Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the After School Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
BLAST director outlines sustainability plan, partnerships and 21st‑Century funding
Summary
Rebecca Cody told the School Committee BLAST uses 21st Century Community Learning Center funds, a 1:8 staff‑to‑student ratio and community partnerships (UNE, Biddeford Community Gardens, Chewonki Foundation) to sustain programming; the program seeks continued support and has submitted a four‑year grant extension.
Rebecca Cody, director of the BLAST after‑school program (operated in partnership with LearningWorks), presented the program’s model and sustainability plan to the Biddeford School Committee on April 8.
Cody described BLAST as a federally supported (21st Century Community Learning Centers) after‑school program that focuses on academic improvement and enrichment for students who are below grade level. She said the program operates with a staffing model that yields a roughly one‑staff‑member to eight‑students ratio, offers literacy and STEM enrichment aligned to the school day, conducts family literacy nights in partnership with Biddeford Adult Education, and provides six weeks of summer programming.
BLAST leverages community partners to stretch grant funds, Cody said: LearningWorks serves as sponsor, the University of New England provides interns and programming support, Biddeford Community Gardens and the Chewonki Foundation contribute hands‑on activities, and the program seeks supplemental local funding and partnerships to sustain quality as federal grant awards decline year to year. Cody said BLAST recently submitted a new four‑year grant cycle proposal to extend programming to third and fourth graders at the intermediate school.
Cody told the committee the program is free to participating students and receives teacher referrals for students who would most benefit. She emphasized family engagement and said BLAST measures success through academic improvement and participation data; she offered to share the district a written copy of the sustainability plan and thanked the committee for past partnership and support.
