Santa Maria Community Services Inc. has received more than $206,000 from the Ohio Department of Education in a highly competitive statewide grant competition.
The Ohio Department of Education awarded $89 million in Summer Learning and Afterschool Opportunities Grants to 161 community-based partners. The department received more than 700 applications from across the state. Awardees will use these funds to create or expand out-of-school time services that address the academic needs and overall well-being of students most in need of services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Santa Maria received $141,105.81 for an afterschool program expansion, and $65,786.32 for a summer program expansion.
Santa Maria is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization originally founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1897 and place-based in Cincinnati’s Price Hill community. Santa Maria provides more than 2,500 individuals with educational tools and resources to build strong families, promote healthy residents, and foster neighborhood revitalization. Its Price Hill family centers provide a welcoming environment and the coaching, support, and flexibility to assist families to achieve their identified goals toward stabilization and self-sufficiency.
Santa Maria Community Services’ Youth Development Program provides Lower Price Hill youth ages 10-16 with the opportunity to partake in social-emotional and life skills groups in order to develop peaceful conflict resolution, peer resistance, self-management, and goal-directed behavior skills. The program also focuses on youth mentoring and leadership through academic assistance and tutoring, personal responsibility, and optimistic thinking skills. Participants engage in community-service projects, and each child’s family is linked to resources that promote family stability while addressing concerns that threaten or hinder the family’s well-being. The Youth Development Program welcomes all Price Hill youth to learn how to be more successful in school and in life.
“We are very grateful and excited to have been awarded these afterschool and summer expansion grants from the Ohio Department of Education,” said Danny Burridge, Santa Maria youth development program director. “These additional funds will enable us to enhance our programming in strategic ways, including by hiring more staff, being open longer hours, and more holistically incorporating life skills trainings sessions into our afterschool and summer activities. We’re looking forward to beginning implementation right away.”