Speaker Shekarchi announces $4 million in funds for district and community-based organization programming

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senator Mark P. McKenney joined Governor Dan McKee, Mayor Frank Picozzi, Representative Joseph J. Solomon, Jr., Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green, Superintendent Lynn Dambruch, Oakland Beach Elementary School Principal Paul Heatherton, Boys & Girls Club of Warwick CEO Lara D’Antuono, and school and community-based organization leaders at Oakland Beach Elementary School to celebrate the recipients of nearly $4 million in grant funding aimed to expand access to extended learning opportunities to improve student outcomes across Rhode Island.

“Learning doesn’t just happen inside the four walls of a classroom: it takes place before and after the school day and during the summer, too,” said Speaker Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick). “By providing as many learning opportunities as possible for kids, we are setting them up for greater success in life. I am thrilled that the Warwick Public Schools and the Boys & Girls Club of Warwick are partnering to provide students in my hometown with programming that will enhance what they’re learning in school while they’re having fun.”

At the event, RIDE announced that it awarded 21 grants totaling $3.93 million to enhance educational programming throughout the Ocean State. The grants are made possible with the State’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) set-aside funding. In October, RIDE issued a request for proposal for applications to foster new or expanded partnerships between a local education agency and one or more community-based organizations to provide afterschool learning and enrichment opportunities for students in a specific school or set of schools, in alignment with the report and recommendations of the Learning, Equity & Accelerated Pathways (LEAP) Task Force. The LEAP Task Force was convened to help Rhode Island strategize on how to accelerate students’ learning statewide with particular focus on addressing inequities in education.

Applicants for the funds were asked to provide programming that reinforces and complements the school day through a broad array of enrichment activities and academic supports. Most of the programs funded through these grants will take place in school buildings during out-of-school hours, though a few are taking place in other nearby facilities. Grants run through June 2024 and most programs are starting this school year, with some starting in the fall. Registration for these programs will be dependent on each district’s offerings.

Warwick Public Schools received grant funding for two initiatives. Through a partnership between Oakland Beach and the Boys & Girls Club of Warwick, the X-Stream Learning Center program proposes on “Xing out” learning gaps and providing “eXplicit” instruction in Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Math, and is designed to support elementary school at-risk youth in grades K-5 in three key areas:

• Support strong foundations in elementary school learning targeting Multilingual Learners in grades K-5,
• Address learning loss in core academics through explicit, project-based applied learning in reading and STEAM related enrichment activities inclusive of MLL students,
• And support positive and healthy social/emotional development inclusive of MLL students.

“We’re deeply grateful to have been selected by RIDE for this grant program and look forward to seeing our students continue to learn outside of the traditional school day,” said Superintendent Lynn Dambruch. “Our students’ learning recovery will require an all hands-on-deck effort and we’re looking forward to working closely with our local community organizations to offer Warwick students programs that are fun, enriching, and support their healthy growth and development.”

With a goal of mitigating learning loss and accelerating learning, the classes that will be offered at Oakland Beach will be grade level and span specific, target math or ELA common core standards and be project-based. The program will also contract with the Gamm Theatre to have a theater artist resident work with students in a program called PLAY (Promoting Literacy and Arts for Youth). Following the Oakland Beach portion of the afternoon, students will be escorted across the street to BGCW. At the club, students will be exposed to programming that will both supplement and complement the school day and after-school efforts. The Club will provide homework help as well as Comprehensive Youth Development programs designed by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help students achieve positive outcomes in three priority areas: Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles. This grant will serve 40 students over the course of the rest of this school year, including 5 MLLs, and will serve 100 students next school year, including 23 MLLs.

“The Boys & Girls Club of Warwick is thrilled to be a partner in providing students the learning opportunities they need to excel,” said Boys & Girls Club of Warwick CEO Lara D’Antuono. “Through play and enriching academic programming, both in the classroom and in our Club, we can create pathways for our students to reach their full potential. By working together, we will make sure our students continue on the track to success.”

Additionally, the Norwood TLC (Theater, Learning, Caring) Academy will be held at Norwood Elementary School and is designed to support elementary school at-risk youth in grades K-5 in three key areas:

• Support strong foundations in elementary school learning in grades K-5,
• Address learning loss in core academics through explicit, project-based applied learning including in reading and STEAM related enrichment activities through the theater arts,
• And support positive and healthy social and emotional development.

The Academy will run four days a week from 3:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. starting in September 2023. Norwood staff will offer project-based classes in a variety of areas such as coding, robotics, inventions, and gardening. Further, in partnership with the Gamm, the program will have two artists who will offer classes in play production, improvisation, singing, movement, and clowning. The program specifically seeks to address the need for deeper literacy learning and will engage students in reading, writing, community building, and performance. This grant will serve 100 students, including 5 MLLs.