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Greetings Learn24 Grantee,
The Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes (OST Office) will continue to provide updates during the current public health emergency. Last Thursday, the OST Office hosted a conference call to answer questions related to the grant and future grants. Below, please find responses to concerns grantees expressed on that call:
Grants
- The announcement of Summer Strong 2020 grant awards has been delayed until the public health emergency has ended and there is a clearer timeline for the school calendar.
- The Fiscal Year 2021 budget is scheduled to be released on May 6, 2020. Once the budget has been released, the OST Office will decide if there will be a competition for Fiscal Year 2021. The OST Office is committed to the continuation grants.
- Organizations that are currently in the third year of continuation grant funding will need to recompete if there is an open competition. That expectation has not changed.
- Consider applying to provide OST Programs for Essential District Workers During a Public Health Emergency. The application is attached.
Expenses
- During this time, it is strongly encouraged that organizations provide their staff with the various virtual professional development opportunities available through the Weikart Center and The Institute for Youth Development (The Institute). To register individuals for the Weikart online workshop, contact Kevin Cataldo at Kevin.Cataldo@dc.gov. Organizations should track staff attendance and hours for professional development. These hours are permitted expenses for the grant.
- Learn24 strongly encourages organizations to continue supporting youth and families either through learning at home resources, book clubs, one-on-one phone calls, web-based meetings, or other virtual means to connect with participants. OST providers are encouraged to find ways to continue building relationships with participants.
- Expenses related to professional development, virtual learning, and other means of communication with youth are approved grant expenses.
Other Topics
- Grantees should anticipate resuming programming on April 27th or after the public health emergency has ended.
- Organizations should use this time to ensure attendance is recorded into Cityspan through March 13th.
- From March 14th to date, organizations may continue to track interactions/attendance with youth but reporting that attendance in Cityspan is not required and will not affect the grantee’s performance. Tracking attendance is a best practice and may be required if the Office of the DC Auditor conducts a review in the future.
Next steps
- All organizations must contact Debra Eichenbaum, Grants Management Specialist, at Debra.Eichenbaum@dc.gov with the program’s current closure status, learning at home plan, and ongoing professional development opportunities.
- Organizations mentioned the need to connect and learn from each other. If you or another team member is interested in connecting with other youth development programs and professionals, please enter the information on this contact spreadsheet only accessible to Learn24 grantees. This is optional and will not be managed by the OST Office.
We thank you for your time and commitment to providing quality opportunities for youth in the District. Feel free to reach out to Learn24@dc.gov with additional questions or concerns.
For resources and additional information on the District of Columbia Government’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19), please visit coronavirus.dc.gov.
Sincerely,
The OST Office
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