Ohio Nonprofit Receives $850,000 for Afterschool Youth Program
Ohio Nonprofit Receives $850,000 for Afterschool Youth Program
CINCINNATI– (August 26, 2024)–The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) recently awarded the Partnership for Innovation for Education (PIE) a 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) funded program. The 5-year federal government award of $850,000 funds community learning center programming at Aiken New Tech High School offering academic enrichment and youth development opportunities for students who attend predominantly high-poverty and lower-performing schools.
The Department awarded $45,705,710 of federal funding for Fiscal Year 2025. PIE was one of 263 grantees which received continuation funding based on prior-year grant awards totaling $46,916,344.
All 21st CCLC funded programs must:
- Provide opportunities for academic enrichment to assist students in meeting the state academic standards;
- Offer students access to a broad array of additional services, such as those that focus on youth development, student wellness, civic engagement, and nutritional and physical health;
- Offer adult family members of program participants opportunities for educational development and engagement in their children’s education.
All 21st CCLC programs include a partnership with at least one school and one community organization with a demonstrated record of success in designing and implementing before-school, after-school, summer learning or expanded learning time activities.
The Partnership for Innovation in Education (PIE) is deploying afterschool literacy and mathematics tutoring, in addition to afterschool clubs allowing students to explore careers in unmanned drone pilot technology, electric engine-powered automotive motorsports, robotics engineering, business management, alternative energy sustainability, advanced manufacturing and advanced mobility. The experiential program prepares students for careers offering industry recognized credentials (IRC) to students in socioeconomically challenged neighborhoods.
This PIE 21st CCLC program features rigorous academic achievement and workforce objectives. It is aligned with the U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $5 billion in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure State funds and $2.5B in discretionary grants. Ohio has a competitive advantage to attract affiliated industry investments, and create new job opportunities in the design, assembly, operations, and maintenance of Electric Vehicles and affiliated industries. Coined the “Silicon Heartland”, Ohio has become a magnet for EV innovation, product development and manufacturing growth, with massive expansions and new advanced manufacturing sites. The Ohio Manufacturing Association forecasts 25K jobs will be available for Ohio’s workforce requiring unique skill set credentialing to support EV development spanning aerospace, manufacturing, automotive & advanced mobility. Currently, Ohio is facing a critical shortage of skilled trades workers, due to an aging workforce & limited awareness in all trades.
Aiken Principal, Lisa Votaw, stated: “PIE has been a Cincinnati Public Schools and Aiken New Tech HS partner since 2013. We are excited to continue PIE’s award-winning afterschool programming that prepares CPS students for Ohio’s workforce needs. We value organizational partners who are community- and student-centered, providing equitable access to job training in high quality and in-demand careers. We look forward to continuing to work together ensuring more young people have access to succeed in today’s marketplace.”
“We are honored to have received our second year of 21st CCLC continuation funding from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. We are committed to providing students the opportunity to increase their academic achievement, literacy, mathematics, and “real life” career-based experiences in Southwest Ohio. Our award-winning programs enable students to experience a variety of ‘learning and doing’ skillsets spread across a variety of Ohio’s in-demand industries. These SW Ohio students will be the first to qualify for Ohio’s leading occupations beginning in 2025,” said Mary Welsh Schlueter, PIE Founder and CEO.
About Partnership for Innovation in Education (PIE)
Established in 2009 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Partnership for Innovation in Education (PIE) develops transformational educational and industry skill certification tools preparing the 21st century workforce for success in the global marketplace. As a career readiness, talent pipeline and workforce development partner with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, DriveOhio and Cincinnati Public Schools, PIE features first-ever career simulation, industry skills credentialing, and mentoring alliances with business, education and arts organizations, providing hands-on learning leading to job prequalification inside the K-16 classroom. PIE is a 501c3 nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, awarded the GuideStar Nonprofit “Platinum” Ranking and is an Ohio School District Partner. For more information, visit https://piemedia.org or follow @PIE_Innovation on X (Formerly Twitter).