Media Contact:
Bryan Wilson
Marketing and Outreach Coordinator
Bay Area Tutoring Association
Email: outreach@bayareatutor.org
Phone: 408.210.5537
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Otto Lee, VP Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Allocates $15,000 URJGENT Grant Funds to Bay Area Tutoring Association to Academically Support the Increasing Number of County Homeless Youth
Santa Clara, CA – June 13, 2024 – The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Vice President Otto Lee has allocated a $15,000 URJGENT Grant to the Bay Area Tutoring Association (BATA) to launch BOUND FOR SUCCESS: The McKinney Vento Tutoring Pilot Program for the 2024-2025 school year. This pilot aims to reduce chronic absenteeism, increase literacy rates, G.E.D., high school diploma completion, and college readiness among homeless families in Santa Clara County.
According to recent data, the number of homeless students in Santa Clara County has surged by an average of 85% from 2019 to 2023. This dramatic rise underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to support this vulnerable population. A 2023 United Way study found that San Jose has the highest population of unhoused youth in the country, with the East Side Union High School District experiencing a 156.4% increase in homeless students. To participate in BOUND FOR SUCCESS click here.
Chris Norwood, Founding Director of BATA, stated, “This grant is a crucial first step in addressing the unique educational challenges faced by homeless families, including unstable living situations, lack of safe study spaces, and frequent school changes resulting in lower academic achievements and higher dropout rates. We are grateful for Vice President Otto Lee’s support in funding BOUND FOR SUCCESS: The McKinney Vento Tutoring Pilot Program, designed to bring hope and stability to these vulnerable families by providing the resources they need to succeed in school and life.”
BOUND FOR SUCCESS: The McKinney Vento Tutoring Pilot Program will offer one-on-one tutoring, executive functioning, college readiness activities, and growth mindset activities for up to 50 homeless youth, aged 13-18. This initiative is designed to provide the academic, social, and emotional support homeless youth need to attain grade-level proficiency in literacy, math, and problem-solving skills.
### About Bay Area Tutoring Association (BATA)
Since 2013, the Bay Area Tutoring Association has been at the forefront of academic enrichment and intervention, specializing in critical 21st-century skills such as Common Core Math, Literacy, NGSS, STEM, and Computer Science. BATA’s mission is to cultivate an academic tutoring workforce that fosters growth mindsets and lifelong learning in students from kindergarten through 12th grade. BATA was honored as the Silicon Valley Nonprofit of the Year in 2017 for their work with foster youth, high-risk, and underserved Black and Brown students.
BATA has impacted over 900 BIPOC and female at-risk students facing challenges such as foster care, homelessness, and probation. The organization has established strong partnerships with several Bay Area organizations, including the Alameda and Santa Clara County Library systems, College Foundation, City of San Jose, Santa Clara County Office of Education and various school districts and community-based organizations.
For more information about the Bay Area Tutoring Association and the McKinney Vento Tutoring Program, please visit:
– BATA Website
– Facebook
– LinkedIn
– MeetUp
– Eventbrite
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