Three youth centers in Chester County will receive a total of $60,000 in state funding to support education and after-school programs.

The centers, each of which will receive $20,000 from state grants, are:

• The Parkesburg POINT
• The Garage Community and Youth Center in West Grove
• Phoenixville Area Positive Alternatives

Dwayne Walton, Executive Director of the Parkesburg POINT, said the center will use the funds to support its growing job training and education programs.

“Many young people coming to The POINT face daunting situations: food and housing insecurity, abandonment, neglect, drug and physical abuse, fractured relationships, and the terrible pressure to conform to generational cycles of poverty,” said Walton. “This program will help our youth find hope for a better way of life.”

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Kristin Proto, Executive Director of the Garage Community and Youth Center, said the funding will support the purchase of school supplies for its after-school homework and tutoring programs, as well as food for nutritional meals.

“We serve more than 500 students a year, five days a week, and we’re always working to foster community relationships and forge new partnerships to support our efforts,” said Proto.

Alexis Boswell, Executive Director of Phoenixville Area Positive Alternatives, said the funding would support two after-school literacy programs: “New Directions” for elementary-school students and “Fast Forward” for middle-school students.

“The New Directions and Fast Forward After School programs help improve and maintain literacy skills, so that all students enrolled in our programs are successful in reading and writing, and progress to the next grade level,” she said. “By working with our students daily, as well as dedicating one time per week, we help facilitate activities, lessons, and instruction so that our students continue to build their literacy skill sets.

“Without these grants, we would not be able to provide this free program all school year to those students who are at-risk.”

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