AG 2001 10 22 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PROPOSAL NARRATIVE 1. ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND. 4-H SOS (Support Our Students) Goldminers provides a safe, caring, and enriching environment for middle school students after school. It operates all school days from school dismissal until 6:00 pm. Students are provided homework and tutoring help, physical activities, opportunities to learn new hands-on skills, positive interactions with peers and adults, and nutritious snacks. The program is designed to serve an enrollment of 60-75 students, with a daily adult to child ratio of 1:12. The summer program, PACK (Positive Activities for Cool Kids) offers a weekly theme- based day camp with an enrollment of over 100 from 6:45 am until 6:00 pm for five weeks. The Program design is based on the Seven Developmental Needs of Young Adolescents, concentrating on the needs of physical activity, self definition, positive social interactions with peers and adults, and meaningful participation. The objectives of the program are to (1) reduce the number of unsupervised students after school, (2) improve academic performance of the participants, (3) meet physical, intellectual, emotional, and social needs of the participants, and (4) improve their attitudes and behaviors. Daily contact is made with parents or guardians to give the opportunity to assess activities of the day and to provide support to the family. Staff members serve as a liaison between the school, the child, and the family. Opportunities for the entire family to interact with program members are promoted with "Family Fun Nights". 2. PURPOSE FOR WHICH FUNDS ARE REQUESTED. In 2001-2002, the focus will be to extend the programs at Mount Pleasant Middle School and Concord Middle School, making cedain that students from these schools will have the opportunities afforded the largest school in the county, which is J. N. Fries Middle School. The need to provide more intensive instruction in preventing risky behaviors was not only identified by the staff this year but also by the students and parents as they each completed the year-end evaluation of the program. Middle school students often have difficulty in applying positive conflict management skills, so when they have had a stressful day, their behavior often creates more problems for them. Training of staff and curriculum that is research-based, with an appealing interactive format that involves students and their families would help meet their needs. A third goal will be to serve more Latinos and other minorities. According to the 2000 Census, the Latino population in Cabarrus County has grown 126%. 4-H SOS Goldminers could provide an excellent opportunity to promote language, academic, and social skills for these students. National research indicates that juveniles engage in risky behaviors between the hours of 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Hours of operation for 4-H SOS Goldminers is from school dismissal until 6:00 p.m. Many of our parents have a long commute from work. Youth served wilt be ages 10 to 13. The cost of the program is $25.00/week or $6.00/day. Scholarships based on financial need are provided. Parents determine amount (if any) paid. The ,411 Stars curriculum has been identified as a highly interactive program designed to change/enhance key character qualities of young adolescents: During the 2000-2001 school year, the enrollment in the 4-H SOS Goldminers program was 58% male and 42% female. Past records reflect a higher enrollment of boys than girls possibly