$1.5 million grant will help RSU 9 children, families

May 23--FARMINGTON -- A $1.5 million grant to provide after-school and summer camp experiences to RSU 9 children in grades kindergarten through 5 was announced Monday morning.

The grant is the result of a partnership between Regional School Unit 9 and the Franklin County Children's Task Force for the purpose of reducing child abuse and neglect in the county. It was announced during a meeting of the F.R.A.N.K.L.I.N. Advisory Panel (Friends Reducing Abuse and Neglect of Kids Living in our Neighborhoods).

The after-school and camp programs will begin this September, with funds from the Century 21 grant being spread over a five-year span, said Renee Whitley, executive director of the Children's Task Force.

Known as Franklin 21, the program will provide child care, fun and help with academics after school and during the summer for students in Mallett School and Cascade Brook in Farmington, Cushing and Academy Hill schools in Wilton and Cape Cod Hill in New Sharon.

A variety of activities will focus on health, science, technology, engineering, math, arts and physical fitness, Whitley said. They will include:

-- Help with homework or tutoring;

-- Social and emotional nurturing provided through mentoring relationships during the extended-day, extended-year program;

-- Field trips intended to provide exposure to other parts of the state for children who have never left Franklin County.

Parents can register for the September program starting July 1. The program begins the week after Farmington Fair, according to Whitley.

To run the program, 29 new positions -- a combination of full and part time -- will be created. Job descriptions are being completed and interviews are expected to begin by mid- to late-June, she said.

The infrastructure of teachers and education technicians of the school unit will be relied on. The potential for mentors and volunteers from the University of Maine at Farmington is being explored.

Program sites are planned at Mallett School, Academy Hill School and during the school year at Cape Cod Hill School. During the summer, students in New Sharon will be bused to the other sites, according to Leanne Condon, director of curriculum/assistant superintendent of the Mt. Blue Regional School Unit.

Because of the county's rural nature, transportation was a major piece considered by the Maine Department of Education, which is administering the grant. The school really stepped up, Whitley said. The program will be open until 5:30 p.m. for parents to pick up children, or shuttle buses will be available.

With a high rate of food insecurity in Franklin County, the grant will also provide for breakfast, snacks and lunch for not only the children but parents involved in activities, she said.

"We've been tasked to engage parents in the process," Whitley said.

That might include helping to serve snacks, share a talent or interest with the students or attend a monthly parent engagement night.

The goal is to help children, parents and families. The program is intended to help reduce parental concern about after-school care and help parents be more comfortable with and involved in the educational process, provide social connections and knowledge of child development, she said.

While working over the past year to reduce Franklin County's rate of high abuse and neglect, the Children's Task Force staff reached out to the community to determine what is wanted and needed. The new offerings are a part of the prevention plan for Franklin County, she said.

A survey was done earlier this spring and parents expressed a lot of interest in this, said Stacie Bourassa, community educator for the Children's Task Force.

The grant targets a specific population, so local funding will be used to ensure any student can take part, Condon said.

"It will be a community effort, but it will let every child know there are people who care about them," Whitley said.

Registration will be available on the FCCTF website, at the schools or at the FCCTF office on Church Street.

abryant@sunmediagroup.net

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