Photo Courtesy of Y-USA The South Mountain YMCA is partnering with the South Orange–Maplewood School District and the Achieve Foundation to help provide families with access to child care during the school day.
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The Achieve Foundation, in partnership with the South Orange–Maplewood School District, Parenting Center and South Mountain YMCA, is raising funds to provide equitable access to in-person educational support, child care and enrichment programming at the Y.
Designed for the SOMSD’s most under-resourced students, the scholarships offer spots in the Y’s school-age care program with half day, full day, partial week and full week options. The program will aid in supervised schoolwork and allow for meaningful social interactions for children. It will follow all safety and social-distance protocols and be designed to support students’ school schedules in a safe, active, structured learning environment that will set them up for success both in and out of the classroom.
The Y has generously reserved 15 percent of its available spots for SOMSD families receiving free or reduced lunch or who otherwise qualify, and will be providing 90 percent of the cost in scholarships to these families. In recognition of the importance of this program, the school district has waived any facility rental fees for the Y, and the PTA Presidents Council has voiced its support of this effort.
The fundraising goal is $82,500. This will allow Achieve to provide the final 10 percent in scholarships, removing any remaining financial barriers for elementary students who need support. Thanks to so many families in our community, as of Sept. 22, the campaign is nearly 30-percent funded.
Achieve is proud to announce a campaign match. The Maplewood Rotary Club and Philip and Melissa Sheehy have each pledged $5,000 toward a matching gift effort to encourage others to support this campaign. Donors who give one month of enrollment $110 or more will have their contributions doubled.
To help ensure that equity and opportunity continue to be hallmarks of this community, donate at https://www.mightycause.com/story/Achievefoundation.
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