(BCP) Minority Success Academy Early Years Program Receives $200,000 Grant

Thanks to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the grant will provide for a multi-year program for early learning instruction, parent engagement and administrative leadership, within early childhood programs and the participating elementary schools.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant will assist the District’s Minority Success Academy Early Years Program’s goal of improving educators, childcare providers and administrators’ effectiveness through professional development, which includes specialized courses to better understand race, culture and structural inequities to boost instruction, classroom practices and educational outcomes.

The Minority Success Academy Early Years Program is designed to improve literacy and math outcomes through arts, science, technology, engineering and mathematics-based learning strategies. In addition, it aims to increase parental and family engagement through workshops and cultural activities to support children's academic and social progress.

“Our District can continue to impact the lives of almost 4,000 students to be successful both in and out of the classroom thanks to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s generous contribution. As a District, we look forward to this grant helping us further our goal of closing the achievement gap for our early learning students, increasing parental engagement and developing greater administrative leadership, said Superintendent Robert W. Runcie. “It is our objective to constantly think outside the box when it comes to teaching and learning, and this grant will assist us in serving our students.”

The grant, is intended to align with President Barack Obama's, My Brother's Keeper Initiative, which encourages communities to implement a cradle-to-college-and-career strategy for improving the lives of all young people to ensure that they can reach their full potential.