Project Grant 21SFBDC001

THE UNITED PLANNING ORGANIZATION (UPO) IS REQUESTING FUNDING TO CONTINUE THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL COMMUNITY SERVICES (CNCS), SENIOR CORPS, AND FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM FOR THE DC GRANT AWARD FROM JULY 1, 2021 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2024 IN THE AMOUNT OF $853,027 PER YEAR. THE UPO FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM (FGP) WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE VOLUNTEER SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ITS CURRENT 175 VOLUNTEERS, AGED 55 AND OLDER, DURING YEAR ONE OF THE THREE-YEAR PERIOD AND THEREAFTER. OF 175 SENIOR VOLUNTEERS, 170 OF THEM WILL BE PLACED IN IMPACT-BASED ASSIGNMENTS AND SUPPORTED WITH OUTCOME WORK/ASSIGNMENT PLANS AND EVALUATIONS. THE UPO FGP PRIMARY FOCUS AREA IS EDUCATION WITH APPROXIMATELY 3% (FIVE FOSTER GRANDPARENTS) SERVING TO FULFILL OTHER COMMUNITY PRIORITIES. SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT FOSTER GRANDPARENTS WILL IMPLEMENT INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: 1. FGS WILL ASSIST TEACHERS IN IN-CLASS, CARE (CANVAS ACADEMICS AND REAL ENGAGEMENT) CLASSROOMS (OR VIRTUAL) SETTINGS AS ALLOWABLE UNDER CITY-MANDATED, COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR PRE-K AND KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS. DCPS HAS PRIORITIZED IN-SCHOOL INSTRUCTION FOR PRE-K AND KINDERGARTEN OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS. ADDITIONALLY, FGS WILL PARTICIPATE IN REMOTE (VIRTUAL) LEARNING ASSISTANCE TO HEAD START STUDENTS. FOSTER GRANDPARENTS UNABLE TO SERVE HEAD START STUDENTS WILL BE REASSIGNED TO ELEMENTARY EDUCATION ASSIGNMENTS. FOSTER GRANDPARENTS (FGS) WILL ASSIST IN HEAD START EDUCATION TO FACILITATE SCHOOL READINESS. 2. FGS WILL PROVIDE IN-PERSON, CARE CLASSROOM, AND VIRTUAL TUTORING AND MENTORING SERVICES TO STUDENTS ENROLLED IN CNCS SUPPORTED PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS, AND POTOMAC JOB CORPS AS COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS ALLOW TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE FOR STUDENTS K-12. SPECIFICALLY FOSTER GRANDPARENTS WILL SERVE IN C.A.R.E. CLASSROOMS, WHICH ALLOW STUDENTS TO CONTINUE TO ENGAGE IN VIRTUAL LEARNING IN A SUPPORTIVE AND SUPERVISED ENVIRONMENT. 3. FGS WILL CONDUCT VIRTUAL READING SESSIONS TO ELEMENTARY STUDENTS THROUGH ITS READING PARTNERS REMOTE PROGRAM, EXPANDING ITS REACH BY INCLUDING 20 ADDITIONAL FOSTER GRANDPARENTS AS READERS. 4. FGS WILL PARTICIPATE IN COMPUTER LITERACY TRAINING TO LEARN THE RUDIMENTS OF TECHNOLOGY USE IN A VIRTUAL FORMAT TO ENHANCE THEIR DELIVERY OF PROGRAM RELATED LEARNING ACTIVITIES, AMONG OTHERS. AT THE END OF THE THREE-YEAR GRANT PERIOD, UPO INTENDS TO ACHIEVE THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES IN THE FOCUS AREAS OF EDUCATION: 1) ED23A NUMBER OF CHILDREN DEMONSTRATING GAINS IN SCHOOL READINESS AND; 2) ED5A NUMBER OF K-12 STUDENTS WITH IMPROVED ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT OF READING, MATH, AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS. THE PROJECT DIRECTOR WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH UPO OFFICES OF DEVELOPMENT AND RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT TO RAISE IN-KIND FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE FGP. IN FY 2020, DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS RESULTED IN RAISING $12,000 FROM PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS. OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS, UPO INTENDS TO SUPPLEMENT THE GRANT MATCH REQUIREMENTS OF $85,303 PER YEAR BY RAISING $25,000 PER YEAR IN GRANTS AND CASH DONATIONS AND $60,303 OF IN-KIND SUPPORT.