Educational Safe House expands to library branch
Contact: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The Educational Safe House program, which provides one-on-one tutoring, mentoring and structured activities in a community-based environment, has received the go-ahead to open another site at the Village branch of the Lexington Public Library.
The expansion grant is worth $75,000 a year for three years, with two years of additional funding based on performance. It comes through the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant program, which is administered by the Kentucky Department of Education, for out-of-school academic and enrichment initiatives.
Dozens of middle and high school students already use the Safe House program, which was launched four years ago by Principal Mark Sellers at the Martin Luther King Jr. Academy for Excellence. Other host sites include the Center for Technical Education, the University of Kentucky and Consolidated Baptist Church.
“The whole purpose is to provide a safe environment to enhance educational supports for this segment of our community,” said Lynda Frazier, the grant manager at MLK Academy.
She thanked Village branch manager Betty Abdmishani for being receptive to the idea and said operations would begin this summer. Organizers will target nearby pools of students at Leestown and Beaumont Middle and Paul Laurence Dunbar High, although all students will be welcome.
“That is an area where we don’t have a lot of participants from, so it just kind of fit our need,” Frazier said, noting the sites are now spread out around town.
The Educational Safe House leaders will also try to mold the Village branch site into a true community learning center, offering safety courses like CPR and ESL classes. A big advantage is that all the library staff members are bilingual, which should help facilitate communication and understanding between families and those invested in their students’ education.
The Village branch is at 2185 Versailles Road.
For more information, email Lynda Frazier or call (859) 381-4040.
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