Partnership To Expand Afterschool Programs Statewide

by Melinda Waldrop, Columbia Business Report

The S.C. Department of Education is partnering with the S.C. Afterschool Alliance to provide up to $14.5 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding to expand summer and afterschool programs to address pandemic-related learning loss in disadvantaged communities. 

The education department will provide up to $12 million to SCAA for the expansion of summer and after-school programs in districts and community organizations, with first-year funding expected to serve more than 4,000 students and 45 organizations, according to a news release. Additionally, $1 million will be provided by the Columbia Urban League to support parent programs, with another $1.5 million provided by afterschool programming nonprofit Wings for Kids.

“Local partnerships that leverage new and existing relationships between schools, families, and community organizations can provide the targeted support that students who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic need to accelerate their learning,” S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said in the release. “By working with the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance, we can grow proven programs and create new ones that will serve our students and their families now and into the future. We are excited about the opportunities this funding will create and the year-round learning that will result from this investment.”

 

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