Food bank’s tutoring program needs $30,000 to keep going

Deban Brunette is optimistic the funding will come from somewhere.

The director of educational programs at Neighbour to Neighbour Centre on Limeridge Road West says $30,000 is needed to keep the Math Success tutoring program that began two years ago running for a third year.

The program received $50,000 in seed funding over two years from the Hamilton Community Foundation, but that money has pretty much run out.

“There was always an assumption that we were going to go looking for other funding as well,” said Brunette, adding they are in the process of seeing what grants and other funding is available from various groups and organizations, and applying for it.

While they can wait until the end of the year to confirm the funding, Brunette said, without the money they will have to put the program on hold. “And that would be unfortunate,” she said. The funding covers the cost of two facilitators that oversee the program along with tutor training costs and materials.

It also covers $50 gift cards that are used as incentives for the students to improve their math skills.

Since it began two years ago, the program has helped 52 children in grades 7 and 8 at Westview and Annunciation of Our Lord ele- mentary schools improve their math skills.

“The kids improved their skills last year by 28 per cent, and this year they improved their skills by 35 per cent,” said Brunette, who added they are in the process of writing up a report on the program that ran from February to the end of May.

Students who were referred by their schools to the program took part in structured learning using the Jump Math program.

Seventeen volunteers, including six students from Westmount high school, helped the youngsters with their work that, according to Brunette, included for many of them learning basic arithmetic skills including adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing.

While they are looking for $30,000 to see the program through from next February to May, Brunette said they are also seeking $10,000 to run a short program in the fall to help the students brush up on their basic arithmetic skills before the Math Success initiative resumes in February.

Matt Goodman, vice-president of grants at the Hamilton Community Foundation, said additional funding is possible and it is awaiting the centre’s report before determining whether further Advanced Post-secondary Access (ABACUS) grants will be available.