Gov. Heineman Announces Nebraska Awarded Grant
to Explore Learning Opportunities outside the Classroom
(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman announced today that Nebraska has received a grant from the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices to hold a conference highlighting programs that provide expanded learning opportunities for school students.
Expanded learning programs typically include afterschool, summer learning and extended day programs that provide students opportunities for educational enrichment outside the traditional school day. The grant provides $10,000 and technical assistance from the NGA Center to help in planning a Governor’s Summit on Expanded Learning Opportunities.
“Programs like these create a unique learning environment for each child, something that’s not always possible in a traditional classroom,” Gov. Heineman said. “These programs can be tools that encourage students to achieve their academic goals and increase parental involvement. This summit is an opportunity to highlight some of the successful efforts already underway in Nebraska and encourage more school districts and communities to explore partnerships that would make these opportunities more widely available to young students.”
The summit will bring together leaders from across Nebraska to talk about how educational opportunities focused on helping students outside the classroom can address a number of challenges. The Nebraska Community Learning Center Network (NCLCN), a collaborative statewide initiative operated by the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, will co-sponsor the summit and work to develop a comprehensive list of community-based after school programs in the state.
NCLCN Coordinator Jeff Cole said, “The summit will provide an unprecedented opportunity to focus on the vital role expanded learning opportunities provide for children and their families, review promising practices and identify opportunities to create more high quality, sustainable initiatives across Nebraska.”
Nebraska was one of five states selected to receive funding from the NGA Center. |
