United Way’s Ready.Set.READ! initiative, which centers on improving early grade reading proficiency, has announced a grant opportunity available to public elementary schools located in Berks County.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect Berks County in ways that were never anticipated. One of the most affected groups has been children who were abruptly sent home when schools closed in March. As schools determine the best approach for fall, Ready.Set.READ!, which has traditionally supported struggling readers by recruiting and training volunteer tutors, has been exploring ways to support students, pre-K including and including up to 3rd grade. “All students have been impacted by pandemic protocols. It is expected the younger the student, the greater the learning loss experienced from lost classroom time and Summer break. Since we cannot be in the schools to work directly with students, we are providing support through a grant opportunity,” said Tammy White from United Way of Berks County.
A summary of the grant opportunity follows, with full details available at United Way’s website at www.uwberks.org. Grant applications will be accepted beginning Wednesday July 29, 2020 through August 9, 2020. Notice of funding will be conveyed by the end of August.
The COVID-19 Education Response Grant provides up to $5,000 to a public elementary school to support areas such as rebounding from learning loss when school resumes in the fall, training staff to apply trauma-informed practices, or parent resources should virtual learning continue. Additional grant criteria follows:
- Berks County Public Elementary schools
- Proposal serves Berks County, Pre-K up to and including 3rd grade.
- One $5,000 maximum grant application per elementary school may be submitted.
- Applications and final report must be electronically submitted via e-CImpact, a software tool accessed via United Way’s website (www.uwberks.org).
Applicants should review the full detail regarding all grant eligibility requirements, as well as the application format, at www.uwberks.org. Grant proposals will be awarded through a competitive process after review by a panel of community volunteers, including representation of United Way and Ready.Set.READ! Board and committee members.
For technical assistance with e-CImpact, the application software tool, please contact Jennifer Tinsman, Community Impact Associate, at [email protected] or 610.685.4576. Any questions related to the proposal should be directed to Cindy Line, Ready.Set.READ! Director, at [email protected] or 610.685.4566.
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