ACCESS Director Hassan Jaber announces that the social service group has been awarded a $2.5 million Michigan Department of Education grant, which is renewable for five years, to expand education programs around metropolitan Detroit Sept. 9. Funds from the grant will provide 190 educators to help more than 1,000 students at 19 metro Detroit schools.
By BOB OLIVER
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN — ACCESS has been awarded a $2.5 million Michigan Department of Education grant, which will be renewable for five years, to be used by its Youth and Education Department to expand education programs around metropolitan Detroit.
ACCESS Youth and Education Department Director Anisa Sahoubah said the grant money will go toward expanding the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program to serve 19 high-needs schools in Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Detroit and Hamtramck.
The 21st Century program funds before-school, after-school and summer school programs for students pre-kindergarten through 12th grade who attend low-performing schools in high-poverty areas.
Sahoubah said the funding will allow ACCESS to employ 190 educators to work with students and offer supplemental education.
“Research shows that 69 percent of Michigan students were not proficient in reading last year and that number increases to 81 percent for low-income students,” Sahoubah said. “If students are not reading proficiently by the third grade they are four times less likely to graduate high school. We want to break the cycle of low academic achievement.”
Sahoubah said four goals of the 21st Century program are to empower children, give them skills beyond base academic needs, work with student families as a whole and create good working relationships with community partners as well as with school administrators to keep everyone working in the same direction.
She said the grant will make a large difference to the students affected.
“We see this as an award for the children in the communities that we serve,” Sahoubah said. “It is a privilege to receive the grant and work to improve academic achievements and we don’t take this responsibility lightly.”
ACCESS Director Hassan Jaber said ACCESS was honored to receive the award and happy to have more funding to put into its education programs.
“Expanding this program to 19 schools will allow us to impact thousands of students,” Jaber said. “It is a really great thing.”
Dearborn Public Schools Supt. Brian Whiston said ACCESS is a great community partner for the district and applauded its efforts in securing the grant.
The press conference announcing the award was held inside ACCESS’s Youth and Family Service Center, 2651 Saulino Court, Sept. 9.
(Bob Oliver can be reached at [email protected].)