JAY — A program of the Farmington-based Franklin County Children’s Task Force [FCCTF], the 21st Century Community Learning Centers [CCLC] program in Regional School Unit 73 is holding the summer program through Aug. 1.
The Children’s Task Force is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening families and preventing child abuse and neglect through community resource mobilization and advocacy.
The 21st Century Kids of F.R.A.N.K.L.I.N. programs serve students from various schools within the districts, including public and home-schooled students. The program offers a variety of daily and weekly physical, visual and performing arts, STEM, mindfulness, and literacy enrichment activities, according to Renee Whitley, executive director of the Franklin County Children’s Task Force.
The RSU 73 summer camp will take place at Spruce Mountain High School in Jay. It runs through Aug. 1, Monday to Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., excluding July 4. There is a field trip planned July 12 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to Mount Blue State Park.
“We’re really excited to have Crystal Buotte, who is coming over from RSU 10, as the new coordinator for RSU 73,” said Whitley. “Milissa Cousins, who was previously coordinating RSU 73, is now overseeing the MSAD 58 program.”
The 21st Century Kids program has received a $2.2 million, four-year grant from the Maine Department of Education. Whitley said the grant will help support their mission to integrate fun activities with educational components, focusing on literacy, visual and performing arts, nutrition and more.
“It’s a fun camp, but there is also learning integrated into the fun,” Whitley emphasized. Whitley said each camp includes water activities. RSU 73 has water activities which include sprinklers and water play.
Looking ahead, applications for the after-school programs will be available in late Aug. These programs, which run Monday through Thursday, offer tutoring, homework help and various enrichment activities. Last year, RSU 73 had about 120 students enrolled.
For more information, visit their website at www.fcctf.org.
Renee Whitley or Milissa Cousins, the program coordinators can be reached at 207-778-6960 for more details.
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