From The Tribune staff reports
Birmingham – The YMCA of Greater Birmingham will provide scholarships to 125 students who need access to all-day learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to YMCA Director of Marketing Jennifer Neil, the grant has been provided by YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) and The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.
“We were awarded this grant to offer full-day school support, through our School Support Academy, to more at-risk students,” according to Rhonda Elmore, the Y’s Executive Director of Youth Development.
YMCA School Support Academy is an in-person program to support students who are e- learning through their school district until a fully in-school option is available. The program, developed as the Y’s immediate response to school closings during the pandemic, helps children stay on task with their school work, avoid potential backsliding during virtual learning, and encourage their academic, physical and mental health as they return to school.
School Support Academy is currently available at the Northeast YMCA and the YMCA Youth Center.
“We are supporting virtual learning and keeping children safe, engaged and active during what would be a regular school day so their parents can continue to work,” she says.
Eligible students reside in a moderate to high SVI zip code in the CDC Social Vulnerability Index in the Birmingham community.
The zip codes included are attached and available for download from https://www.ymcabhamorg/school-support-academy. Families may apply for this opportunity for YMCA’s School Support Academy via an email to childcare@ymcabhamorg.