Public Hearing: YES ☐ NO ☒ Department: Human Services
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): 3,5,6 & 7
Acceptance of a Grant from the United Way of Greater Atlanta in the amount of $11,500 to recruit volunteers for a tutoring program to help improve literacy skills in students living in DeKalb- at no cost to the County
Body
Information Contact: Damon Scott, Director, Human Services Department
Phone Number: (404) 687-2385
PURPOSE:
To consider accepting a grant award in the amount of $11,500 from the United Way of Greater Atlanta to recruit volunteers for the Experience Corps tutoring program which designed to assist students with improving their literacy skills and to appropriate the funds to the grant fund.
NEED/IMPACT:
Recent data obtained from the DeKalb County School District shows that DeKalb students on average have a reading proficiency of 26%, which means that 74% of students are reading below grade level. The AARP Experience Corps Program is a national evidence-based literacy program that improves the reading skills of children in kindergarten through the 3rd grade. This program achieves reading proficiency results focusing on students who are 1-2 grades behind in reading grade level.
The acceptance of this grant will allow the DeKalb Human Services Department to collaborate with the United Way of Greater Atlanta, the AARP Foundation and the DeKalb County School District to implement the AARP’s Experience Corps Program in four schools in DeKalb County. Participating DeKalb schools include Stoneview Elementary, Murphy Candler Elementary, E.L. Miller Elementary, and Redan Elementary. Teachers will identify students who would benefit from the program and obtain parental permission for the child to participate.
Volunteers will be trained on how to assist these students with improving their reading skills using a national reading model. Volunteers will then be asked to tutor 2 days a week, during an after-school program at the school. Tutoring sessions will be 30 minutes long per student. Volunteers can expect to contribute a maximum of five (5) hours per week. The DeKalb Experience Corps Program will need at least sixty-five (65) volunteers in order to be effectively implemented within four (4) elementary schools. The tutoring program will begin on October 21, 2019 and will follow the school district’s calendar thru May 2020.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is not fiscal impact to the General Fund because there is no match requirement.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
Accept the grant award in the amount of $11,500 from the United Way of Greater Atlanta for volunteer recruitment for the Experience Corps Program; appropriate the funds to the grant fund, authorize disbursements and authorize the Chief Executive Officer to execute all necessary documents.