We would like to extend our congratulations to Learn to Earn Dayton for recently being awarded a $200,000 grant from the Lumina Foundation to dramatically increase the number of individuals with post-secondary credentials in the Dayton region. Dayton is one of only twenty communities nationwide to partner with Lumina in this grant program. Other Midwest awardees include Cincinnati; Columbus, IN; Fort Wayne, IN; and Kalamazoo, MI.
Lumina’s grant aims to increase the number of people with post-secondary credentials, which will make the local economy stronger and, in turn, provide a better quality of life for individuals and strengthen communities. Outcomes-based goals will be used to measure effectiveness, and awardees will receive the funding over a three year period. One of Learn to Earn’s central goals is to ensure that youth in Montgomery County (which includes Dayton) earn a college degree or a credential—specifically, that by 2025, 55 percent of high school graduates will have achieved some post-secondary attainment within six years of high school graduation.
In addition to Learn to Earn’s award, we also congratulate Dayton Early College Academy (DECA) for winning a $478,241 award in Ohio’s “Straight-A” competitive-grant program. The purpose of the Straight-A Fund is to improve achievement and efficiency by funding innovative projects. DECA was one of just twenty-four grantees among 570 applications to receive funding for the 2013 fiscal year. DECA will use the funds to jump-start a summer-learning program, to improve its use of technology, and to engage parents more effectively in the school. Its program partners include DECA Prep (a Fordham-sponsored charter school), Sinclair Community College, Learn to Earn Dayton, and the University of Dayton.
