$710,000 OK’d for LR youth programs

City directors approve reimbursements for 21 organizations beginning in June

Little Rock will contract with 21 organizations to provide 27 youth programs throughout the summer and remainder of the year at a cost of a little more than $710,000.

The city funds such programs annually through its Community Programs Department. They are geared toward prevention and intervention, summertime and school break, communitywide enhancement, or academics and recreation.

Fourteen organizations could be reimbursed up to $20,000 each for academic and recreation summer programs for a collective total of $280,000.

They are: ABC Adolescent Center, Our House, Brandon House, the Centers for Youth and Families, Milton Pitts Crenchaw Aviation Academy, Cradle to Prison/ Freedom School, Delta Presents Outreach Foundation, Life Skills for Youth, Songbird Performing Arts, Greater Baptist Care Center, Little Scholar Schools, Camp Positive/Anderson’s Taekwondo, Bridge 2 Success and Tanglewood Day School.

Ten groups will provide citywide enhancement programs for ages 6 to 19. Little Rock will reimburse up to $300,000 total for these programs. Individual contract amounts are to be determined based on services provided. Each program will focus on a particular area of learning.

Providing arts and culture programs will be ABC Adolescent Center, Reach F.A.R.R. and Songbird Performing Arts.

Providing life skills programs will be Arkansas Quality Therapy, Jack Stephens Youth Golf Academy’s First Tee, Junior Achievement of Arkansas and Kingdom Builders.

Milton Pitts Crenshaw Aviation Academy will provide a STEM program.

We Care of Pulaski County will do a health and wellness focused program.

Arkansas Community Dispute Resolution Center’s program will focus on violence prevention.

Lastly, the city will contract with ABC Adolescent Center and Songbird Performing Arts to provide prevention and intervention after-school and summer programs. ABC Adolescent Center will have one program for ages 6 to 11 and a second program for ages 12 to 17. Songbird will provide one program for ages 6 to 11. Each program can receive up to $43,750.

The city will reimburse programs for work done from June 1 through Dec. 31.

The Little Rock Board of Directors approved the spending during its meeting Tuesday.