We are excited to announce that the Georgia Department of Education has approved ThinkBig to receive funding through the competitive Building Opportunities in Out-of-School Time (BOOST) Grants Program! Think Big was recently approved for funding through the BOOST Grants Program! We’ll use these funds to expand access to serve more youth [and/or] reduce barriers, such as transportation and enrollment costs etc.
About BOOST:
The BOOST grants program provides three-year grants, renewed annually, to community-based organizations that operate comprehensive out-of-school time (OST) programming year-round, over the summer months, or after school during the academic year. The goal is to provide evidence-based afterschool and summer enrichment programs that target learning acceleration and provide whole child supports, thus removing non-academic barriers to learning for students most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants will support students’ learning, connectedness and well-being, all while addressing the learning loss experienced across the state in recent years. The purpose of these grants is to:
1. Expand access to serve more youth, with an emphasis on students and communities most impacted by the pandemic,
2. Reduce barriers, such as transportation and enrollment costs, to ensure access for all, and/or
3. Increase programmatic quality and expand or enhance supports and services offered.
About the Georgia Department of Education:
Led by State School Superintendent Richard Woods, the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) is the state agency serving Georgia’s K-12 public school districts, schools, and students. GaDOE’s strategic plan emphasizes transforming the agency into one that provides meaningful support to schools and districts, with an emphasis on child-focused, classroom-centered education policy. GaDOE staff work to ensure that the 1.7 million students in Georgia’s public schools receive a holistic education that focuses on the whole child, and graduate ready to learn, ready to live, and ready to lead. About the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network: The Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network (GSAN) is a public-private collaborative dedicated to advancing, connecting and supporting quality afterschool programs to promote the success of children and youth throughout Georgia. GSAN envisions a day when all communities in Georgia have the resources and support needed to provide high quality afterschool programming. Since May 2013, Voices for Georgia’s Children has served as the home of GSAN. GSAN is one of 50 statewide afterschool networks supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
Serving as Georgia’s statewide afterschool network since 2004, GSAN is a resource, convener, and thought leader for afterschool and summer learning programs across the state. GSAN has three core goals:
1) Support afterschool and summer learning programs in improving the quality of their programming;
2) Create a sustainable structure of statewide, regional, and local partnerships; and
3) Support the development and growth of policies to secure the resources needed to sustain new and existing afterschool programs.