America SCORES Cleveland Middle School Expansion Program

The OJJDP FY 09 Earmarks Programs further the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Explanatory Statement Regarding H.R. 1105 (Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009), 155 Cong. Rec. H1653 (daily ed. Feb. 23, 2009) (statement by Rep. Obey, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the House).

America SCORES Cleveland's (ASC) elementary school program focuses on youth development in the areas of school attendance, academic performance, and overall health and physical well being. The ASC model has also proven successful in reducing the overall risks of unsupervised, after-school time which data shows crime rates are at their highest. Through the middle school expansion program, ASC will be able to continue to offer these opportunities to alumni of the program, as well as other 6th-8th grade students in the schools being served, by providing 3 days per week of structured physical fitness, creative writing and service-learning programming. The overall goals are to Increase social skills such as leadership and teamwork, and connect youth with peers and adults through quality youth development while increasing school attendance; Increase literacy skills by building effective oral and written communication skills through language arts; Improve physical health and increase knowledge of healthier behaviors and activities; Provide nutritional snacks and stress the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle; Provide professional development to public school teachers; and Strengthen student connections to their schools and communities. NCA/NCF