Amid a recent countywide increase in unhoused students, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Vice President Otto Lee has ensured that $15,000 in grant money will go to the Bay Area Tutoring Association (BATA).
The urgently provided grant money marks the formation of a McKinney-Vento Tutoring Pilot Program called Bound For Success, which is now up and running for the 2024-25 school year. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance act is a decades-old U.S. federal law supporting homeless Americans. But according to a BATA press release, more than homelessness per se will be addressed by the new program:
“This pilot aims to reduce chronic absenteeism, increase literacy rates, G.E.D., high school diploma completion, and college readiness among homeless families in Santa Clara County,” read the release.
Between 2019 and 2023, the unhoused student population in Santa Clara County has been on the rise, to the tune of 85% across that time period. Moreover, a United Way study from 2023 found that San Jose currently has more homeless youth living there than any city in the U.S.
Bound for Success: The McKinney-Vento Tutoring Pilot Program will provide one-on-one tutoring services to improve the executive functioning and enhance the college readiness of up to 50 unhoused teenagers. Relevant subject areas shall include Math, Literacy, and Problem-Solving.
Said Chris Norwood, BATA’s Founding Director, “This grant is a crucial first step in addressing the unique educational challenges faced by homeless families, including unstable living situations, lack of safe study spaces, and frequent school changes resulting in lower academic achievements and higher dropout rates. We are grateful for Vice President Otto Lee’s support in funding Bound for Success: The McKinney-Vento Tutoring Pilot Program, designed to bring hope and stability to these vulnerable families by providing the resources they need to succeed in school and life.”
Those wishing to support Bound for Success can do so here.
