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Commissioners approve ARPA grant amendment to expand OSU Cascades internship program
Summary
The board unanimously approved a minor amendment to a $750,000 ARPA grant with Oregon State University Cascades to broaden internship placement sites for its early‑childhood program and allow weekly hour flexibility (12–20 hours) to increase student participation with no change in grant budget (document 2026‑434).
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners voted June 17 to approve an amendment to a $750,000 American Rescue Plan Act grant agreement with Oregon State University Cascades so the Little Kids Internship Program can expand placement sites and increase scheduling flexibility for student interns.
For the record, Laura Scundrich, Deschutes County management analyst, introduced the item and guests Shannon Lipkom and Christine Pard from OSU Cascades explained the requested language changes. Lipkom said the amendment would expand placement beyond the Little Kids location to two other partner sites in Deschutes County and relax the weekly hours requirement from an average of 20 hours to a range of 12–20 hours per week to reduce barriers to participation.
Why it matters: County staff said the change will allow more students (OSU Cascades and Central Oregon Community College estimate a combined eight or more new participants) to enter paid internships before the grant expires at the end of the calendar year. The amendment will not alter the previously allocated ARPA budget.
Board action: Commissioner moved and seconded approval of document number 2026‑434; the vote was unanimous in favor.
