United Way Capital Area Community Investment Grants. Education Focus Area: Youth Application Guide

Transcription

1 United Way Capital Area Community Investment Grants Education Focus Area: Youth Application Guide

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3 Table of Contents EDUCATION FOCUS AREA: YOUTH Social Supports... 9 STRATEGY 1a: CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES STRATEGY 1b: CAMPUS COORDINATION STRATEGY 1c: SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING Family Supports STRATEGY 2: PARENTAL EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT Community Supports STRATEGY 3a: MENTORING STRATEGY 3b: TUTORING Quality Out of School Time Supports STRATEGY 4: QUALITY OUT OF SCHOOL TIME SUPPORTS Multi Strategy Application MULTI STRATEGY APPLICATION Appendix

4 4 EDUCATION FOCUS AREA: Youth

5 EDUCATION FOCUS AREA: Youth EDUCATION FOCUS AREA: YOUTH Our Vision All Central Texas youth will be happy, healthy, and prepared for success in school, work and life. United Way Capital Area (UWCA) is forging a new and ambitious education path, rooted in research and built on local assets and innovations that will improve the lives of many of our community s most vulnerable students. Middle school is where the rubber meets the road in education reform efforts. Students academic achievement by 8 th grade has a greater impact on college and career readiness than high school academic work. Research shows that students readiness for college and career can be boosted with a sharp focus on middle school activity. During this funding cycle, UWCA will leverage our investments by drawing on the compounding effect of well coordinated action. Specifically, we are moving to funding and supporting a Community School Approach and away from general program funding. This approach includes a wide range of support services for students and families in three of our community s highest need middle schools. Not only will we target our funding to agencies working in these schools, but more importantly, we will create a system for coherent integration of the programs so that the schools social environment is profoundly changed. Our middle school plan is built on these pillars: Deep and broad partnerships with outstanding nonprofit organizations and school leaders Implementation of a wide range of vital academic, health, and social services that will support student resilience and school success, strengthen families, and engage the surrounding community Continuous monitoring, evaluation, and commitment to making necessary adjustments to achieve our goals UWCA s funding will target three Central Texas middle schools. These schools are: Mendez Middle School Austin Independent School District Webb Middle School Austin Independent School District Decker Middle School Manor Independent School District The decision about which schools to concentrate services on was based on school demographic and academic data, as well as recommendations from school administrators, service providers and key community volunteers. The selected schools are among the highest in the region in terms of percentage of low income and at risk students and among the lowest in academic achievement, especially in some racial/ethnic groups. By positively changing the trajectories of these three schools, the region s overall performance can be significantly improved. If this funding strategy is successful in meeting our goals, we can then build a plan for replication in different schools and school districts in Central Texas. Measurement and Accountability The primary outcome we will measure and track is: 8 th graders across all subpopulations achieve 60% higher outcomes on state assessments by

6 EDUCATION FOCUS AREA: Youth Youth Education stakeholders have developed a strategy for action to ensure high school readiness and graduation based on the following equation: Social Supports +Family Supports + Community Supports + Out of School Time Support = Youth Ready for Continued School Success Each component of the formula can be measured and tracked on an annual basis. They have been selected as priorities for our community work within the three target middle schools because they have been demonstrated to have high impact on youth outcomes. UWCA will focus on increasing levels of service as follows: 33% of at risk youth receive case management services (SOCIAL SUPPORT GOAL) 25% of at risk youth participate in recommended individualized services such as behavioral health counseling, social skills training, or basic needs assistance to support their social/emotional learning and classroom behavior (SOCIAL SUPPORT GOAL) 20% of parents attend research based parent education classes (FAMILY SUPPORT GOAL) 50% of middle school youth receive sustained academic support, homework help, or mentoring from volunteers in the community (COMMUNITY SUPPORT GOAL) 75% of the afterschool or summer programs are quality assessed by an external assessor and have completed and implemented an improvement plan (OUT OF SCHOOL TIME SUPPORT GOAL) Community Impact The expectation is that by attaining these levels of services per campus, the community will be able to observe measurable differences in a number of student and school outcomes. Specifically, based on the strategies identified, UWCA expects and will target the following measures per campus: Increases in the percentage of students that attend school at least 95% of the time. Decreases in the number of select behavior referrals (in school suspension, bullying, etc.) Increases in Standardized Test passing rates by subject. Increases in parental/caregiver involvement on campus. Funding UWCA will fund a broad spectrum of youth programs for the target school campuses which will measurably impact the priority Youth Education Outcome (8 th graders across all subpopulations achieve 60% higher outcomes on state assessments by 2015). The identified strategies have been proven to be effective in increasing positive youth behaviors and decreasing negative youth behaviors. Our approach is to integrate these strategies to make a lasting impact on the lives of middle school youth and their families. Through the Community Investment Grant process, UWCA is soliciting proposals for the following research based strategies: STRATEGY 1: SOCIAL SUPPORTS TOTAL FUNDING: $301,000 a. Case Management Services: Case management services that assess, monitor and evaluate an action plan for students to enable them to obtain the supports needed to function to the best of their ability. b. Campus Coordination: School coordinating services to ensure students receive needed services and limit duplication on campus. c. Social Emotional Learning: Research based trainings for service providers to align Social Emotional Learning with the Austin Independent School District. 6

7 EDUCATION FOCUS AREA: Youth NOTE: Behavioral Health: Behavioral health counseling services and group therapy for middle school students and their caregivers. Those interested in applying for funding in this strategy should apply through the Health Focus Area. See Behavioral Health Strategy 3b in the Health Application Guide. STRATEGY 2: FAMILY SUPPORTS PARENTAL EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT TOTAL FUNDING: $45,000 Parental education using evidence based curriculum to support student achievement. STRATEGY 3: COMMUNITY SUPPORTS TOTAL FUNDING: $230,000 a. Mentoring: Community and school based mentoring targeting at risk middle school youth. b. Tutoring: In school and after school tutoring or academic coaching of at risk middle school youth. STRATEGY 4: QUALITY OUT OF SCHOOL TIME SUPPORTS TOTAL FUNDING: $202,000 Youth development programs that occur either before or after school hours, on weekends and/or during the summer that participate in the Youth Program Quality Initiative. 7

8 4. Quality Out of School Time Supports 37

9 Quality Out of School Time Supports STRATEGY 4: QUALITY OUT OF SCHOOL TIME SUPPORTS TOTAL FUNDING AVAILABLE: $202,000 ANTICIPATED NUMBER OF GRANTS AVAILABLE: Minimum of 2 grants per campus Strategy Overview: The purpose of this strategy is to connect at risk middle school youth to quality out of school time (OST) instruction. This includes programs that are offered before school, after school and during the summer. Youth who participate in OST programs improve significantly in three major areas: positive feelings and attitudes towards school, indicators of behavioral adjustment, and school performance. These programs have also been found to reduce problem behaviors (e.g., aggression, noncompliance and conduct problems) and drug use. 4 It has also been found that at risk youth are least likely to register for out of school time programs yet they are also the most likely group to benefit from these programs. 5 UWCA is invested in ensuring that all out of school time programs are of the highest quality. Given this, UWCA has been partnering with Out of School time providers to develop a Youth Program Quality System in Central Texas. The Youth Program Quality Assessment is a nationally validated tool used to assess the quality of out of school time instruction through four domains of development. Once assessed, out of school time providers are able to review scores, develop an improvement plan and send program staff to aligned professional development courses to improve the quality of instruction. Requirements: This funding is strictly for the services that will be provided to at risk middle school students that attend either Decker Middle School in the Manor Independent School District, Mendez Middle School and/or Webb Middle school in the Austin Independent School District. This funding cannot supplant existing funding for out of school time instruction from other organizations. In order to change community conditions, the funding must increase the capacity of the agency to offer this service (I.e. serve more/new clients OR serve existing clients measurably better). All funded partners must participate in the UWCA school coordination meetings that will take place on a quarterly basis. In order to receive funding, the program will need to be self and/or externally assessed using the Youth Program Quality Assessment by June 30, 2011 and have developed and implemented a program improvement plan. All funded partners must conduct criminal background checks on all staff and volunteers that will be working directly with children and youth. If a funded partner will be serving more than 20 students on an Austin Independent School District campus, they will need to qualify for and receive Student Aggregate Reports for Student Support Providers through AISD s ACCESS office. The partner will be required to request and submit to UWCA program level data to demonstrate whether there are: 4 From Durlak, Joseph & Weissberg, Roger. The Impact of After School Programs That Promote Personal and Social Skills Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Herrera, C., & Arbreton, A. J. A. (2003). Increasing opportunities for older youth in after school programs: A report on the experiences of Boys & Girls Clubs in Boston and New York City. Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures. 38

10 Quality Out of School Time Supports Increases in standardized test scores for participating students. Increases in the percentage of participating students that attended school at least 95%. Decreases in behavior referrals among participating students. All funded partners must have at least one year experience successfully delivering out of school time instruction. At least 75% of students who enroll in the program must attend for at least 30 hours per semester if the proposed program is offered during the school year and 120 hours if the proposed program is offered during the summer. The target population for this strategy is at risk middle school students who do not typically participate in out of school time programs. Therefore, partial funding may be used to remove barriers for student participation and/or provide incentives for students to complete the recommended dosage per semester and/or summer. School administration must support funded partner s service on its campus. Indicators: The target indicators to be tracked by grantee are listed below. Grantee will be required to report on these outcomes and indicators every six months. Percentage of middle school youth that maintain and/or improve their attendance. Percentage of middle school youth that have a decrease in behavior referrals. Percentage of middle school youth that had not consistently attended out of school time instruction now attending. APPLICATION GUIDELINES I. Organizational Overview and Agency Experience [5 points] Describe your organization s mission/vision and how it aligns with UWCA Focus Area goals. Describe your organization s experience and expertise in delivering services and in serving the target population. II. Program Overview and Implementation [40 points] A. Program description Provide a description of the proposed program. How does the proposed program align with the identified UWCA strategy? In your description please include: Explicit program goals for personal and social skills. Strategies for ensuring youth are actively involved in their own learning. Number of hours per term (minimum of 30 per semester, minimum 120 per summer). B. Past experience with proposed strategy What is your organization s experience with the strategy and in utilizing it with the target population? How many years of experience do you have with this type of service delivery? Describe staff experience and qualifications. Who are the key staff people, their roles, and how are they qualified to implement this program? C. Implementation Describe how the proposed strategy will be implemented. Include information on the curriculum to be used (where applicable), frequency and duration of service, average 39

11 Quality Out of School Time Supports participant stay in the program, location where program will be provided, and other relevant activities. How will your program complement and not duplicate the out of school time programs that are already offered on the campus? If your program has been using the Youth Program Quality Assessment tool, please submit an improvement plan. Describe the linkage between program activities and focus area goals/target outcome(s). D. Community Need and Target Population Describe the community need for the population you serve and how it is relevant to this proposal. Provide a rationale for why the service is needed. Provide demographic information on your target population and program eligibility requirements. F. Outputs Describe the process and mechanism for tracking client data, such as demographic/geographic information and services rendered. If no tracking process or mechanism is in place, please explain. Note that grant recipients will be required to report on demographic and geographic information in the following categories: Gender Ethnicity Race Age Zip Code County Income Status Provide the following outputs: (If proposing to serve multiple campuses, please provide the outputs by campus) Number of unduplicated middle school youth served last year by the proposed program. Number of unduplicated middle school youth served last year that participated in at least 30 contact hours per semester or at least 120 contact hours per summer. Number of unduplicated middle school youth to be served in the grant year by the proposed program. Number of new unduplicated middle school youth that will be recruited in the grant year by the proposed program. Number of unduplicated middle school youth to be served in the grant year by the proposed program with UWCA funding. Number of new unduplicated middle school youth to be served in the grant year by the proposed program with UWCA funding. Number of unduplicated point of service staff that will attend at least 2 aligned youth program quality professional development trainings? 40

12 Quality Out of School Time Supports III. Outreach and Cultural Competence [10 points] A. Program Outreach and Retention Describe how you will reach and retain eligible program participants. How will proposed program services be accessible to eligible program participants? What, if any incentives will be used to reach and retain program participants? Describe the strategies for removing barriers to enrollment and attendance which may include child care during sessions, incentives for attendance, transportation to and from sessions, etc. B. Cultural Competence How are proposed program services culturally relevant and staff culturally competent? What is your plan for recruiting, training, and maintaining skilled, diverse, and culturally competent staff and volunteers? IV. Collaboration [10 points] A. History of Collaboration Describe your history of collaboration in the community with organizations/programs that offer the same or similar service. Describe how the collaboration reduces duplication, fosters data collection, and improves community systems. B. Proposed Partnerships List and describe proposed partnerships related to this strategy. If you are dependent on a community partner for the delivery of this strategy, please upload a letter of commitment from the agency s executive director or board chair. V. Evaluation Plan [20 points] A. Evidence of Program Efficacy Describe the methodology for substantiating efficacy of program. If using an evidence based model, describe how fidelity to the model will be ascertained and reported. If the program has been previously evaluated, please upload evaluation results. Provide comments, if any. B. Assessment Plan for Required Outcomes Describe your indicators. Describe the evaluation method and data source (or tool) for each indicator. Describe the methodology for assessing the required indicators for UWCA semi annual reports. These indicators include: Percent of middle school youth that maintain and/or improve their attendance. Percent of middle school youth that have a decrease in behavior referrals. Percent of middle school youth that had not consistently attended out of school time instruction now attending. VI. Budget [15 points] 41

13 Quality Out of School Time Supports A. Program Fiscal/Business Model Using the template provided, upload a budget for the overall program and requested UWCA funding. What is the cost per program participant? To find this number, divide total cost of the program by the total number of unduplicated program participants. Are participants charged fees? If so, please describe. B. UWCA Investment How will UWCA funding allow the organization to expand program capacity, improve quality, and/or leverage additional funds from other sources? 42

14 Multi Strategy Application 43

15 Multi Strategy MULTI STRATEGY APPLICATION MULTI STRATEGY APPLICATION Only nonprofits that provide multiple services to a select group of middle school students over an extended period of time are eligible to apply in this category. TOTAL FUNDING AVAILABLE: Funding for this category will overlap with funding from other categories ANTICIPATED NUMBER OF GRANTS AVAILABLE: Minimum of 2 grants Overview: The purpose of this funding is to increase the number and percentage of targeted middle school youth on the identified campuses who receive multi year comprehensive services from the same program. The targeted middle school youth would need to either be appointed or apply to participate in the program. The eligible nonprofits must provide at least 2 of the following strategies to their cohort of students, based on the students or families identified needs: Case Management Mentoring Tutoring Parent Education Quality Out of school time, including summer programming Please refer to the appropriate sections in this document for more detailed information on each of the following strategies: Case Management (Strategy 1a) Parental Education and Engagement (Strategy 2) Mentoring (Strategy 3a) Tutoring (Strategy 3b) Quality Out of School Time Supports (Strategy 4) Requirements: This funding is strictly for the services that will be provided to middle school students who attend either Decker Middle School in the Manor Independent School District, Mendez Middle School and/or Webb Middle school in the Austin Independent School District. This funding cannot supplant existing funding for the strategies from other organizations. In order to change community conditions, the funding must increase the capacity of the agency to offer this service (I.e. serve more/new clients OR serve existing clients measurably better). All funded partners must participate in the UWCA school coordination meetings that will take place on a quarterly basis. All funded partners must conduct criminal background checks on all staff and volunteers that will be working directly with children and youth. If a funded partner will be serving more than 20 students on an Austin Independent School District campus, they will need to qualify for and receive Student Aggregate Reports for Student Support Providers through AISD s ACCESS office. The partner will be required to request and submit to UWCA program level data to demonstrate whether there are: Increases in standardized test scores for participating students. 44

16 Multi Strategy Increases in the percentage of participating students that attended school at least 95%. Decreases in behavior referrals among participating students. All funded partners must have at least one year experience successfully delivering all of the components for which they are requesting funding. Nonprofit partners must provide multi year comprehensive services to a select and targeted group of students that include at least 2 of the following components: Case Management Mentoring Tutoring Parent Education Quality Out of school time School administration must support funded partner s service on its campus. Indicators: The target indicators to be tracked by grantee are listed separately under each strategy. Grantee will be required to report on these indicators every six months. Percent of middle school youth that maintain and/or improve their attendance. Percent of middle school youth that have a decrease in behavior referrals. Additional indicators would be based on the strategies included in the application. Case Management (Strategy 1a) Parental Education and Engagement (Strategy 2) Mentoring (Strategy 3a) Tutoring (Strategy 3b) Quality Out of School Time Supports (Strategy 4) APPLICATION GUIDELINES I. Organizational Overview and Agency Experience [5 points] Describe your organization s mission/vision and how it aligns with UWCA Focus Area goals. Describe your organization s experience and expertise in delivering services and in serving the target population. II. Program Overview and Implementation [40 points] A. Program description Provide a description of the proposed program. For more specific information to include in this section, please see the page number listed next to the strategy Case Management (Strategy 1a) Parental Education and Engagement (Strategy 2) Mentoring (Strategy 3a) Tutoring (Strategy 3b) Quality Out of School Time Supports (Strategy 4) How does the proposed program align with the identified UWCA strategy? B. Past experience with proposed strategy What is your organization s experience with the strategy and in utilizing it with the target population? How many years of experience do you have with this type of service delivery? 45

17 Multi Strategy For more specific information to include in this section, please see the page number listed next to the strategy for which you are applying. Case Management (Strategy 1a) Parental Education and Engagement (Strategy 2) Mentoring (Strategy 3a) Tutoring (Strategy 3b) Quality Out of School Time Supports (Strategy 4) Describe staff experience and qualifications. Who are the key staff people, their roles, and how are they qualified to implement this program? C. Implementation Describe how the proposed strategy will be implemented. Include information on the curriculum to be used (where applicable), frequency and duration of service, average participant stay in the program, location where program will be provided, and other relevant activities. For more specific information to include in this section, please see the page number listed next to the strategy for which you are applying. Case Management (Strategy 1a) Parental Education and Engagement (Strategy 2) Mentoring (Strategy 3a) Tutoring (Strategy 3b) Quality Out of School Time Supports (Strategy 4) D. Community Need and Target Population Describe the community need for the population you serve and how it is relevant to this proposal. Provide a rationale for why the service is needed. Provide demographic information on your target population and program eligibility requirements. F. Outputs Describe the process and mechanism for tracking client data, such as demographic/geographic information and services rendered. If no tracking process or mechanism is in place, please explain. Note that grant recipients will be required to report on demographic and geographic information in the following categories: Gender Ethnicity Race Age Zip Code County Income Status Provide the following outputs by strategy. If submitting an application for multiple campuses, please provide information by campus. For a list of additional outputs, please refer to the individual strategy. Case Management (Strategy 1a) Parental Education and Engagement (Strategy 2) 46

18 Multi Strategy Mentoring (Strategy 3a) Tutoring (Strategy 3b) Quality Out of School Time Supports (Strategy 4) III. Outreach and Cultural Competence [10 points] A. Program Outreach and Retention Describe how you will reach and retain eligible program participants and volunteers. How will proposed program services be accessible to eligible program participants? Describe the strategies for removing barriers to enrollment and attendance which may include child care during sessions, incentives for attendance, transportation to and from sessions, etc. B. Cultural Competence How are proposed program services culturally relevant and staff culturally competent? What is your plan for recruiting, training, and maintaining skilled, diverse, and culturally competent staff and volunteers? IV. Collaboration [10 points] A. History of Collaboration Describe your history of collaboration in the community with organizations/programs that offer the same or similar service. Describe how the collaboration reduces duplication, fosters data collection, and improves community systems. B. Proposed Partnerships List and describe proposed partnerships related to this strategy. If you are dependent on a community partner for the delivery of this strategy, please upload a letter of commitment from the agency s executive director or board chair. V. Evaluation Plan [20 points] A. Evidence of Program Efficacy Describe the methodology for substantiating efficacy of program. If using an evidence based model, describe how fidelity to the model will be ascertained and reported. If the program has been previously evaluated, please upload evaluation results. Provide comments, if any. B. Assessment Plan for Required Outcomes Describe your indicators for each strategy. Describe the evaluation method and data source (or tool) for each indicator. Describe the methodology for assessing the required indicators for UWCA semi annual reports. These indicators include: Percent of middle school youth that maintain and/or improve their attendance. Percent of middle school youth that have a decrease in behavior referrals. Additional indicators would be based on the strategies included in the application. 47

19 Multi Strategy For more specific information to include in this section, please see the page number listed next to the strategy for which you are applying. Case Management (Strategy 1a) Parental Education and Engagement (Strategy 2) Mentoring (Strategy 3a) Tutoring (Strategy 3b) Quality Out of School Time Supports (Strategy 4) VI. Budget [15 points] A. Program Fiscal/Business Model Using the template provided, upload a budget for the overall program and requested UWCA funding. In your budget, please indicate the amount of funding you are seeking for each strategy for which you are applying. What is the cost per program participant per strategy? To find this number, divide total cost of the program by the total number of unduplicated program participants. Are participants charged fees? If so, please describe. B. UWCA Investment How will UWCA funding allow the organization to expand program capacity, improve quality, and/or leverage additional funds from other sources? 48

20 Appendix Appendix At Risk: A student is identified as at risk of dropping out of school based on state defined criteria ( TEC ) At risk status is obtained from the PEIMS 110 records. The statutory criteria for at risk status include each student who is under 21 years of age and who: 1. was not advanced from one grade level to the next for one or more school years; 2. is in grades 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 and did not maintain an average equivalent to 70 on a scale of 100 in two or more subjects in the foundation curriculum during a semester in the preceding or current school year or is not maintaining such an average in two or more subjects in the foundation curriculum in the current semester; 3. did not perform satisfactorily on an assessment instrument administered to the student under TEC Subchapter B, Chapter 39, and who has not in the previous or current school year subsequently performed on that instrument or another appropriate instrument at a level equal to at least 110 percent of the level of satisfactory performance on that instrument; 4. is in prekindergarten, kindergarten or grades 1, 2, or 3 and did not perform satisfactorily on a readiness test or assessment instrument administered during the current school year; 5. is pregnant or is a parent; 6. has been placed in an alternative education program in accordance with TEC during the preceding or current school year; 7. has been expelled in accordance with TEC during the preceding or current school year; 8. is currently on parole, probation, deferred prosecution, or other conditional release; 9. was previously reported through the PEIMS to have dropped out of school; 10. is a student of limited English proficiency, as defined by TEC ; 11. is in the custody or care of the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services or has, during the current school year, been referred to the department by a school official, officer of the juvenile court, or law enforcement official; 12. is homeless, as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section and its subsequent amendments; or 13. resided in the preceding school year or resides in the current school year in a residential placement facility in the district, including a detention facility, substance abuse treatment facility, emergency shelter, psychiatric hospital, halfway house, or foster group home. (Sources: PEIMS, Oct. 2008; Texas Education Code, 79th Texas Legislature) 49