GEORGIA REFUGEE YOUTH PROGRAM SERVICE ANALYSIS - 2010-2011 Define Issue Given the current economic climate, it is pivotal that government resources are used to -maximum efficiency. The purpose of this analysis is to determine the overall effectiveness of contracted Youth Program Services for the past year. Description The State of Georgia Department of Human Services Refugee Program Unit funded a Youth Program for refugee school-age children. This included an after-school program for 10 months of the year and a summer camp for 2 months. International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Refugee Family Services (RFS) provided Youth Programs for refugee youth, who lived in the US for 5 years or less. Both agencies conducted an afterschool program and a summer camp program. IRC served youth ages 12 - 18 and RFS served youth ages 5 13. IRC served mostly high school students and RFS students were mainly elementary and middle school. Funds Allocated: Total IRC RFS Total IRC RFS Afterschool Program Cost per Unit = $125.00 Units Allocated Funds Allocated Units Expended 1378 $172,301.00 1351 450 $56,250.00 423 928 $116,051.00 928 Summer Camp Cost per Unit = $300.00 Units Funds Allocated Units 204 $61,200.00 228 100 $30,000.00 124 104 $31,200.00 104 Funds Expended $168,926.00 $52,875.00 $116,051.00 Funds Expended $68,325.00 $37,125.00 $31,200.00 Y out h Prog ram Exp ense C o mparisons 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% $30,000 $56,250 IRC $ 3 1, 2 0 0 $116 , 0 5 1. 00 T ot al cost of Summer camp T otal cost Af ter school RFS Within both programs a total of # 317 (unduplicated) refugee children were served, males = 151 and females = 166. From 09/30/2010 09/29/2011, a total of 665 schoolaged children were new arrivals: males = 351 females = 314. The largest groups were Bhutanese and Burmese and Iraqi. These services were provided to refugee youth living in DeKalb County, primarily the cities of Decatur, Clarkston, and Stone Mountain. Total Males Females New arrivals 665 351 314 (school age children) Children Served 317 151 166 Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family & Children Services Refugee Programs Unit Funded by Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Program Analysis Although the performance outcome goals are similar, the programs offered by IRC and RFS vastly differ. IRC Youth Futures Program after-school, a 3-hour, five-day-a-week operates August through May at Clarkston High School (CHS), and the DeKalb International Student Center (ISC). Staff focused on conducting assessments of English Literacy levels of students at DHHS and ISC, while counselors at CHS focused on establishing effective study skills and last minute preparation for standardized testing. Students at all sites were able to access onsite computer labs to use online tutorials in English Literacy and reading comprehension. Students were also able to use computer time to conduct research on special projects and assignments. Daily lessons at ISC cover reading and writing in small groups and independently as needed. ISC students also participate in a number of community services projects and mainstream field trips in order to acclimate to their new home in the United States. IRC offered afterschool program throughout the school year. The academic focus for the high students at Clarkston High School (CHS) consisted of increasing study skills and providing individual tutoring sessions in English, Science and Mathematics. CHS students also participate in a variety of career and vocational-based field trips to increase interest in education beyond high school graduation. Test preparation is another strong program component at both campuses since many students are required to take standardized tests throughout the school year. At both locations students have access to the Internet and computers to assist with homework, research and software programs that promote visual learning. Increased computer access at the local schools has proven to be invaluable to the refugee youth served at both campuses. IRC Summer Camp Enrichment Program gave refugee youth a full 10 weeks of summer program activities and learning opportunities with a focus on community and cultural orientation. The weekly topics coincided with lessons and associated outings. The themes included: Introduction to post-secondary education, safety and transportation, physical education and fitness, volunteerism and community service, just to name a few. This program year the summer camp enrichment program focused on youth who arrived during the last months of the school year and those that were in the most need of educational and community orientation activities. Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family & Children Services Refugee Programs Unit Funded by Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Page 2 of 4 RFS afterschool program served refugee students from Indian Creek Elementary and Freedom Middle Schools, as well as various surrounding apartment complexes. Students participated in many daily activities including English Language Instruction (ELI), Computer Lab Instruction, life skills lessons, outdoor time, homework time and other enrichment activities. Each month, 3 weeks of lessons were tied to the Georgia Performance Standards for each student's grade level. All lessons utilized English Language learning techniques. Once a month, the lesson was tied to a life skills goal. One lesson focused on bullying- how to recognize different types of bullying, and how to handle instances of bullying. Students also worked on daily CRCT problem-solving activity at the beginning of each computer class, to prepare for the standardized tests that were taken in the spring. All lessons, academic and life skills-related were created to ensure that the content in the classroom and the computer lab were closely correlated. RFS Summer Camp activities included "Drop Everything and Read" (DEAR) Program, content-based English lessons, computer lessons, outside time and field trips. Many of the students attending afterschool program, attend the summer program so there is a continuum of learning. Summer camp students learned and benefitted from lessons and activities planned on the topics of science, math, social studies, music, art drama and dance. 88.5% of the students enrolled increased their total reading abilities as measured by a pre and post assessment. The field trips included the Georgia Aquarium, Stone Mountain Educational Center, the Fernbank Planetarium, Centennial Olympic Park, the Carter Center, and "Imagine it" Children's Museum. Also, the students attended various swimming pools and a community garden. IRC & RFS Youth Program s Females Males Total # youth served # New arrivals school-age 0 200 400 600 800 Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family & Children Services Refugee Programs Unit Funded by Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Page 3 of 4 Methodology This analysis was comprised from the following sources: The Annual Comprehensive Monitoring Review, the Service Provision Guidelines Performance Expectations/Outcomes and the Trimester Reports. Recommendation Youth Services helped refugee children improve their reading and mathematics skills, advanced their computer literacy and effectively promoted parental involvement in their children's education. It also assisted refugee students and parents to become acculturated to the United States Education System. Therefore, it is recommended that the Georgia DHS Refugee Programs Unit continue to fund the Refugee Youth Program, as it provided an invaluable service to the community. Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family & Children Services Refugee Programs Unit Funded by Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Page 4 of 4