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physically and mentally healthy. We will ensure that all youth from toddIersthrough 12th grade have access to year- <br />round, high-quaI ity, developmental ly appropriate out-of-school activities that help them develop academical ly, <br />emotionallyand physicallythrough our Family Fun Day programming. We will build engaging and supportive networks <br />and systems throughout thee ducation lifecycle. We will ensure thatch iIdren have access to high -quality toys, books and <br />spacesthat promote early learning, and we will build systems to ensure that our program meets quality standards. <br />Outcome/GOAL4:Our program will improve the overall quality of IifeforSan Marcos families and youth. Our program <br />expansion will ensure access for young people across the community. This expansion of our community outreach <br />programmingwill ensure that is available at appropriate times and locations and with fee structures that meet the <br />needs of working famiIiesand young people. We will explore pub Iic-privatepartnershipswith the MermaidSocietyand <br />other methods toe nsurethat the cost of participating in our Family Fun Days are fee for famiIies. We wiI I use volunteers <br />through the Texas State University student organization Bobcat Stream Team and Art Cats to develop low cost, fun and <br />effective programming. Ourprogram will improve communications, coordination and community engagement in <br />support of children and youth. This will increase community awareness about our available programs and services <br />helping families know of our programming. Our proactive social media team will organize creative, broad-based <br />promotional campaign that wiII include spreading aware nessthrough electronic media (Face book, city website, etc.) <br />Goals for the program: Goa 11: Provide San Marcos fami I ies with 9free youth program mingopportunities. <br />Goal 2: Provide San Marcos youth programming to at Ieast 300 peopletote achthem about nature, science, the <br />environment, conservation, and sustainability ofthe irown watershed. <br />Goal 3: Provide youth with high-quality, developmentally appropriate out-of-school activitiesthat help them develop <br />academically, emotionally and physically. <br />How will they know they met these goals: Family Fun Days waste st piloted in Fall of 2016, and we have continued <br />offering the program after its success. FamiIiesthat have attended indicated they would like to see more community <br />programming in the future. We would like to expand this program to be able to continue to offer it monthly on <br />Saturdays to a larger audience and increase our impact on the a udiencesserved. We have an intern in place from Texas <br />State University who is dedicated to expanding this programming as part of her internship at Texas State University. We <br />have interest from community and stud entgroupssuchasArt Cats at Texas State and Texas Stream Team student <br />organ izati on who wou I d I ike to work with us on community programming. We wi I I have strong attend ancetothis <br />program because it is free of charge. We also have good connections with San Marcos schools, a prom inentsocial media <br />presence, and a strong history within the San Marcos community. <br />Number of clients served yearly: 111,926 Number of direct clients served ONLY in San Marcos: 14,327 <br />Amount Requested: $3,600 Commission on Children and Youth Recommendation: $2,880 <br />Texas State University <br />Spring Lake Outdoor Education Program (SLOEP) — Texas State University, the City of San Marcos, The Meadows Center, <br />and Goodnight Middle School are partners in Spring Lake Outdoor Education Program (SLOEP). SLOEP is an after-school <br />program that provides outdoor and experiential education opportunities for Goodnight Middle School students. SLOEP <br />teaches participants various outdooractivities while incorporatingteam work, decision making, interpersonal skills, and <br />the improvement of physical and emotional health. SLOEP offers Goodnight students the chance to work with Texas <br />State University students, meet newfriends, learn, and learn aboutthe environment. <br />How they will measure program success: Each semester, SLOEP staff administer a survey that helps us to understand <br />the perceptions of participants and their parents. The survey is described above in our measurements section. <br />In addition tothe satisfactions survey, research is being conducted duringthe SLOEP program. Weare measuring nature <br />connectedness and attitudes towards the environment. We wi I I conti nueto assess these constructs and examine their <br />impact on student abi I ities to manage natural resources. We will also garnerfeedback on activities from the students <br />