City of Lawrence
2008 Outside Agency Funding Request Form
Section I: Applicant Information
Legal Name of Agency: Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence
Name of Program for Which Funding is requested: After-school Programs
Primary Contact Person: Janet Murphy
Address: P.O. Box 748, Lawrence, KS 66044
Telephone: 785-841-6854 Fax: 785-841-3911 Email: jmurphy@sunflower.com
Section 2. Request Information
The Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence believes in a three prong approach to sustainability of after school programs, 1) Grant dollars, federal, state and local, 2) Parent Fees, 3) Board Fundraising. Local support is key when writing and being awarded federal and state grant dollars. Grantees expect to see the local government supporting quality local programs. Fundraising is key to a diversified budget, the Boys & Girls Club is able to leverage individual community support due to the support of local government.
The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence has been the recipient of both Outside Agency Funding and Alcohol Tax Funding. The awards are as follows:
· 2004 Alcohol Tax $52,000
· 2005 Alcohol Tax $101,278
· 2006 Alcohol Tax $101,278
· 2007 Alcohol Tax $100,000
· 2004 Outside Agency $57,950
· 2005 Outside Agency $82,000
· 2006 Outside Agency $143,722
· 2007 Outside Agency $143,722
Section 3. Agency and Program Budget Information
A. How many paid full time employees work for the agency? 15 Volunteers? 364
B. What percent of your total 2007 budget goes to employee salaries and benefits? 74%
C. What percent of your total 2007 is used for operating expenses? 26%
D. What is the total estimated cost to provide the program in 2008? $1,200,000.00
E. What percent of 2008 program costs are being requested from the City? 12%
F. List other anticipated sources of funding amount for this program in 2008:
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Organizational Other Sources of Funding |
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United Way |
$120,500 |
|
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School District |
$150,000 |
|
|
Bureau of Justice |
$140,000 |
|
|
Juvenile Justice Authority |
$42,000 |
|
|
Outside Agency |
143,722 |
2008 Pending |
|
Learn and Serve |
$10,000 |
|
|
City Alcohol Tax |
$106,278 |
2008 Pending |
|
Other Grants |
$100,000 |
2008 Pending |
|
Fundraising Events |
$120,000 |
|
|
Program Fees |
$230,000 |
|
|
Individual Donations/Contributions |
$45,000 |
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TOTAL BUDGET $1,200,000
Section 4. Statement of Problem/Need to be addressed by Program:
A. Provide a brief statement of the program or need your agency proposes to address with the requested funding/or the impact of not funding this program. The statement should include characteristics of the client population that will be served by this program. If possible, include statistical data to document the need.
The Boys and Girls Club (B&GC) of Lawrence is requesting funding from the City of Lawrence for ongoing support of the after-school and summer programming for youth in Lawrence, Kansas. Our high quality programs offer a structured and fun atmosphere, with a curriculum in education and career support, character and leadership skill development, cultural arts enrichment, physical education, health and life skills development. Our services are offered to any child in Lawrence, regardless of their income and/or ability to pay.
More and more children are being raised in single-parent homes or homes where both parents are working full-time jobs, often leaving children without adequate supervision after school. Healthy communities need after-school programs to be available for all children, regardless of income. As Kansas Action for Children (KAC) reports, children without affordable after-school care and supervision are at higher risks for: academic failure, using drugs and alcohol, becoming crime victims, and/or perpetrating juvenile crimes, and becoming teen parents (www.kac.org). After-school programs are crucial opportunities to provide prevention and life skills education. Lawrence children greatly benefit from such services. KAC also reports that for Douglas County, percentages of youth who reported binge drinking (18.4%) and using other drugs (26%) were higher than state averages.
B&GC serves an especially high-risk section of the Lawrence population in grades K-9. Compared to the majority of their LPS peers, children in the after-school programs report higher levels on risk factors such as mobility, feeling safe, and having access to tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. Research shows that such factors put children at risk for school failure, delinquency and substance abuse (Battishtich, Schaps, Watson & Solomon, 1996; Hawkins, Catalano & Miller, 1992). B&GC specializes in providing low-cost and no-cost after-school programs to an economically, racially, and ethnically diverse range of families who have no supervision alternatives for their child.
According to the Kansas State Department of Education, 29.76% U.S.D. #497 families now qualify for Free and Reduced School Lunch. They struggle to pay for basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, and utilities, let alone after-school programs. In 2006, B&GC served 2,888 members with average daily attendance of more than 1200 and through special events served an additional 7168 non-members. In 2006, the demographics of children served were: African-American 17.61%, American Indian 4.26%, Caucasian (Non-Hispanic) 54.36%, Hispanic 3.36%, and Multi-Racial 19.43%. 64% families qualified as federal low-income, 60% were single parent households, and 81% had incomes under $40,000 per year. Studies have shown that children from minority groups typically have more risk factors and fewer protective factors, putting them at greater risk.
The B & GC prevention curriculum focuses on countering risk factors with protective factors that help at-risk children overcome the barriers they face.
B. How was the need for this program determined?
There has been extensive study by academic institutions and social services institutions on the benefits of quality after-school programming for at-risk youth. The Call for Quality After-school Programs in Kansas report states that, (KAC and Kansas Enrichment Network, 2004): “When an after-school program opens, it provides a safe haven where children are protected from becoming victims of crime, and begins providing responsible adult supervision, constructive activities, and insulation from peer pressure to engage in risky behavior.” The report also cited a national poll of police chiefs, which by a 4 to 1 margin cited after-school programs and educational childcare as the most effective strategies to reduce youth violence, and as more successful than prosecution or additional law enforcement aimed at juveniles.
No other after-school program in Lawrence serves the numbers of children with the range of services that B&GC does. The B&GC of Lawrence is more than a childcare program, it is a youth program that develops young people to their full potential and provides the resources necessary to prepare them to be productive and contributing members of society.
C. Why should this problem/need be addressed by the City?
The City of Lawrence mission states that it is “committed to providing excellent city services that enhance the quality of life for all the Lawrence community.” The B&GC of Lawrence directly supports this mission by providing much needed after-school and summer activity programming to the youth of Lawrence, particularly those youth who are faced with increasing risk factors such as poverty, mobility, and lack of adult supervision, early exposure to drugs and alcohol and academic failure. The B&GC helps to ensure that all youth have access to quality after-school and summer programming. While the City of Lawrence provides a number of activities through its Parks and Recreation Department, the B&GC specializes in services for youth, primarily at-risk youth who can not afford to pay for Parks and Recreation Services. The B&GC also has staff that is trained to work with children who may display disciplinary problems or other signs of at-risk behavior due to their limited access to adult supervision or structured activities. Collaborating with the B&GC ensures that all youth in Lawrence have access to quality programming; therefore we compliment each other well.
Section 4. Description of Program Services”
A. Provide a brief description of the service you will provide and explain how it will respond to the need you identified in Section 3. The description should include how many clients will be served, and should describe as specifically as possible the interaction that will take place between the provider and the user of the service.
The B&GC will provide after-school and out-of-school activities to low-income youth ages 5-15. Services will be provided to over 5,000 youth per year at twelve different sites in the community. Programs include curriculums in the following areas:
Most of the youth receiving services at the B&GC experience more risk factors than protective factors, as evidence by the Communities that Care survey. Our curriculums are developed to decrease the risk factors and increase protective factors for the youth. Some of the Protective factors that we focus on include and are not limited to:
The B&GC offers numerous opportunities for the youth participants to engage in community activities and rewards positive behaviors that reinforce positive messages.
B. Describe any efforts your agency has made to explore the community to determine if there are any other agencies providing similar types of services. What efforts have you made to coordinate services?
B&GC is a leader in the community, not only in providing after-school programming, but in coordinating services so as to minimize duplication and fragmentation. B&GC is a founding member of the Lawrence After-school Alliance, the umbrella group overseeing all after-school projects in Lawrence. Other B&GC partners include the Lawrence Arts Center (arts programming), Prairie Park Nature Center (nature education), Lawrence Parks and Rec (access to pools and parks), Lawrence Public Schools (use of eight buildings), DCCCA (assistance with prevention programming), and Douglas County Extension (nutritional and life skills activities), among others. The University of Kansas supports our activities and performs our evaluation of programs. Partnerships with several local businesses have been formed to increase fundraising and outreach efforts. B&GC draws volunteers for tutoring and mentoring from many sources, including University of Kansas, Haskell Indian Nations University, and the Roger Hill Volunteer Center. Extensive coordination is conducted between partnering organizations to ensure that services and efforts are not duplicated and that resource utilization is maximized.
Section 5. Program Objectives:
Please provide three specific objectives for 2008. Objectives should demonstrate the purpose of the program and measure the amount of services delivered or the effectiveness of the services delivered. A time frame and numerical goal should be included. Applicants will be expected to report their progress toward these objectives in their six month and annual reports to the City.
Process Outcome #1: As a result of providing a “safe haven” through after-school programs, during 2008 B&GC will provide 3,000 children (minimum 1200 per day) with after-school care at twelve sites, with transportation from an additional eight schools. These sites will provide 175 days of after-school programming from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and 54 days out-of-school programming from 7:30-5:30 p.m. Numbers served are tracked through the B&GC annual report.
Behavioral Outcome #2: Based on yearly participant evaluations, a minimum 90% of participants will report feeling “safe” in B&GC programs, a measure that will reflect their daily connections with supportive adults.
Behavioral Outcome #3: Based on quarterly staff progress reports, 50% of participants will maintain or improve on three learning behaviors: (a) follows directions, (b) accepts responsibility for behavior, and (c) uses cooperation skills.