The Jessye Norman School of the Arts has been awarded a Building Opportunities in Out-of- School Time (BOOST) Grant, as part of Georgia’s American Rescue Plan funding. Administered by the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network, this grant is one of 104 awards granted across Georgia, totaling over $27 million in aid for Georgia Out-of-School Programs, with an estimated 160,000 youths served in total.

Each BOOST Grant is a three-year grant renewed annually, designed to help after school and out-of-school programs expand access to serve more students, reduce barriers to access, and improve overall programmatic quality.

“The grant is an incredible opportunity for the school,” says JNSA’s Executive Director, Gary Dennis. “Coming out of the pandemic, I think it’s natural for any organization to have anxiety about how operations and funding will work as everything comes back to life. To know that we now not only have more economic security, but also opportunities to create new arts experiences and serve more students [through the BOOST Program]- it’s exciting and reassuring.”

JNSA serves hundreds of students every year through it free after school program and summer arts camp programs. Attendance is completely free for all students, and the school commits to admitting a student body that is 70-75% low-to-moderate income.

“We think the arts are really important for a student’s whole development, and especially their educational development,” says Dennis. Indeed, the school is proud to boast that 80-90% of JNSA students score as Proficient Learners according to GA Milestones Standards, outperforming their peers at the state, national, and local levels. “We operate from a guiding belief that all students should have access to quality after school education and fine arts instruction, regardless of their background or economic circumstance. The BOOST Grant will help us continue to do that.”

With new funds from BOOST, JNSA intends to serve more students, create literacy and financial literacy programs, and produce more learning materials that are accessible to students with sensory disabilities.
To learn more about JNSA, you can follow them on social media, or visit their website at www.jessyenormanschool.org.