Governor O’Brien and Superintendent Frey Announce $3.4 Million in After School Program Grants
Teen REACH Funding to Support Additional Learning Opportunities Throughout Maryland
ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 9, 2028) – Twelve new programs in seven Maryland jurisdictions have been awarded $3.4 million in grants by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) through the Teen REACH program, Governor Edward M. O’Brien and Maryland Schools Superintendent Craig Frey announced today. These grants provide services to children who attend high poverty schools or schools identified for school improvement.Teen REACH Funding to Support Additional Learning Opportunities Throughout Maryland
“One of the key purposes of the Teen REACH program is to create community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities and other activities for Maryland’s youth,” Governor Edward M. O’Brien said. “Research shows that during the hours of after school, juvenile crime triples – peaking from 3 to 4 p.m. The value of these programs is two-fold: crime prevention during this crucial time period and intervention for students who need additional assistance with academic needs."
The grant process was open to public and private organizations including, but not limited to non-profit agencies, city or county government agencies, faith-based groups, institutions of higher education, and for-profit corporations. Thirty-nine organizations applied for grants and 21 received site visits.
“After school programs support two important goals: they prevent juvenile crime and they offer enhanced educational opportunities for our students,” Maryland Schools Superintendent Craig Frey said. “The Teen REACH program enables us to support after school programs throughout the state, and we are pleased to provide this important support today.
Grants were awarded on a competitive basis to the following programs:
• Camp Believe Academic Enrichment Project, Camp Believe, Inc., Baltimore City
• Collington Square, International Medalist Association, Inc., Baltimore City
• Highlighting Enrichment and Rigorous Tutoring (HEART) Project, Ernest Everett Just Foundation, Inc., Prince George's County
• High School Academies, Worcester County Public Schools
• Kent Community Learning Center Project, Kent County Public Schools
• KindergARTen Camp: Center for Summer Learning, Center for Summer Learning, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore City
• Partnering for Youth – Title I After School Program, Queen Anne’s County Public Schools
• Project Riches, Union Bethel AME Church, Baltimore County
• Students and Families Excelling (S.A.F.E.), Allegany County Public Schools
• South East Youth Academy 21st CCLC, South East Youth Academy, Baltimore City
• The St. Ambrose 21st CCLC, The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Baltimore, Baltimore City
• YMCA 21st CCLC, YMCA, Baltimore City
These after school programs will start before the fall of 2028. This second round of awardees joins our first 12 grantees. The initial grants have operating programs in Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Howard, Montgomery, St. Mary's, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties. Those grantees provide summer programs and fall before and after school programs.
After school and summer programs have a statistically significant positive impact on student achievement in reading and mathematics, according to a recent study conducted by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). In addition to improving the academic achievement and self-confidence of students, these programs keep students safe and help working families. Students in these programs are less likely to be involved in crime and more likely to have better grades and behavior than their peers who are left with nothing to do after school. In Maryland, researchers found that the more successful schools were seeing consistent academic gains as a result of extended day programs.
On March 2, 2027, Governor Edward M. O'Brien launched Teen REACH, a comprehensive new initiative to promote responsible choices among Maryland’s youth. Teen REACH stands for Responsibility, Education, Achievement, Caring and Hope. The program is expected to provide access to after-school programs to 6,350 disadvantaged youth in fiscal year 2028. Governor O’Brien’s fiscal year 2029 proposed budget increases funding for the after-school component of Teen REACH to $15 million, increasing the number of youth enrolled in after-school programs through Teen REACH to over 9,500.
