WCAC Youth Project Description

WCAC Youth Project Description The Town has selected Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. (WCAC) to include a $37,500 youth project in this CDBG application. The project will support the Town s Middle School students - grades 6 through 8 who are in need of remedial reading, writing and math assistance and early work readiness skills. This project has been designed in cooperation with local industry, who have expressed the need to prepare middle school students early in work readiness skills, and they have also identified the need for remedial reading, writing and math in their young employees. The Town Council voted to issue a request for proposals for CDBG social services projects and included 1) elder self-sufficiency, English for Speakers of Other Languages, Financial Literacy, or Literacy, or a combination thereof and 2) Youth of middle school age in need of remedial math, written and verbal communication and work readiness, as the targeted services. WCAC submitted the only youth program, and we consider their proposal to be exemplary. They achieved a near perfect score of points on the evaluation of their proposal. WCAC s mission of Helping people move to economic self-sufficiency through programs, partnerships, and advocacy has guided its work for over 50 years. WCAC is the antipoverty agency of Central MA and serves Southbridge and several Southern County towns. We awarded social services funding to WCAC in our FY13 CDBG grant to support a year-long ABE/ESOL/HiSET program for Southbridge residents. WCAC has also provided Head Start/Early Head Start for 23 years to income-eligible Southbridge families and those from surrounding towns. They are a familiar face and their work has gained considerable respect. As a successful CDBG sub-grantee we found them to be responsible and extremely effective. As the primary Youth Employment provider in Worcester for the past 12 years, the WCAC is experienced in designing, planning, and implementing a 400-youth summer jobs program that engages over 100 employers. This makes them highly qualified to work with local industry to address a difficult issue that has developed over many years; finding young workers to fill skilled positions as older employees retire. Through this CDBG grant opportunity, WCAC will develop a 12-month program that uses a graduated and holistic approach to assist youth to learn and embrace the essential skills needed for vocational successes. The program will provide mentoring, individual tutoring, and job awareness in two tiers: field trips and local industry introductions (6th grade youth) and increased hands-on experiences and work-readiness skills (7-8th grade youth). Tier two will involve twenty 7 th - and 8 th -grade students participating in remedial reading, math, and communication skills program. WCAC completed its DHCD-required three-year Community Action Plan for FY15-17 and compiled US Census data, community needs surveys, input from local businesses and organizations, and agency staff and customers, and finalized its 45 city/town assessments. Given the poverty rate of 16.1% in Southbridge compared with state rate of 11.9%, it is certain that at least 75% of the youth will come from low/mod income families. 12.9% of families in

Southbridge live in poverty, and the child poverty rate is 23.3%, compared with the state s 11.5% and Worcester s 15.4%. The Program: Positive Opportunity for Pioneers (POP!) The Pioneer is the Southbridge School System s mascot and through this CDBG grant opportunity, WCAC seeks to continue that Pioneering spirit. The Southbridge Middle School (grades 6-8) youth will be referred from the Southbridge school system based on the CDBG requirements of Special Social Services and National Objectives for low or moderate income persons. According to the Massachusetts DOE website (and Principal Melissa Earls), the Southbridge Middle School is a Title I school and 90% of its youth are low/moderate income and high needs/high poverty. Referrals will also be based on recommendations of the school s Guidance Office after the first testing period of the 2015/2016 academic year and the school will share their student tracking information. The program will provide mentoring, tutoring (remedial math and reading), and job awareness and training to 20 youth in two tiers: field trips and local industry introductions (6 th grade youth) and increased hands-on employment experiences and tutoring (7-8 th grade youth). Activities will involve a series of programs to coordinate the youths success in academic achievement, as well as local employment awareness through 1:1 tutoring in remedial math and reading will be provided to the referred youth two days per week for 1 hour each day immediately at the end of the school day in the Middle School. This schedule was determined based on discussions with the school s administration and an existing after-school schedule, as well as the availability of transportation at the end of the session. This educational assistance will be during the regular school year only and based on successes and newly identified needs, will be carried over into the summer months in a schedule to be determined through on-going discussions with the school administration. Two instructors currently working in the Middle School are potential teachers for this tutoring and will be required to be bilingual (26.6% of Southbridge residents are Hispanic and 36.8% speak a language other than English in the home as compared to a state average of 10.5%). Based on needs identified by local employers, occupational awareness and an early introduction to the variety of employment possibilities in the youths own home town is important to maintaining job growth in the area to ensure a vested, competent future workforce. As such - o 6 th grade youth will participate in field trips to local businesses during the school year and summer. o 7 th and 8 th grade students will participate in various experiential activities including, but not be limited to, visits to five local companies where they can not only see what goes on in the company, but also be paired with an employee/mentor who will show them the various technical skills needed for that particular job. These mentors will visit the tutoring sessions on a regular basis to assist youth with their academic assignments and speak to all students about connecting academic achievements to employment successes (i.e., understanding finance, the importance of a resume, minimum qualifications for a position, and dressing for success.). All Mentors who interact with the youth will be required to undergo a CORI/SORI and fingerprint check.

As needed, youth will also be referred to social and wellness services such as mental health counseling, nutrition services, and local recreational programs/agencies. The project budget supports salaries for Personnel (a Program Coordinator to work 3 hours per week during the academic year and the summer who will be responsible for overall program coordination, evaluation, and reporting. Two bilingual Math/Reading Instructors will each work 2 hours per week during the after-school sessions). Letters of support from partners in the community demonstrate their commitment to the program budget by providing in-kind support including a location for parent meetings, information-sharing on local community college opportunities, classrooms and transportation for the afternoon sessions. WCAC will provide space for the Coordinator at the 25 Cole Ave., Southbridge Head Start site. Project Need For over two years, WCAC has participated in a South County Leadership group comprised of businesses, educational institutions, and organizations interested in assisting the Town of Southbridge in revitalization of the area. The concern for youth education, manufacturing employment, transportation, and improved infrastructure is reflected in the many Southbridge planning documents. Most recently, WCAC and several members of the South County Leadership Group met to discuss these pressing needs and the possibility of securing CDBG funds to support a pilot project, since CDBG grants are not guaranteed from year to year. The Town describes itself as an eclectic blend of hilly and flat, farmland and developed land, industry and downtown, and suburban, urban, and rural neighborhoods. That eclectic blend is also well reflected in the Public School system, which is home to one preschool, one pre-k/k, two schools grades 1-5, and a combined middle/high school. Local leaders believe focusing on grades 6-8 which enroll 544 youth for the 2014/2015 school year. 1 Also according to the DOE webpage (specifically MCAS Testing of Spring 2014) these Middle School students consistently fall significantly below state averages in English and math and science and technology (for which on 8 th graders are tested) and according to accountability standards, Southbridge is a Level 4 (underperforming) district. In light of these statistics however, these youth have many assets available to them which can and will strengthen their overall life successes. The Southbridge Middle School serves a population that is 90% low to moderate income and high needs/high poverty. These youth do not have an equal chance at higher education or other career training programs which very often include prohibitive fees. With these statistics and unlimited free or unsupervised time during out of school periods, youth may be easily drawn into gang or other dangerous behaviors which with further impede their educational/vocational successes. To address part of this issue, the Southbridge Police Department (SPD) initiated the Cops N Kids Program more than 20 years ago as a year-round effort to reduce juvenile delinquencies and build stronger relationships with the Town s youth. According to the SPD s website, the program has seen proven results such as juvenile delinquency rates dropping over 85% in the 1 http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/profiles/general.aspx?topnavid=1&orgcode=02770000&orgtypecode=5&

past 7 years. The program which hosts approximately 100 youth - incorporates academics and athletics with youth agencies and juvenile diversion techniques. For the past five years, the SPD has focused efforts during the summer months when statistics show youth aged 9 to 16 years old traditionally see a rise in juvenile delinquencies when they are left unsupervised while their parents are at work, and with no regular routine. Program partners include the Project Bread program, which provides breakfast and lunch for these children at no cost, the Worcester District Attorney s Office, and a Juvenile Probation Officer who visits the program once a week to provide related classes and mentoring. The program also employs college students, who were themselves alumni of this program, to serve as mentors and role models. Two of the most youth-active programs are the after-school basketball league (held 2 nights each week) and a monthly dance which typically draws 150+ youth. Based on the nature of the programs and the strong bond the youth form with Police Officers, WCAC will be partnering with the SPD for referrals to the program, as well as to refer some of the youth to their programs who may not have participated in it previously. Project Feasibility A two-tier program is proposed with CDBG funding and support from local leaders: local employers and the Southbridge Police Department s Cops N Kids will offer afterschool programs, field trips to various businesses and cultural venues, along with wraparound services. Youths often see people they may know, are drawn to experiences that are new to them, ask many questions and retain these experiences well into their (soon-to-be) future job experience life period. Should the proposal be funded, the WCAC will immediately convene and facilitate an advisory group comprised of local industry leaders, the Southbridge Public Middle/High School Principal and Vice Principal, Harrington Hospital, YOU, Inc., Family Health Center of Worcester, and other key leaders to construct a timetable for implementation. One bilingual Coordinator/Education Instructor will be advertised for and hired to oversee the program including middle school academic instruction, coordination of field trips and enrichment programs, along with scheduling, report writing, and data collection for 52 weeks. Two additional Education Instructors will be hired two days/week for 39 weeks to assist in the remedial reading, writing, and communication skills. A job description for the positions is attached. One Work Readiness trainer, using WCAC s successful curriculum, will provide training two hours per week at the Southbridge Middle School. Working with the Southbridge Police Department s (SPD) Cops N Kids program and the Southbridge School Department, WCAC will define the criteria for 7th and 8th grade youth that need remedial reading, math, and communication skills. It is anticipated that a total number of 30 youths will participate in the program over a 12-month period. It is also assumed that attrition will occur, and therefore more than the 30 youth will receive remedial instruction. A waiting list will be developed to ensure that the program is well attended. Prior to any youth participating in the program, we will adhere to all Southbridge Public School s requirements relative to Parental Consent, CORI/SORI/Fingerprint checks for mentors, and related regulations. Priority will be

given to those living in the Town s two Low/Moderate Income Target Areas The Morris/Coombs Neighborhood and the Worcester/Henry Neighborhood. WCAC is currently working with local organizations and business leaders to garner inkind goods and services and monetary support for the project that is included in budget. Additional outreach efforts will continue throughout the grant period, as well as prior to award notification to be ready to implement the program when the award is announced. WCAC continues to reach out to South County banks, credit unions, and other institutions to secure at least $5,000 to support food and incentives for students and their families prior to project start up. Note, however, that $9,425 has already been secured in in-kind and monetary support. WCAC s experience with at-risk 16-24 year-old school drop-outs and work-readiness students shows that many girls lose interest in math, science and technology at the 6 th grade level. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) offers Camp Reach an overnight two-week science/technology program to 7 th -grade girls in the summer. The budget includes $2,590 tuition for 2 school-selected girls to attend the WPI campus-based program in 2016. Vouchers will be purchased with grant funds in advance as the enrollment is filled quickly. Timeline 2015 November October 2016 January February end of September October November Contract Executed/Income Documentation Tutorial/Advisory Board Hire Bilingual Coordinator/Education Instructor Program Outreach Program Outreach Continues/Applications Received Program Outreach Continues/Application Review, Income Documentation Program Begins/Outreach and application review continue Program Continues Program Ends Final Reports and Invoices Submitted Completion Ceremony Project Impact This program will provide 20 middle school youths with much needed academic support, as well as expose them to potential employment opportunities in their community. Youths will receive 1:1 support through academic tutoring and individualized mentoring. Tailored materials will be utilized and individualized to meet specific youth needs. Parents will be informed of the

program and will be updated as to their child s achievements. Parent information meetings will be held monthly. Formative Evaluation WCAC, Southbridge Middle/High School, and local business leaders understand that, as a pilot program, many adjustments may occur, but anticipate that at least 5-7 students will improve their math, reading, and writing skills by the end of the grant period. At least 15 students will participate in the local business field trips and will increase their knowledge of the community employers. It is expected that 20 students will be enrolled in the two-tier program (also through attrition and wait list enrollments). As a pilot, WCAC and partners expect to convene monthly meetings to assess the program components and determine if any changes need to be made to ensure success. Student surveys will be developed, administered, and collated to gauge strengths and weaknesses of the program. Feedback from parents and businesses will be solicited to ensure that youth are receiving employment information, work skills training, and academic remedial assistance at an appropriate level within reasonable timeframes. WCAC and the business partners are eager to participate in this pilot program to support the Town of Southbridge and its residents.