Res 2019-079/approving the recommendation of the San Marcos Commission on Children and Youth to allocate $63,750 in 2018-2019 Fiscal Year funding for 21 youth programs that contribute to implementation of the Youth Master Plan

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are physical I y and me nta I ly he a Ithy by increasing access to cleve I op me nta I activities, opportunities, and supports to the 7th graders of San Marcos ISDand ensuring access across the community. We will be increasing access to Spring Lake, the headwaters of the San Marcos River, by providing scholarships to attend afield tripthattheywould not otherwise be able to experience. This program will allow students to know that our facility is free and open to the publ icyear- round. Additionally, we will be improving student and teacherengagement by providingthem with engaging curriculum and takingthern out of the classroom, bridging informal and formal learning environments. Ourcurriculum meets quality standards by beingTEKS aligned. This experience will be place -based learning on Texas State University campus, taught by college students. Outcome/Goal 3: We will help ensure that San Marcos will have a college and career ready workforce capable of attractingindustryto improve economic development and quality of life by instilling students with excitementfor exploring college opportunities. This program will be on Texas State University campus, and ourstudentworkerswill act as mentors providing students with an introduction to possible on -campus jobsthat are available at Texas State University. Also, ourworkers can introduce the studentstothe possibility of Federal work study and financial aid, which many of our workers receive. Outcome/Goal 4: Our program will help improve the overall quality of life forSan Marcos families and youth by improving communications, coordination, and community engagements in support of the children and youth. This will increase community awareness about our available programs and services. Goals for the program: Goal 1: Provide a free fieldtrip in an informal setting for all 7th graders in the San Marcos ISD. Goal 2: Provide youth with high-quality, developmentally appropriate, out-of-school activitiesthat help them develop academically, emotionally, and physically and addressesthe children's nature deficit disorder. Goal 3: Evaluate and validate the success of informal science education along with the need forwith pre -and post-tests_ Goal 4: Promote college readiness forSan Marcos youth and expose them to opportunitiesthatthey may not know is available tothem. How will they know they met these goals: The free fie I dtri p will be offered between the months of September 2019 and February 2020. The Meadows Centeroffered a free field trip tothe 7th graders of San Marcos and would like to offer the experience again to the 71h graders and include some college preparatory skills. We currently employtwenty college students as environmental interpreters, several who are freshman, that can offergood insightforyoung students getting readyto begin their college planning. We have good connections with the San Marcos schools and have been asked by one of the Middle School science teachers to continue offering ourfree field trip forthe local middle schools. We have interest from otherfunders and have a partial cost of the field trip covered. Number of clients served yearly: 111,926 Number of direct clients served ONLY in San Marcos: 14,327 Amount Requested: $2,940 Commission on Children and Youth Recommendation: $2,940 Texas State Universitv Meadows Centerfor Waterand the Environment. Spring Lake Education Program Spring Lake Family Fun Days—The Meadows Ce nter currently provides 12 Fami ly Fun Days on Saturdays throu ghoutthe year. The programming includesthe topics of art and nature, science, the environment, conservation, and watershed sustainability. The programs are open to the public and free for families to participate. Programming will involve hands- on games, activities, and crafts for children, with a different related theme each day. We plan to reach at least 300 participants each yearwith our program. We are requesting fundingfor 9 of our Family Fun Days, which will result in programming materials forfuture dates. How they will measure program success: An attendance sheet will be filled out duringeach event. Data collected will include numberoffamily members, ages of children, and city of residence. Families will be asked to fill out a short survey about theirexperience during Family Fun Days at The Meadows Center. Incentives will be given to encourage that the surveys will be completed, including free ordiscounted boat rides. Results will be tabulated and reported. Feedback will be used to modify the program as needed. Priority Areas that this program will fulfill: Outcome/GOAL2: Our program will make sure that all children are