$8 Million Grant Funds KLICK!
Expansion
11 More Middle Schools To
Get Innovative After-School Program
MSU and a consortium of middle schools were awarded an $8.2 million federal grant that will pave the way for a major expansion of the innovative after-school program known as KLICK! (Kids Learning in Computer Klubhouses).KLICK!, created in 1998 with a $2 million federal grant, initially established clubhouses in nine urban and rural middle schools ranging from Detroit to DeTour in the Upper Peninsula.
The $8 million grant will allow 11 more middle schools to establish clubhouses and join the expanding network. It is estimated that the program will now serve more than 5,000 Michigan students and more than 6,000 community members.
New sites will include Battle Creek, Bay City, Bear Lake, Clare, Custer, Laingsburg, Muskegon and Watersmeet.
"This is a major step forward for KLICK! and everyone associated with it," said Yong Zhao, assistant professor of educational psychology and director of the project. "We are more than doubling the size of the KLICK! network and making it possible for more students to become engaged in their learning through the use of computers and digital equipment.
"I think the grant is an indication of the impact the project has already had on KLICK! students."
The three-year, $8.2 million grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the focus of which is to provide expanded learning opportunities for participating children in a safe, drug-free and supervised environment.
The program allows schools to stay open longer to provide learning opportunities for children and adults through such this as tutoring and homework help, enrichment through the arts and technology education.
The grant was announced by President Clinton in late May.