Many students in the Cambridge City School District benefit from additional academic intervention and youth development activities provided by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) CATS Club After School program.
Unfortunately, two sources of funding that supported the program -- the MVHC Summer Learning and Afterschool Opportunity Grant and Covid Relief Funds – expired. The 21st CCLC grants remain, however, the requirements to retain the annual funding have changed this year forcing recipients to provide additional services that significantly impact the use of funds.
“The bottom line is that a significant amount of funding that has been available the past couple years is no longer available and there are not any new opportunities to apply for funding to support our program,” said Director of Federal Grants Rose Marie Daymut. “The grant funding we receive is now being spread over more hours, so we have to make some changes.”
To right-size the program to match the funding, the district will be limiting the number of students that can participate in the afterschool program. Students are invited to attend the after-school program based on their academic need.
“We have seen tremendous success in the afterschool program, and we have had great support from families, teachers and aides,” Daymut said. “We will continue to provide the best program for the students who will benefit the most from the additional intervention and developmental program.
“We will also continue to seek out additional funding opportunities to help support and grow the program in the future,” Daymut added.
The CATS Club After School program will start Oct. 14. Invitation letters were sent to the families of students who are invited to be a part of the 2024-2025 CATS Club. Letters were sent via U.S. Postal Service with a second round of letters sent home with students.
Parents and guardians who received the invitation letters are urged to complete the attached form and return it to your child’s classroom teacher or to the After School Program manager Robin Lahmers at the Garfield Administrative Center by Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.
If you have any questions, you may reach out to Lahmers at
[email protected] or by calling 330-619-8481.