnership offering after-school activities to 10,000 participating kindergarten through ninth-grade students at 117 schools countywide.
Students can choose from more than 250 activities in several areas including literacy development, leadership development, mentoring, career exploration, community service, music and the creative arts, science and computers, sports and recreation, and cultural/educational field trips.
In October 2003, the National Community Education Association selected the program as the nation’s most outstanding after-school program. The program won the honor over more than 20 other programs around the country.
The United Way of Genesee County, the Flint-based National Center for Community Education, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation were three of the organizations largely responsible for getting the program off the ground.
“Bridges provides an exemplary model of the positive results that can be leveraged when turf issues are put aside, resources are pooled, and cooperation is the spirit of the day.” |
The United Way made a 10-year, $2-million commitment to Bridges and serves as the fiduciary agent and general information hub of the partnership.
“Bridges to the Future is a testament to our community’s ability to work together and provide enriching and quality after-school programming for the very students and families who have been impacted most by the declining economy,” says Ron Butler, United Way of Genesee County executive director.
When the program faced substantial program reductions because of state budget cuts this year, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation stepped in with a $1.275-million grant to the United Way to ensure Bridges to the Future’s continued operation through the end of the school year.
“We believe the Bridges program is far too valuable to lose,” says Mott President William S. White. “After-school programming in our home community goes right to our core beliefs in, and tradition of, supporting community education.”
The quality of the Bridges program and the collaborative nature of its cross-district efforts were additional reasons for the Foundation’s decision to replace the lost state funding. In total, Bridges works with 35 nonprofit partners in addition to each of the 21 Genesee County school districts. Several districts supplement state, federal, and private dollars to further expand programming. Bridges also receives support through a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant.
“Bridges provides an exemplary model of the positive results that can be leveraged when turf issues are put aside, resources are pooled, and cooperation is the spirit of the day,” White says.
Program administrators say that Bridges to the Future is successful because it is youth-driven and tailored to its participants. The school’s principal appoints a Youth Advisory Council (YAC), made up of ten students at each site. The YAC solicits input from the student body regarding what programs they would like to see offered at their school and communicates this information to adult leaders. Each school (or in the case of smaller districts, each district) has a facilitator or youth development specialist, hired by the Genesee Intermediate School District or the Flint Community Schools, to coordinate the programs.
“People are finally realizing we need to partner if we are going to make things happen for children,” says Butler. “They [the government, funding partners, and school districts] are all working together to make this happen for the kids.”
For more information, contact: Ron Butler, Executive Director, United Way of Genesee County, P.O. Box 949, Flint, MI 48503-1866, (810) 232-8121,
ronbutler@unitedwaygenesee.org, www.unitedwaygenesee.org, or the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Mott Foundation Building, 503 S. Saginaw Street, Suite 1200, Flint, MI 48502, (810) 238-5651, info@mott.org.
21st Century Community Learning Centers Offer Extras After School
Michigan’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant program is helping schools and districts create partnerships with other community organizations to form school-based community learning centers. These learning centers offer educational, recreational, cultural, health, and social services to students and their families when school is not in session. To qualify for 21st CCLC grants, programs must provide students with academic enrichment opportunities as well as fun activities designed to complement their regular academic program. Some programs also offer activities for students’ families.
The 21st CCLC grants allow local schools, community-based organizations, and/or faith-based organizations to provide academic enrichment opportunities. This enrichment can include tutorial services to help students—particularly those attending low-performing schools—meet state and local standards in core academic subjects such as reading and mathematics. Grantees also offer students a broad array of additional services such as youth development activities and programs for drug and violence prevention, counseling, art, music, recreation, technology education, and character education. These services reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students and offer their families opportunities for literacy and related educational development.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant program began in 1998 with $1 million in federal funding. Until 2001, local programs were directly funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Now, states manage the grant program as part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In federal fiscal year 2004, Michigan expects to receive approximately $31 million for its centers, of which $8,700,000 is available for new local grants.
For more information, contact: Lorraine Thorenson, Consultant, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Office of School Improvement, Michigan Department of Education, P.O. Box 30008, Lansing, MI 48909, (517) 241-4974, thoresonl@michigan.gov. Visit the 21st CCLC Web site at www.michigan.gov/mde; search using keywords “21st Century Community Learning Centers” (http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7--140--39974--00.html).
| The 2003-2004 mid-year report from the statewide evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program indicates that by April 2004, over 11,000 students and 43 adult family members were being served in 1,211 funded activities all over the state. |
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