Res 2018-062/approving the recommendation of the San Marcos Commission on Children and Youth to allocate $50,285 in 2017-2018 Fiscal Year funding for 14 youth programs that contribute to implementation of the Youth Master Plan

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and validate the success of informal science education along with the need for with pre and post tests. Goal 4: Promote college readiness for San Marcos youth and expose them to opportunities that they may not know is available to them. How will they know they met these goals: The free fieldtrip will be offered between the months of September 2018 th and February 2019. The Meadows Center currently offers a free field trip to the 4graders of San Marcos and would th like to offer something similar to the 7graders and include some college preparatory skills. We currently employ twenty college students as environmental interpreters, several who are freshman and can offer good insight for young students getting ready to begin their college planning. We have good connections with the San Marcos schools and th have been asked by one of the Middle School science teachers to offer something similar to our free field trip for the 4 graders to the local middle schools. We have interest from community groups such as the Mermaid Society, who can offer an educational station during this field trip on river guardianship with their mascot Maya the Mermaid. Number of clients served yearly:111,926Number of direct clients served ONLY in San Marcos: 14,327 Amount Requested: $4,785Commission on Children and Youth Recommendation: $3,785 Texas State University Spring Lake Outdoor Education Program (SLOEP) –Texas State University, the City of San Marcos, The Meadows Center, and Goodnight Middle School are partners in Spring Lake Outdoor Education Program (SLOEP). SLOEPis an after-school program that provides outdoor and experiential education opportunities for Goodnight Middle School students. SLOEPteaches participants various outdoor activities while incorporating teamwork, decision making, interpersonal skills, and the improvement of physical and emotional health. SLOEPoffers Goodnight students the chance to work with Texas State University students, meet new friends, and learn about the environment.SLOEPis a free after school program offered for eight weeks each semester to up to 40 students from Goodnight Middle School. The program will run from the time students get out of school to 6:00 pm. This critical after-school time provides additional support to families who may need to work extended hours. During the after-school program, students will havethe opportunity to receive homework tutoring from Texas State College students. After homework time, students will participate in an outdoor activity. Each day 6-12 Texas State University students from the Recreation Administration Program’s leadership class will help facilitate the outdoor experiences. Activities include kayaking, hiking, geocaching, and mountain biking to name a few. These activities will offer students outdoor experiences that may become a healthy option throughout the aging process. SLOEPactivities will also challenge the students physically and mentally by making them communicate and engage with one another –honing social skills. How they will measure program success: Each semester, SLOEP staff administer a survey that helps us to understand the perceptions of participants and their parents. The survey is described above in our measurements section. In addition to the satisfactionssurvey, research is being conducted during the SLOEP program. We are measuring nature connectedness and attitudes towards the environment. We will continue to assess these constructs and examine their impact on student abilities to manage natural resources. We will also garner feedback on activities from the students andadjust the activities based on the student feedback. We will also measure success utilizing weekly attendancerecords. SLOEP will be successful if attendance of our program isconsistently more than 15Goodnight Middle School students per week. This is tracked through an attendance log. We will also measure success through an open communication with Texas State, Goodnight Middle School, and San Marcos Parks and Recreation -Youth Services. Priority Areas that this program will fulfill: The below statements are based on the new reframed priority areas. Outcome/Goal 2 –SLOEP participants engage in many physical activities. Physical activity is approached from a non- traditional perspective that values leisure. Students mayrun 3 miles while geocaching but do not perceive thenegative psychological impacts sometimes associated with traditional exercise –they think it is fun.