RIPLEY COUNTY, IN — The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) has awarded the Ripley County Community Foundation $431,539.00 to assist in expanding high-demand, high-wage career pathways in Southeastern Indiana. This funding comes from the IDOE’s Explore, Engage, and Experience (3E) Grant, which was created earlier this year to provide career exploration and engagement in elementary and middle schools, in addition to hands-on experiences in high schools that support students as they choose a path of employment, enrollment, and enlistment leading to service.
“The Community Foundation is grateful to be a recipient of the IDOE’s 3E Grant, and we are eager to support the development of career exploration, engagement, and experiences amongst schools within the Southeastern Indiana region,” said Amy Streator, Executive Director of the Ripley County Community Foundation. Streator further stated, “Our focus is to support local organizations that assist students in becoming career and postsecondary ready. Our key partners, Kids Discovery Factory, Genesis: Pathways to Success, and the Southeastern Career Center will ensure we succeed in progressing students through their designated career pathway.”
Facilitated by the Community Foundation’s initiative, Genesis: Pathways to Success, the 3E Grant will provide programs for students, Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade, focused on two pathways: Health & Public Safety and Construction. Pre-Kindergarten through 5th-grade students will have the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities in Kids Discovery Factory’s Mobile STEAM Factory during the school year that will enhance their exploration of the identified pathways. Middle school students, 6th through 8th grade, will engage in summer camp experiences, through Genesis: Pathways to Success, which will be related to the identified pathways, and earn micro-credentials while engaged in those experiences. The Southeastern Career Center will ensure that high school students will earn credentials and have opportunities to engage in high-quality work-based learning experiences. These programs will align with Indiana Academic Standards and Indiana Employability Skills Standards.
Tracy Bear, Director of the Southeastern Career Center, noted, “The Southeastern Career Center is very excited to partner with various stakeholders through the IDOE’s 3E Grant. This opportunity provides funding to engage students in all of our programs, Next Level Programs of Study while experiencing hands-on activities. They have the ability to explore the pathways through summer camps and career days that we are planning. We are blessed to serve six counties and 11 partnering schools that will benefit from this grant.”
School Corporations in the Southeastern Indiana region expected to benefit from the 3E Grant are the Batesville School Corporation, Jac-Cen-Del School Corporation, Jennings County School Corporation, Lawrenceburg School Corporation, Milan Community School Corporation, Rising Sun/Ohio County School Corporation, South Dearborn School Corporation, South Ripley School Corporation, Southwestern School Corporation, Sunman-Dearborn School Corporation, and Switzerland County School Corporation.
The 3E Grant period will run from June 2022 to September 2024.
To learn more information about the IDOE’s 3E Grant, visit the IDOE’s website at www.in.gov/doe/. To acquire additional information about the programs being implemented in Ripley County, please contact Clarice Patterson by emailing at [email protected], calling (812) 933-1098, or visiting 13 E. George Street, Suite B, in Batesville.
(Ripley County Community Foundation/Genesis: Pathways to Success press release)
