Sen. Duff: Norwalk After-School Initiatives to Receive State Support

State Senator Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) joined Governor Dannel P. Malloy on Tuesday to announce that After-School Grant Program awards have been won by the Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk and the Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield County in a competitive statewide process. The awards will help support the organizations’ after-school programs over the next two years, according to a release from Sen. Duff's office.

After-school programs provide a link for communities and families for meaningful engagement in the educational development, recreational activities and well-being of students.  Investments into high-quality after-school programs aid in supporting academic achievement, in addition to improving school attendance and in-school behaviors of the participating students.

“Learning doesn’t have to stop when the bell rings at the end of the school day, and in fact young people get a lot more out of their education when it’s supplemented by great after-school programs," Duff said in the release. "Through these initiatives students will build skills that will stay with them far beyond the classroom. I am very proud to see the Child Guidance Center and the Housing Authority win these supportive grants.”

“Growing existing programs that work and creating new after-school options not only creates a safe environment for our young people, but further supports our ceaseless efforts to level the playing field and begin to eliminate the devastating achievement gap,” Governor Dannel P. Malloy said.

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk will receive $376,504 to support its Helping Youth Through Responsive Education (HYRE) initiative, and the Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield County will receive $226,670 for its Choices for Success After-School Program.

Both of these programs are designed to complement the student’s in-school academic programming and to provide opportunities for parental or guardian involvement. 

The two Norwalk grant recipients were selected by the State Department of Education through a competitive statewide process that considered the strength of recipient’s proposals to address the needs of students in their community, promote parental and community engagement, provide academic enrichment, support the overall wellness of students, and demonstrate strong program organization.