GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Creating "A Path Forward" is now even more achievable for children in West Michigan and across our state.
The Michigan Department of Education awarded nearly 130 out-of-school time organizations a piece of a $50 million pot, the largest such grant in state history.
"It was incredibly overwhelming," said Christy Carlin Knetsch, the executive director at New City Kids in Grand Rapids, one of the recipient programs.
"We teach teens how to both get a job and keep a job," Carlin Knetsch explained.
Those teens — about 60 of them — act as mentors and instructors for more than 100 kids in first though eighth grade.
“Those same positive messages that they're hearing at home, and at school from the adults in their life, they see teenagers who are living that out," Carlin Knetsch said. "They are then inspired to become those great role models who they see.”
New City Kids is just one shining example of organizations in Michigan helping youth explore their potential.
State leaders recognized the importance of such programs, and over the summer, announced a $50 million grant to boost those services.
On Tuesday, nearly 130 recipients were announced, including New City Kids, which will be getting $235,200 to be split between its Grand Rapids and Detroit locations.
“A lot of this funding is going to help us to continue to offer free after school care and free summer programming where kids can learn new skills, they can grow as artists — they have great opportunities to explore their potential," Carlin Knetsch said.
New City Kids is one of about 40 members of the Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) Network, created to ensure quality after-school programming exists in the Grand Rapids and Kent County area.
Dr. Shayla Young, the network's coordinator, knows firsthand how this funding can impact a young person's life.
“Out-of-school time programming really changed my life," she said. "It introduced me into a career pathway, working with youth, working with children. That was exposure that I would not have gained had I not had access to quality out-of-school time programs here in Grand Rapids.”
Young said only four after-school programs in West Michigan got state funding in 2022. This year, it's 24.
Carlin Knetsch said the $50 million figure tells a similar story, considering it's double what the state set aside for these programs last year.
“This type of state support has been unprecedented in Michigan," Carlin Knetsch said. "For us to have our state leaders in the legislature, our governor, behind after-school programming is making a world of difference — not just to New City Kids, but to the entire out-of-school time community here in Michigan.”