Project ASK: Afterschool Science for Kids

Contact:

For Immediate Release

September 22, 2006

John R. Oishei Foundation awards grant to Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo and First Hand Learning, Inc for new afterschool Science Education Partnership.

The John R. Oishei Foundation has awarded $440,000 to First Hand Learning, Inc. and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo to support a three year afterschool science program entitled Project ASK: Afterschool Science for Kids.

The funds provided by the Oishei Foundation will be used to design and implement an afterschool science program at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo. The new program will link children’s out-of-school explorations to the Buffalo Public Schools’ TEAM Science program, which has been cited as an example of a successful and sustainable science education reform program. Project ASK, set to begin this fall at the BGCB’s Babcock Clubhouse, will help prepare teen leaders and afterschool staff members to work with elementary students on engaging science activities developed to boost students’ interest in learning. A project evaluator is being sought to provide critical, evidence-based advice and to determine the extent to which the project succeeds in having a positive impact on the science-related pursuits and test scores of participating students.

Peter Dow, President of First Hand Learning, joined BGCB Chief Professional Officer Diane Rowe in thanking the Oishei Foundation for its generous support. "With this financial assistance we will be able to provide students with informal inquiry experiences that are connected to the formal curriculum of the school classroom. After school is a time when students can expand on their school learning by pursuing their own science investigations." Thomas E. Baker, President of The John R. Oishei Foundation stated, "We are pleased to be a partner in this effort that will offer rich science experiences and mentoring opportunities to children who attend programs at the Buffalo Boys & Girls Clubs."

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo provides daily afterschool programs at 15 sites in the city of Buffalo.  Students between the ages of 6 to 18 are served. Details regarding BGCB programs and locations may be obtained by calling their administrative offices at (716) 825-1016 or at http://www.bgcbuffalo.org

First Hand Learning, Inc. is a Buffalo-based nonprofit corporation founded in 1998 to promote learning from direct experience, inquiry-based teaching, and collaboration between formal and informal educational organizations. Additional information about the organization can be found at www.firsthandlearning.org.