Action resources international (ARI) will continue to serve as the sponsoring organization for foster grandparents of the wyoming rockies which is currently operates in seven wyoming counties covering…

Action resources international (ARI) will continue to serve as the sponsoring organization for foster grandparents of the wyoming rockies which is currently operates in seven wyoming counties covering an area of just under 36,OOO square miles: albany, carbon, sweetwater, uinta, lincoln, sheridan and johnson. Focus will continue in the area of community strengthening activities of k-12 success and school readiness, with a small percentage of complementary activities in child safety, welfare and health. ARI will again provide infrastructure support and program management oversight including a community led advisory council; a home base, office space and materials support; and fiscal, personnel and programmatic responsibility for the program. ARI incorporated in 1991 and was granted federal 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in 1995, with the overarching mission to eradicate and prevent child sexual abuse. In carrying out this mission, the organization sponsors and conducts programs to help achieve overall health, safety and security in families and communities through various cooperative and collaborative efforts that are action oriented, community based and driven by individuals whose expertise is primarily informed by personal experience with the problems being addressed, backed by an understanding of the social context in which that experience was created. An estimated 42 americorps seniors foster grandparent volunteers will serve. Of these, 33 will be placed in outcome-based assignments. Some of their activities will include tutoring and mentoring for pre-reading activities and supporting children in daily assignments, endeavors and tasks, the development of language skills, appropriate behaviors and positive self-esteem, the development of pre-literacy skills for school readiness, tutoring in ELL, reading and in basic math concepts and computational skills. The primary focus area of this project is education. At the end of the three-year grant, the FGP will have measurably contributed to improved educational outcomes for economically disadvantaged children, and for children with special and/or exceptional needs. Based on previous successes, IT is estimated that 92% of students will see improvements. The americorps federal investment of $217,686 will be supplemented $111,388 in non-federal funds including a state of wyoming department of health grant, in-kind contributions, fundraising, and grantee support.