FARMINGTON — The Franklin County Children’s Task Force has received a $1.5 million grant to establish a new after-school and summer program for elementary school students in kindergarten through eighth grade in northern Franklin County.

Organizers with the Franklin County Children’s Task Force say that in this day and age, with parents often strapped for time and resources, children may lack the opportunity to experience all that the community around them has to offer.

But through a new collaboration with SAD 58, the Children’s Task Force will be pulling educational resources from the surrounding community to bring after-school and summer programming to elementary aged children in hopes of enriching their academic and social experiences.

“Utilizing the expertise of the local community is the most exciting part of this program. Franklin County has a lot to highlight and a lot of untapped resources that are very valuable,” said Renee Whitley, executive director of the Children’s Task Force.

The program, 21st Century Kids of Northern F.R.A.N.K.L.I.N., was made possible by a $1.5 million grant that the organization and SAD 58 received earlier this month. The five-year grant will be administered through the Maine Department of Education.

The programming will be based around learning opportunities for children in the areas of science, math, engineering, technology, the arts, health and physical activity.

“It’s a program that is meant to help children increase their academic achievement and introduce them to different enrichment activities that they may not have the opportunity to be introduced to in a regular school setting,” said Renee Whitley.

RSU 9 Superintendent Sue Pratt said the district has been “hoping to offer more extended programs for students who need extra support, but with cramped budgets, the district hasn’t been able to afford it. This isn’t the first time that the district and the Children’s Task Force have collaborated” she added. “Building off the prior supportive relationship is what started the conversation of expanding the successful program from SAD No.9 to north of the Fairbanks bridge” said Whitley.

“Quality opportunities for children living in the more rural areas of Maine are often limited by transportation barriers and cost. This program is free to parents whose children are in grades K-8 and will undoubtedly provide an incredible opportunity for that quality enrichment our youngsters need,” said Doug Saunders, Manager of Educational Initiatives for the task force.

With the grant providing the funding for personnel, the Children’s Task Force will be hiring new employees to run the program. MSAD 58 teachers, ed-techs, college students and high school juniors and seniors will play a large part in facilitating the programming and lessons for the activities.

The Community Coordinator for the FCCTF, Rileigh Blanchet also says “a big part of facilitating the program will come from community volunteers, whether it is University of Maine professors and students, senior citizens or parents with a unique professional background who were interested in volunteering. Having them involved shows children their community cares and allows them to see a vision for themselves in Franklin County.”

The after-school portion of the program will begin after the Farmington Fair in September, running through the end of May, and will be based at the local elementary schools. The summer program, which begins Monday, July 2, will run five weeks, Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for Field Trip Friday. Lunch will be provided through the summer feeding program and Friday lunch will be provided through the program.

The new program is part of the organizations approach to the issue of child maltreatment as a community issue. Franklin County has seen a reduction over the last three years due to programming that’s been put in place after being identified as one of three counties in Maine with the highest rates of child abuse and neglect, Whitley said, with Somerset and Androscoggin being the other two.

Whitley said that the Children’s Task Force wants to focus on preventing abuse and neglect from occurring rather than having to act after the fact by providing families with supports and resources to strengthen their relationships and reduce stressors that finding and paying for quality childcare causes.

“What we identified in our prevention plan was that families lacked protective factors, which include the concrete supports in times of need, the lack of social connections, building parental resilience, (and) understanding your child’s development and emotional needs,” Whitley said. “This program encompasses all of that.” 

On top of the educational opportunities, the program will also offer emotional and social skill enrichment opportunities for participating children and healthy relationship, coping and empathy curriculum will be worked into the program.

While the structure of the after-school program is still being developed by the task force, the program will be blocked by age to ensure peer to peer support.

Once the students get out of school, Whitley envisions them gathering in the cafeteria, having a light snack and unwinding from the day before going off to the different programs scheduled for that afternoon.

“All of these different enrichment activities are going to be staggered throughout the month, and (the children) will have the opportunity to pick what interests them,” Whitley said.

For more information on the 21st Century Kids of Northern F.R.A.N.K.L.I.N. call Rileigh or Doug at 207-778-6960.

The Franklin County Children’s Task Force and Regional School Unit 58 received a $1.5 million grant to establish an after-school and summer program for K-8 students in northern Franklin County. From left are community coordinator Rileigh Blanchet,  RSU 58 superintendent Susan Pratt, Task Force executive director Renee Whitley and Task Force manager of educational initiatives Doug Saunders.