AUBURN — The YMCA of Auburn-Lewiston has received a $2,500 grant from the Agnes M. Lindsay Trust to pursue computer literacy programs in its school-age programs.

Funds will be used to purchase computers, tablets and audio-visual equipment for the YMCA’s before- and after-school classrooms, which serve over 350 children per week. Per the grant request, the YMCA will offer age-appropriate computer literacy activities to help build students’ skills and confidence with technology.

The grant comes on the heels of the YMCA of the USA’s Achievement Gap Convening, held Nov. 9­­-12, in Washington, D.C.

Three members of the YMCA’s management team — Steven Wallace, chief executive officer, Michelle Cyr, early childhood education director, and Victoria Stanton, marketing and advancement director — attended the conference to learn more about collaborating with local schools to close the achievement gap for local children.

Cyr said, “The achievement gap is a very real phenomenon that negatively affects all children’s learning, and disproportionately limits children from lower socioeconomic groups. The effects start as early as first grade, creating a gap that widens year after year unless schools and community organizations take action.”

By adding structured computer time into its programs, the YMCA aims to give students additional exposure to technologies and academic support they may not have access to at home.

In addition, the YMCA is seeking partnerships with local schools who wish to tap into additional achievement gap resources available through the YMCA of the USA. These resources include potential grant funding, evidence-based curricula and research findings.

FMI: 207-795-4095, [email protected].