Program will support
school readiness and academic success for Chickasaw Youth
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The
Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal
agency that engages more than five million Americans in service
through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund,
and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the President's
national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For
more information, visit NationalService.gov.
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ADA, OK The Corporation for National and Community Service
(CNCS), the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps, the Chickasaw
Nation, and Congressman Tom Cole today announced a first-ever federal
grant to support a new Senior Corps Foster Grandparent Program.
The goal of this program is to improve school readiness, ensuring
children are on the pathway to academic success.
The federal agency announced more than $1 million in new funding
to support up to 75 Senior Corps Foster Grandparents serving annually
over the next three years. The federal investment is projected to
generate an additional $120,000 in local support to increase community
impact and return on federal investment.
We are thrilled to announce the first-ever Foster Grandparent
Program of its kind for the Chickasaw Nation, said Wendy Spencer,
CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. For
generations, seniors have been making a powerful impact in their
communities, and their service is more important now than ever.
We congratulate the Chickasaw Nation for their strong application
and thank Governor Anoatubby for his dedication to ensuring our
young people are prepared for future success in the classroom and
throughout their lives.
"Without a doubt, one of the greatest investments we can
make is in our young people, and ensuring they receive a quality
education is a foundational part of that investment, said
Congressman Tom Cole. Through the Foster Grandparent Program,
I am very pleased that my own tribe is leading an effort to further
involve older generations in preparing children to succeed and achieve
in school. By providing a way for senior volunteers to come alongside
children from disadvantaged circumstances, I am confident that the
program will have lasting impact upon the students, their families
and the entire community it serves."
Foster Grandparents will serve with the Chickasaw Nation Child
Development Center and Head Start in Ada, Oklahoma. Some of their
activities will include providing one-on-one attention to children,
Chickasaw language and culture discussion, literacy development,
and math and science tutoring. Foster Grandparents will also act
as mentors offering emotional support and guidance to children,
parents and staff.
While Foster Grandparents have had a positive impact in
our classrooms for decades, this new initiative will extend that
impact into our child development centers, said Gov. Anoatubby.
We believe this new program offers a unique opportunity for
our seniors to form a unique and mutually beneficial bond with the
children they serve. Foster grandparents have the opportunity to
become role models, mentors and often lifelong friends with these
children.
The Foster Grandparent Program is an intergenerational program
that provides a way for volunteers age 55 and over to stay active
and provide one-on-one mentoring, nurturing, and support to children
with special or exceptional needs, or who are at an academic, social
or financial disadvantage.
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