Why We're Here

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

I’ve been working on a grant this week, an application for funding for a new elementary school program we’re building. It’s called Project Lifting, Learning, Literacy, Life and Love (Project L-5 for short). The focus of the program will be on about 60 students, grades K-5, from a local public school; the goal is provide them with much-needed early intervention.

I will admit that I am not deeply familiar with all of our Children & Youth programs. I know that we have a lot of them and that the kids in our neighborhood need a lot of support to counteract the often-overwhelming challenges that they face. But it wasn’t until I was writing the “needs assessment” portion of the grant that it really hit me just how vital our programs are.

At this particular school, more than 90% of the students qualify for the free or reduced lunch program – a commonly used poverty indicator. The district average itself is high – 70.8% -- and this school’s percentage is well above that. The students are classified as being at high risk of educational failure, and many of them are already falling far behind their peers across the state and country. In 2006, 74.2% of the fifth graders were not proficient in reading and 70.9% were not proficient in math, based on their scores on state-wide standardized tests.

The obstacles to learning that these kids face are truly staggering. Poverty. Turbulent family lives. Systemic drug and alcohol abuse. Community violence. They are literally struggling to make it through each day and it’s no wonder that academic achievement isn’t their primary concern.

And that’s why we’re working on Project L-5. The program recognizes that in order to help these kids succeed in school, we need to provide holistic support that mediates the impact of the other destructive forces in their lives. The program focuses on character education and life skills development, alcohol, tobacco and other drug use prevention, nutrition, conflict resolution, and recreational and cultural exposure in addition to more traditional educational support like tutoring and homework assistance. It’s a good program. And it will make a difference if we can get it funded.

It’s weeks like this and projects like these that make you really realize the work you do is important.