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| Houston City Council Member Brenda Stardig and Center for Afterschool, Summer and Expanded Learning (CASE for Kids) Director Lisa Thompson-Caruthers present a check for $5,000 to Executive Director of CollegeCommunityCareer, Kathy Rose. |
For first
generation, low-income students, the journey to college can be a struggle. Many
lack support from parents through the application and financial process.
According to USA Today, nationally 89 percent of low-income, first-generation
students leave college within six years without a degree.
Students at
Spring Woods and Northbrook high schools in Spring Branch Independent School
District have the opportunity to receive extra help and encouragement in
preparation for college thanks to a grant for their afterschool program,
CollegeCommunityCareer.
CollegeCommunityCareer
received $5,000 in the first wave of funding from the City Connections
initiative with the City of Houston and Center for Afterschool, Summer and
Expanded Learning (CASE for Kids) for its college preparation programs at the
two Spring Branch campuses. Kathy Rose, executive director of
CollegeCommunityCareer, says the grant will help fund civic engagement programs
for their students.
“We will
perform a community service project at a nonprofit location as well as expose
our students to a cultural event such as the symphony, ballet, or theater by
attending an event this spring,” said Rose.
The program
meets weekly at each campus to teach teambuilding skills, prepare for the SAT,
and complete college admissions and financial aid applications. Students also
have the opportunity to tour college campuses and visit professionals in the
workplace.
Students start
in CollegeCommunityCareer’s program as high school sophomores and continue to
receive mentoring until they obtain a four-year degree from a university. To
enroll, they must be a first-generation student on the recommended or
distinguished achievement high school graduation plan, and qualify for the
free/reduced meal program.
In Spring
Branch ISD, the partnership is helping reach the district’s goal to double the
number of graduates successfully completing a two-year or four-year degree,
technical certificate or military training.
“Grant funding
for CollegeCommunityCareer partnership efforts at Spring Woods and Northbrook
High Schools is a game-changer for our students who will be served by this
important program,” said Linda Buchman, Community Relations Officer for Spring
Branch ISD. “The opportunity for rich, well-planned and comprehensive college
and career readiness activities will build within them the hope, the skills and
the preparation necessary for them to achieve their dreams of higher
education.”
City
Connections is an initiative spearheaded by Houston City Councilmember C.O.
Bradford last summer and CASE for Kids. The out-of-school time funding is
intended to help fight juvenile crime and to promote child safety during the
hours of 3-6 p.m. during the school year when parents are working and in the
summertime. The funding is especially needed due to decreased state and federal
funding streams which previously supported afterschool locally.
CASE for Kids
promotes and administers the City Connections program. The City of Houston
Parks and Recreation Program assists in the application process.
Grant
applications for the afterschool funding continue to be accepted through April
6, 2015. Awards are announced on the first Monday of each month. To apply for
City Connections funding, go to www.afterschoolzone.org and access CASE for Kids City
Connections. Call 713-696-1331 for more information.
About the Center for Afterschool, Summer and Expanded Learning (CASE) for Kids
About the Center for Afterschool, Summer and Expanded Learning (CASE) for Kids
CASE for Kids, formerly the Cooperative
for After-School Enrichment, was launched by Harris County Department of
Education in 1999. CASE for Kids is an after-school intermediary which
leverages community resources and strengthens the capacity of the out-of-school
time field. Services benefit approximately 11,000 kids in greater Harris
County. CASE for Kids programs happen before and after school, on weekends and
during the summer. Go to www.afterschoolzone.org
for information.
About Harris
County Department of Education (HCDE)
HCDE provides education services to the general public and 25 school districts
throughout Harris County and beyond. Services include adult education, programs
to promote safe schools, after-school programs, therapy services, professional
development for educators, special schools, alternative certification for
principals and teachers, Early Childhood Intervention and Head Start programs.
We offer purchasing procurement, grant development, program research and
evaluation, records management, and school finance support. Since 1889, our
services continue to evolve to meet the needs of our education public. Visit us
at www.hcde-texas.org.