The Georgia Department of Education, in partnership with the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network, is awarding more than $11 million in Building Opportunities in Out-of-School Time (BOOST) grants to expand afterschool and summer learning. A Cumming organization is one of the grant recipients.
Previously provided with American Rescue Plan funds, BOOST grants are now state-funded. This round of grants provides $11.5 million in grants to three statewide organizations and 60 community-based organizations to expand access to and improve the quality of afterschool and summer learning opportunities across Georgia. Grantees will provide comprehensive out-of-school time programming over the summer months, after school during the academic year, or year-round.
Cumming-based Next Generation Focus, Inc., is getting $207,000.
Continuing the grants aligns with GaDOE’s 2025 legislative priorities, which called for funding afterschool and summer learning programs to expand instructional time, address learning loss, and support working families.
“The availability of high-quality afterschool and summer learning is an essential part of our educational landscape in Georgia,” State Schools Supt. Richard Woods said. “These programs are relied on by families, they reinforce learning that takes place in the classroom, and they expand opportunities for students.”