San Mateo County announced a new wave of grant funding that will allow more than 2,500 local students to attend summer educational enrichment programs.
"This is a big win for a group that, after two years of COVID, really needs to win: students from low-income families," said Don Horsley, chairman of the Board of Supervisors. "These grants will provide desperately needed opportunities for students whose families were the hardest hit financially during the pandemic."
The $3,217,500 in new grants comes from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a stimulus package to help state and local governments overcome the problems caused by the pandemic.
At the local level, the Board of Supervisors established support for children and families as a priority for ARPA funds.
Thus, in total, the County is funding 42 providers operating 72 programs.
The chosen providers were selected to ensure that all areas of the county were represented and met criteria that included consideration of equity, program services, and ability to provide hands-on learning experiences, among other factors.
"In conversations with educators, early learning providers and after-school program directors, staff heard that many students, especially those in kindergarten through second grade, are lagging ... in the development of their social and emotional skills due to isolation and distance learning during the pandemic," said Deputy County Executive Officer Peggy Jensen, who is helping lead the county's pandemic recovery effort.
"When asked what could be done, there was unanimous agreement that summer camps and other supervised group activities would be the quickest and best to address this problem, said Jensen.
In addition to summer enrichment, "we will also be able to provide counseling and mental health support during the summer, which is very important for students who have gone through 2 years of pandemic-related challenges and trauma," said Ann Waterman Roy of the Ravenswood City School District.
Following the selection process, the recipients received the funds last week. Other grant recipients include Casa Circulo CulturalBoys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, City of Pacifica, San Francisco 49ers Academy, Live In Peace, Inc. and the City of South San Francisco Parks and Recreation Department.
Just last February 8, the Board of Supervisors allocated $10 million in ARPA funds for programs and services aimed at helping the most vulnerable residents whose health, finances, or both were affected by COVID-19.
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