By Kathianne Boniello
Up to 10 Queens schools could get lucky next year when it comes to after school programs, but only if their applications are impressive enough.
The After-School Corporation, a Manhattan-based nonprofit, is teaming up with the MetLife Foundation this fall to offer funding for as many as 10 after-school programs which will focus on getting schools involved in their communities. Schools will partner with community-based organizations to develop the after-school programs, which were expected to serve up to 2,000 middle school students.
Queens schools will have to sharpen their competition skills though if they want a piece of the $500,000 grant awarded to The After-School Corporation by MetLife, because the borough is one of just seven metropolitan areas being offered the cash.
“Our goal is to build a bridge between the community and the school,” Lucy Friedman, head of The After-School Corporation, said. “We want students to come away with a sense of pride in where they live, and work with teachers to make neighborhoods an asset that can help students learn.”
The After-School Corporation currently funds 27 after-school programs for nearly 7,000 students in the borough, and the programs are run by a variety of community-based groups, ranging from the Queens Child Guidance Center to the Police Athletic League.
The MetLife grant will fund after-school programs that are part of a national initiative begun by the foundation called “MetLife Foundation Discovering Community Initiative.” The MetLife foundation was established in 1976 by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company to support health, education, civic and cultural programs around the nation.
Queens schools seeking the funding will be competing with schools in six other communities, including: Baltimore, Boston, Providence, RI, Warwick, RI, Utica, NY, Charlotte, NC and Pinellas County, Florida.
Sibyl Jacobson, MetLife Foundation president and chief executive officer, said the programs would create links between students and their communities.
“This initiative gives students tools and resources to be ambassadors within the school building for their own communities and neighborhoods,” she said. “The program brings the community into the school, for the teachers and students to have experiences together.”
Some examples of potential after-school programs to be developed with the grant money include having students take advantage of cultural resources in their community, exploring the history of their neighborhoods, organizing community events for their schools and/or designing strategies for community change, The After-School Corporation said in a news release.
The After-School Corporation was expected to solicit proposals for the MetLife funds from schools and community-based groups this fall from the seven areas, and the non-profit will choose the winners. The After-School Corporation was also slated to host a two-day conference in the city to help establish the programs, which were scheduled to operate in the spring and fall of 2003.
Reach reporter Kathianne Boniello by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 146.
