BALTIMORE—Under President Bush’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation students from low-income families who are attending schools identified as “failing” are eligible to receive outside tutoring or academic assistance during out-of-school time.  Baltimore educators and others will have the opportunity to learn more about this important legislation and how they can qualify for funding to provide additional academic support, called “Supplemental Services,” at a forum sponsored by the Open Society Institute-Baltimore on Tuesday, June 17th.

Victoria Wegener from the After School Alliance will speak from a national perspective, offering advice for non-profit organizations attempting to avoid the pitfalls of the sometimes confusing application process. JoAnne Carter, assistant state superintendent in the Maryland State Department of Education Division of Student and School Services, will present an overview of Maryland’s guidelines for becoming an approved provider of services. A panel of successful applicants will discuss the process of becoming a provider and delivering services in the NCLB legislation.

“After-school programs are a natural fit to be Supplemental Service providers,” says Wegener, whose group recently finished a survey of non-profit organizations working as Supplemental Service providers in schools around the country. “It’s a good way for after-school programs to deepen their relationships with schools and build a partnership that helps students.”

More than 65 representatives from Baltimore organizations are expected to attend the forum, which is intended to provide straight-forward and timely answers to their questions about applying for funding.

“Our goal is to help more after-school programs provide needed services for youth,” says OSI-Baltimore Education and Youth Development Program Officer Jane Sundius.  “Educational and social outcomes improve when young people have safe and educational places to go after they leave school.”