Organizations receive grants to grow after-school programs for Lincoln students
By JENNA EBBERS – Lincoln Journal Star, Neb. (TNS)
Three local organizations were recently awarded thousands of dollars in grant funding to expand after-school programs and other opportunities available to Lincoln students throughout the year.
Lincoln Community Learning Centers, Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln and the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center received a combined $264,000 from the Nebraska Department of Education’s Expanded Learning Opportunity grant program, which is funded with proceeds from the Nebraska Lottery.
With the funding, the organizations will be able to grow offerings available to students at Lincoln Public Schools before school, after school and during the summer, with an emphasis on increasing wellness and physical activity opportunities.
The Expanded Learning Opportunity Grant Program Act was created by the Nebraska Legislature in 2016 to aid organizations across the state in providing programming outside of school to ensure students of all ages have a safe and productive place to go.
The Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center southwest of Lincoln was awarded a $26,000 grant to help serve two Lincoln elementary schools and two middle schools. Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln received $80,000 to serve 11 sites in Lincoln. And Lincoln CLCs received $158,000 for its after-school programs at 29 schools. It plans to use the money to grow its sports clubs for elementary students.
Last school year, CLCs piloted a sports program with soccer and basketball leagues and a running club for fourth and fifth grade students at six elementary schools. This year, the program grew to include each of the elementary schools it serves.
Nola Derby-Bennet, the director of Lincoln Community Learning Centers, said next year they will not only add second and third grades to the mix, but they will also add both flag football and volleyball leagues to the roster with the help of the new grant funding.
Through the program, students meet twice a week — once to practice and once to play against another school’s team within the district. At the end of each league’s season, the teams face off in a three-day, after-school tournament.
This year’s soccer league finished in the fall and basketball will start back up this spring alongside the volleyball league’s inaugural season, Derby-Bennet said. Flag football is set to launch next fall.
CLCs work with high school student athletes to coach and referee and provide transportation for students to make the program as accessible for families as possible.
“When lower-income families make decisions between providing food and shelter for their kids and giving extracurricular activities, the extracurriculars usually get left behind,” she said. “This just really gives us an opportunity to have students participate in organized sports without worrying about transportation costs or registration costs or equipment costs.”
The Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center will use the grant money to continue providing students with outdoor learning experiences after school.
Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln, which offers a variety of after-school clubs at LPS, will use the funding to continue teaching students the importance of getting outside, eating well and staying healthy, said Tami Frank, vice president of operations. Through after-school programs, the nonprofit offers activities — such as clubs for cooking, gardening and physical activity — to keep students engaged and learning about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
The grant funding will also go toward the organization’s partnership with AmeriCorps to provide activities, materials and volunteers, Frank said.
“We know how important it is to get kids started with good healthy habits like good nutrition and being active, so that’s what we feel we can bring to the CLCs,” she said.
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