Project Grant 21SFEMO002

BI-COUNTY SERVICE, INC. WAS FORMED UNDER THE STATUTES OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI IN 1984 AS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATION TO SPONSOR THE FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROJECT THAT NOW SERVES THE COUNTIES OF JOHNSON, LAFAYETTE, PETTIS, RAY AND SALINE IN WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI. BI-COUNTY SERVICE, INC. FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROJECT RECOGNIZES THAT THE INTRINSIC BOND BETWEEN SENIOR ADULT VOLUNTEERS AND CHILDREN YIELDS IMPRESSIVE RESULTS IN VOLUNTEER STATIONS FROM PRESCHOOL TO HIGH SCHOOL, AND EVEN INTO COLLEGE THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI'S CHILD CARE CENTER. FIFTY-FIVE AMERICORPS SENIORS FGP VOLUNTEERS WILL SERVE IN THIRTY-TWO VOLUNTEER STATIONS ACROSS THE FIVE-COUNTY SERVICE AREA. OF THAT NUMBER FORTY-TWO FOSTER GRANDPARENTS WILL BE PLACED IN OUTCOME ASSIGNMENTS. SOME OF THEIR ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE ASSISTING CHILDREN WITH READING PROFICIENCY, WORKING ON LITERACY AND NUMERACY SKILLS FOR HEAD START AND PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN, HELPING CHILDREN WITH BASIC KNOWLEDGE I.E. SIMPLE SHAPES, COLORS AND SIGHT WORDS, SUPPORTING CHILDREN WITH SELF-HELP SKILLS SUCH AS PROPER TABLE ETIQUETTE, PERSONAL HYGIENE AND TOILETING, AND PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY, BEING A TRUSTED AND CARING ADULT ROLE MODEL. THE PRIMARY FOCUS AREA FOR THE BI-COUNTY SERVICE, INC. AMERICORPS SENIORS FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM IS EDUCATION. AT THE END OF THE THREE-YEAR GRANT, THE VOLUNTEERS WILL HAVE POSITIVELY IMPACTED THE LIVES OF OVER 400 CHILDREN THROUGH THEIR SERVICE. ADDITIONALLY, THE VOLUNTEERS WILL HAVE BENEFITED FROM THE ACTIVITY AND CAMARADERIE RESULTING FROM THEIR VOLUNTEER SERVICE. THE CNCS FEDERAL INVESTMENT OF $310,179.00 WILL BE SUPPLEMENTED BY $47,392.00 OF LOCALLY GENERATED FUNDS AND IN-KIND MATCH. THE NEED FOR MATURE, NURTURING ADULT VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST CHILDREN IN REALIZING THEIR ACADEMIC POTENTIAL HAS NEVER BEEN GREATER. STANDARDIZED ACADEMIC TEST SCORES ACROSS THE PROJECT'S SERVICE AREA REVEAL SIGNIFICANT DEFICITS IN SOME DISTRICTS AND ARE PROBLEMATIC AT BEST IN OTHER DISTRICTS. THE NEED IS CLEAR AND THE LARGER BODY OF DATA PROMPTS OUR PROJECT TO ADDRESS THIS UBIQUITOUS COMMUNITY NEED THROUGH A CONCENTRATION OF VOLUNTEER EFFORTS IN THE AREAS OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION AND SCHOOL PREPAREDNESS. THE PROJECT'S RESEARCH, AND CONVENTIONAL WISDOM DEMONSTRATES THAT THE CRITICAL TIME TO ADDRESS INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGES IS THE EARLY, FORMATIVE YEARS. CHILDREN PAIRED WITH AN AMERICORPS SENIORS FOSTER GRANDPARENT, ALMOST WITHOUT EXCEPTION, PROMOTE TO THE NEXT GRADE LEVEL, BUILD AND SUPPORT STRONGER INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, AND PERFORM BETTER IN THE CLASSROOM. IT IS CLEAR THAT AMERICORPS SENIORS FOSTER GRANDPARENT VOLUNTEERS NURTURE THE PROMISE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS.