After one of the most tumultuous years in education in decades – with in-person programs shut down for months or even a year, the Georgia Department of Education continues to innovate and expand its offerings for parents and students. The latest announcement was on Tuesday of a partnership between the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network (GSAN).
The GSAN will be administering the Building Opportunities in Out-of-School Time (BOOST) grant program in the name of the GaDOE, with two separate, three-year grant opportunities. Made possible by the American Rescue Plan, $85 million in grants will meet the federal requirement to use a portion of the funds to address the loss of learning time over the last year. Many students that would otherwise have received extra education time to catch up on being behind in school not only missed out on this time but may have fallen further behind in school.
“Learning opportunities outside the traditional school day – before and after school, and during the summer months – will play an essential role in addressing lost learning opportunities as a result of the pandemic,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “Through the BOOST grants, we’ll leverage the expertise of the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network and student- and community-focused organizations throughout the state, working together to expand opportunities for students and support both academic learning and the needs of the whole child.”
The grants are not just aimed at schools but also statewide and community-based organizations that run out-of-school programming year-round. Statewide programs that serve at least 2,000 youth annually across at least 15 counties will be eligible, in addition to community-based organizations that operate on a smaller level. The grants will prioritize programs that serve youth with disabilities, youth experiencing homelessness, youth in foster care, English language learners, youth receiving free or reduced-price lunch, migratory youth, K-5 students, and students who spent the majority of the 2020-2021 school year in remote learning.
“Afterschool and summer learning programs across our state have served as a critical lifeline to many families, youth, and communities over the past year and a half,” said Katie Landes, Director of GSAN. “These community-based programs have always helped keep kids safe, engaged, and learning, but also showed great innovation throughout the pandemic. Georgia’s investment in youth development through the BOOST grants will provide tremendous opportunity to many more young people and communities in need of support and GSAN is very excited about this new partnership with GaDOE.”
Priority will also be given to programs that have operated for three years and are located in communities without current programs receiving funds through similar afterschool program. Additionally, those that offer programming 5 days a week will be given special preference.
