Potlatch 4-H Youth Development program receives grant
Kelli Loftus was running out of funds for an after-school program she ran in the Potlatch School District as part of the University of Idaho Extension Latah County 4-H Youth Development program.
Fortunately for Loftus, a UI Extension associate, her program won a grant from the Idaho State Department of Education worth $159,258, renewable for up to five years.
The Idaho 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) grant was given to 10 recipients this year. The grant is intended to fund efforts toward community involvement, academic support and cultural enrichment.
Loftus said she was happy to receive the grant because she had been competing against much larger school districts in Coeur d’Alene and Boise.
“There’s not a lot of opportunities for things after school in Potlatch,” Loftus said. “You know, there’s sports and Boy Scouts and things like that, but for some kids this is a good thing.”
The after-school program Loftus runs is open to any child in grades first through sixth in the Potlatch School District. Previously, the program had a maximum limit of 30 children, but with the grant, Loftus was able to increase the limit to 50, she said.
The program begins right after school gets out Monday through Thursday. Children in the program are offered activities based on 4-H categories such as healthy living, science, technology, engineering, math and visual or cultural arts.
Loftus said the grant will help keep the program alive, as well as help her meet some of her goals.
She said with the grant money she will hopefully be able to provide transportation services for students in the program who don’t have any. She will also be able to keep opportunities available for an internship for UI students.
The grant will also help fund a smaller summer program, she said. Starting in 2016, the summer program will offer similar activities from the after-school program three weeks into the summer.
Loftus said although the program offers a lot of school-related opportunities, such as helping the children with their homework, she prefers to refer to it as a school enrichment program.
Loftus said she has done a lot of research and has seen that after-school programs like this one can help students later on, which is a big reason why she is glad the state decided to award her funds to keep the program alive.
“Youth enrolled in a 4-H after-school program demonstrate a significant improvement in their life skills during their time in the program,” she said. “It increases their critical thinking and self- responsibility and finally it increases family involvement with children in the school.”
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ErinBamer