Calfie Center proposes no‑cost summer/afterschool pilot to help struggling elementary readers

Jill Williams, executive director of the Calfie Community and Cultural Center, proposed a partnership with Pilaski County Public Schools to pilot the "Calfie Pioneers," a summer and afterschool program targeting up to 18 elementary students with significant academic and financial need.

Williams said the program would employ full‑time paid staff managed by Calfie and supplement that staff with tutors, retired educators and volunteers to provide intensive literacy and math support along with enrichment activities such as gardening, cooking and library visits. "We are not asking for any dollars from you all," Williams told the board, saying Calfie would help families apply for available childcare funds and pursue fundraising for uncovered costs.

Mickey Hickman, a retired educator who also spoke for Calfie, emphasized individual and small‑group tutoring as a proven literacy strategy and described Calfie’s plans to run a 12‑month model (summer plus afterschool) with individual learning goals and benchmarks. Calfie representatives said licensing and a certificate of occupancy are pending and that an eventual expansion could serve as many as about 36 students if space and licensing allow.

Board members asked how students would be selected and suggested a fair process involving principals and school staff to identify those most in need. Calfie proposed that school administrators visit the center and collaborate on candidate selection and assessment benchmarks.

No formal agreement was approved at the meeting; the board expressed interest and urged staff to coordinate tours and follow‑up meetings to define selection criteria, transportation logistics and formal oversight if a pilot proceeds.