Grand Forks Center Extends School Day

The 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) program is a federal grant for afterschool programs. When the U.S. Department of Education recently shifted the administration of this program to the states, not all schools that had received funds could meet new eligibility requirements. In Grand Forks, Viking Elementary School exceeded income limits, and the adjacent rural Emerado School District was too small to meet North Dakota's requirements. However, the housing authority and the schools came up with a creative solution that resulted in funding for the Continental Homes program and restored funding for Emerado's afterschool program.

Creative Partnerships
�We talk regularly with the public schools,� says Craig Knudsvig, client services manager at the Grand Forks Housing Authority. �The Continental Homes Center opened in August, and last fall, in response to our need for resources and the dilemma the Emerado district was facing, a solution was suggested by Renee Moon, coordinator of the Grand Forks School's 21st CCLC program, (called ENCORE) and Ginny Bollman, principal at Viking Elementary. They suggested an alliance of the Grand Forks Housing Authority and the two public school systems.�

The three partners prepared and submitted a combined application for an afterschool program. The afterschool program in the Neighborhood Networks center at Continental Homes would become an ENCORE site. The children living at these apartments attend Viking. Although the school itself exceeds income criteria, the children living at Continental Homes and in the surrounding neighborhood, meet the income requirements for the grant. Similarly, by joining with Grand Forks, the Emerado district reached the required population size for applicants. The partners' application strategy worked, and they received a 5-year grant that begins with the 2003-04 school year.

Educational Enrichment
�The public schools will manage the programs and provide certified teachers and an academic enrichment program coordinated with the children's regular classroom teachers,� says ENCORE coordinator Renee Moon. �Three days a week the children will focus on math, reading, and science, while Mondays and Fridays will be fun and recreational activities. The 21st Century program has definite curriculum guidelines and will require us to track the progress of the children at the Continental center and at other centers funded through the federal program.�

�Last year the children who participated in our ENCORE programs showed significant improvement in math and reading,� adds Moon.

The housing authority and Grand Forks Homes will also contribute to the ENCORE program by providing space at Continental's Neighborhood Networks center, the computers and computer instructors, Internet access, and snacks.

Partnership Strategies
�Personal contact is the key to finding and keeping partners,� Knudsvig emphasizes. �Grand Forks is a good town for developing partnerships. It's small enough so you can know everybody but large enough to have many public and private resources.� Groups that have contributed to the Neighborhood Networks programs include:

• Wells Fargo Bank, which gives financial support to Neighborhood Networks centers.
• The Cooperative Extension Service, which provides programs in parenting and budgeting.
• Insight Technologies, a local business that supports the center's Web site, does maintenance work on the computers, and gives breaks on computer equipment.
• AARP, which provides stipends for senior citizens who help at the learning center.

Knudsvig also credits Deanna Beaudoin, HUD Regional Neighborhood Networks Coordinator, for encouraging housing authorities to �carry out the goals of Neighborhood Networks--to connect low-income folks to technology and resources.�

For more information about Neighborhood Networks centers in North Dakota, contact:

Joel Manske
U.S. Department of HUD- Fargo Office
Federal Building
657 Second Avenue, North, Room 66
P.O. Box 2483
Fargo, ND 58108-2483
Phone: (701) 239 5040

For more information about Grand Forks Neighborhood Networks centers, contact:

Craig Knudsvig
Continental Homes
1802 Continental Drive
Grand Forks, ND 58201
Phone: (701) 746-2545
E-mail: cknudsvi@grandforksgov.com