We have all witnessed in one way or another the devastating impacts COVID-19 has had on the social and emotional well-being of our young students of color and those from low-income families.
Investments in the holistic social-emotional learning (SEL) needs of our children is crucial as we lay the groundwork to healing our community and restoring the innocence of our youth.
Therefore, it is with deep gratitude that we share an opportunity to support programming that focuses on children’s social-emotional, mental health, and academic needs through the Pierce County Expanded Learning Opportunity (ELO) Fund.
With the support of Pierce County and the American Rescue Plan, the Foundation for Tacoma Students is leading the planning and allocation of capacity-investment dollars for ELO programs that focus on SEL outcomes throughout Pierce County during the summer of 2021.
We are honored to be charged with the responsibility to support organizations and programs committed to raising a generation of young leaders through enriching and educational summer programming.
FFTS has an established track record of addressing disparities in access to expanded learning opportunities through its coordination of the Out of School and Summer Learning Network for more than eight years. We see this as an opportunity to expand on the existing work built to-date.
As the FFTS team works rapidly to finalize the details and application of this fund, we invite you to take this time to reimagine what fun, inclusive, and engaging learning environments can look like for students as they recover from the impacts of COVID-19.
Together, we can ensure that our youth not only recover from the pandemic but are stronger and more empowered than ever before.
Dr. Tafona Ervin, Ed.D
Executive Director, Foundation for Tacoma Students