News
LEAP gets funding for New DAWN
4/14/2010
Author: Bob Buttgen
Published by: News Sun
The West Noble community will continue to benefit from funds generated out of Washington, D.C., through the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
On Tuesday, LEAP of Noble County (Literacy Empowering and Advocating Project), announced it has been awarded another multi-year grant from the 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) program to administer the New DAWN (Dimensions At West Noble) program. The first grant is for $350,000 and it is expected to be renewed at that level, or higher, for an additional three years.
For the past seven years, LEAP, West Noble School Corp., and other agencies have offered numerous programs for students and adults under the New DAWN umbrella. Those programs will now be expanded and will include before-school and after-school programs in addition to summer school and adult education services.
New DAWN serves between 250 and 300 students a year, according to Denise Lemmon, chief operating office of LEAP, who made the announcement Tuesday at Ligonier Elementary School.
West Noble students in grades one through 12 are eligible to take part in New DAWN. Adult services include GED preparation classes and English as a New Language (ENL) courses.
"We are ecstatic to bring significant funding from outside our community into the West Noble School Corporation," said Matt Bell, LEAP's executive director. "This marks the third time that LEAP and its community partners have been successful in securing 21st CCLC funding. The grant competition was more competitive than ever this year, and the fact that we were successful is a reflection of the work of our amazing staff, a school corporation that embraces contributions from community based organizations, and the commitment of excellent partners from across northeast Indiana."
LEAP will receive $350,000 in the first year to administer the program, and is expected to serve between 250-300 students. Subsequent funding will depend upon annual enrollment. If LEAP is successful in maintaining current levels of enrollment, the 4-year funding total will be $1.4 million.
"At the conclusion of this grant cycle, LEAP will have brought more than $4.5 million dollars in state and federal funding to our community through competitive grants," said Dr. Matt Will, President of LEAP's Board of Directors. "We are proud to be the kind of organization that merits that level of investment, and we are committed to continuing to develop literacy and education opportunities for students of all ages across Noble County."
LEAP has teamed up with West Noble since 2003 to administer New DAWN. LEAP officials estimated that West Noble students have spent more than 200,000 hours in the after-school portion of the program, receiving academic assistance, character enrichment, technology instruction and cultural enrichment.
The families of New DAWN students have spent an additional 100,000 hours in adult education classes, including GED and ENL courses. There also are early and emergent literacy classes which promote learning readiness before students enter school.
"LEAP has always operated on the principle that a child's most important teacher is that child's parent or caregiver," said Lemmon. "That is why we have worked in collaboration with the Four County Vocational Cooperative and others to promote the education of adults in the West Noble community. Lacking an educated parent or caregiver in the home, students are statistically far more likely to experience academic difficulty and even failure."
In addition to continuing adult education opportunities, grant funding for the next cycle will be utilized to bring stronger math and reading courses to the after-school program. In addition, New DAWN staff will provide homework assistance each afternoon, and each morning before school. The before-school offering is new for New DAWN.
"The 21st CCLC program is emphasizing math and reading achievement to a greater degree than ever," Lemmon said. "We worked closely with the West Noble School Corporation to identify curricula that had a track record of success and that would meet the unique needs of their students. We are putting a premium on training staff in the use of each curriculum to maximize the positive impact on students."
Bell, who also is an Indiana State Representative, noted that the city of Ligonier has been an important partner in the New DAWN concept.
"The City of Ligonier has garnered awards nationally for their successful implementation of Operation Foundation as well as the nation's largest construction recycling project," Bell said. "Mayor Patty Fisel and her staff were eager to partner with us to promote civic engagement at a young age. We believe this will create greater connections between students and their families and the Ligonier community."
State Sen. Marlin Stutzman and other local politicians also joined LEAP officials in Ligonier for Tuesday's announcement.
Several local and regional organizations agreed to provide services and serve on the New DAWN coalition, an advisory board that reviews program activities, student achievement data and enrollment, and monitors financial expenditures. Partner organizations and their contributions include:
. West Noble School Corporation: Program host, transportation, academic direction.
. Parkview Noble Hospital: Monthly programs for students and families promoting a healthy lifestyle.
. Four County Area Vocational Cooperative: Training of adult education instructors, partner in adult education classes.
. Early Childhood Alliance: Parent services including Childcare Resource and Referral, Monitor and help develop early and emergent literacy opportunities.
. City of Ligonier: Civic leadership project development and implementation.
. Community Harvest Food Bank: Food, supplies, and training to be used to provide nutritional meals and snacks.
. Cole Center YMCA: Administer summer day camp beginning in summer 2011.
. Noble County Purdue Extension Service: Adult parenting curriculum, citizenship curriculum, financial literacy.
. Ligonier Public Library: Weekly book read and follow up activities for students and families.
. Life and Family Services: Parent development program with opportunity for parents to earn vouchers to purchase clothes, food, etc. for infants and toddlers.
. Before5: Programs that help parents utilize everyday activities to help young children.
"I cannot say enough about our hosts, the West Noble School Corporation," Lemmon added. "I cannot imagine a better school corporation to work with. LEAP has received support at every level, from the Superintendent's office, to building administrators, to teachers who allow access to their rooms for use after-school and even work in the program, to transportation and custodial staff. There is an unwavering commitment to doing what is best for children throughout the West Noble School Corporation, and LEAP is proud to play a part in helping them toward that end."
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