By Dr. Laura Barrett
Each summer, while other programs are slowing down, the Title IC program at Educational Service Unit 13 (ESU 13) is gearing up to support students through summer enrichment experiences.Â
Title IC of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as the Migrant Education Program (MEP), is a federally funded, state operated grant to provide funding and support for the education of children from migrant families to ensure that these children fully benefit from the same free public education provided to other children. The mission of the Nebraska Title IC Migrant Education program is to help migratory children and youth meet high academic challenges by overcoming the obstacles created by frequent moves, educational disruption, cultural and language differences, and health-related problems. Eligible students must be ages 3 -21 and yet to graduate from high school. For families to qualify for this educational opportunity they must have moved across school district lines in the past three years and someone who supports the family must work within agriculture. This worker may be a guardian, family friend or the student themselves.
The ESU 13 Title IC team is made up of 17 full time and 15 part time staff spread around our service area. The Title IC program provides services and support to students in 35 communities throughout western Nebraska. This year, our team has served 436 students. Nearly 60% of those received instructional services which could include support inside schools and outside of school, summer school, leadership camps and post secondary planning. Nearly all of those students received support services such as basic needs, educational materials, scholarships, and parent education and resources. As our team has worked to support students with the gap caused from mobility, we’ve had the opportunity to be a part of their educational journey including:
- Helping a senior in high school to apply for college and scholarships. He will be the first generation in his family to attend college!
- We had a new student from Mexico that came to a small town school one month before school ended. When our program was signing up students for summer Adventure day experiences, the student and family were worried that the student would not want to attend since he didn’t know anyone. Our staff went out and spent an afternoon getting to know that student and the family. They made projects like paper airplanes together and the student and parents were excited to have him attend the summer experiences.
- Assisting a family unable to send their child to preschool due to financial hardship. Our program was able to support the family through a scholarship, allowing the student to attend preschool and is now ready for Kindergarten.
- Championing a high school student who showed interest in emergency response post-secondary. Our staff worked with the student to set up a ride along with the North Platte Fire Department and the student is now planning to pursue becoming a paramedic after graduation.
- Providing all of our High School Students with a laptop this spring to help with their high school and post-high school needs.
As we work to meet the needs of students in our Title IC program, we work with the agencies, businesses, schools and communities to provide wrap-around support. Our partnerships with school districts are so important to us. Our districts send us referrals and we are able to provide support services for families. They provide us space where we can work with students. In communities, we work to connect families with services available to them. This summer we partnered with local restaurants in many small towns to provide lunch for students during the Adventure days around the region. During these Adventure days, many of our local organizations were a part of providing enrichment experiences for the students. As we get closer to the end of the summer, one of our newest experiences, youth leadership camp, will be held at Fort Robinson. Middle school students from across the region will come to develop leadership skills and learn together. Through the experiences provided through our Title IC program this summer, we hope that our students will head back to school in the fall excited to continue learning and ready to take on a new year.
If you are interested in learning more about the Title IC program or are curious if your child may be eligible for support through the program, please visit our website. www.esu13.org for more information.