ATLANTA — The COVID-19 pandemic impacted education across the nations, as many students and teachers navigated learning in the classroom from home.
On Tuesday, Governor Brian P. Kemp announced the availability of $15 million in Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Georgia to advance student academic achievement by addressing learning recovery and other critical needs of youth brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, $15 million will be awarded to serve 9,000 youth. Sub-awards from the Georgia Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs will be made to local Boys & Girls Clubs on number of youth served at an average cost of $1550/child. These funds will be distributed across 34 Boys & Girls Clubs organizations, 141 sites, and 62 counties in Georgia.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Georgia have done a remarkable job of serving the needs of youth across the Peach State,” Governor Kemp said in a statement. “With this GEER funding, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Georgia will be able to further enhance student academic achievement by addressing educational gaps caused by the pandemic. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this funding has on youth across the State of Georgia.”
According to a release sent to 11Alive, the program goals include ensuring 65 percent of youth below grade level will return to grade level by the end of the program term, and 35 percent of youth will show an increase or progress toward grade level achievement.
The funding period is between June 2021 through September 2022, inclusive of summer camp, school breaks, and holidays (fall/spring/winter camps); and the afterschool program for youth ages 5-18 (K-12), to be served at club sites across the Boys & Girls Clubs in Georgia (at $1,550 cost per child) with targeted academic support. $4 million will go toward the grant kick-off and summer costs for 2021; $7 million will go toward the 2021-2022 school year costs; and $4 million will go toward summer 2022 and the grant closeout.