During 2006, grants amounting to $4,213,625 were awarded to local nonprofit organizations and schools. Many of the awards are second- or third-year grants for continuing programs and services that started in 2004 or 2005. (Click here to see the 2005 awards.)

EDUCATION INITIATIVE GRANTS

New Arrival Centers:
New Arrival Centers are language immersion programs that assist children whose first language is not English.

Five grants were awarded to continue the programs started in 2005:

• $11,000 to Bayyari Elementary School
• $11,000 to Tyson Middle School
• $11,000 to Kelly Middle School
• $11,000 to Lee Elementary School
• $11,000 to Westwood Elementary School

In 2006, 4 additional New Arrival Centers were started and received the following grants:

• $27,500 to Parson Hills Elementary School (1)
• $27,500 to George Junior High School (1)
• $55,000 to Springdale High School (2)

Extended Learning Initiative:
The Extended Learning Initiative is designed to provide experiences that extend the school year, extend the school day, or expand the traditional curriculum. Schools that received grants to continue extended learning programs started in 2005 are:

• Bentonville Mary Mae Jones Elementary School - $50,000
• Siloam Springs Elementary School - $20,500
• Springdale Westwood Elementary School - $53,000
• Springdale Smith, Walker, & Young Elementary Schools- $66,000

Early Childhood Education Initiative:
The Early Childhood Education Initiative prepares pre-kindergarten children for their formal education. Funding was awarded to the following for their early childhood education or pre-K programs:

• Decatur Elementary School - $80,000 to continue program started in 2005
• Gravette Duffy Elementary School - $240,000 to continue program started in 2005
• Siloam Springs School District - $155,000 for 2 pre-K classrooms

Increasing High School Graduation Initiative:

• $112,000 to Bentonville Public Schools to implement a Freshman Academy at Bentonville High School. The Freshman Academy will let all ninth grade students experience the benefits of academic teaming and the small learning communities model of instruction.
• $71,500 to Northwest Arkansas Community College to implement the Paso A Paso program. This program will allow NWACC to develop a peer-mentoring program for first year college students and implement a new mentoring program for Hispanic students at Springdale High School.
• $165,000 to Springdale Public Schools to initiate a Sophomore Center at Springdale High School. The Sophomore Center will consist of teams of core academic teachers that utilize the small learning communities model of instruction.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme:
This program was started in 2004 in Bentonville and Springdale School Districts and continues through 2006 as follows:

• Bentonville School District - $58,000 for continued implementation of the International Baccalaureate Programme in Bentonville High School
• Springdale School District -
  • $30,000 to plan for implementation of the IBO Primary Years and Middle Years Programmes
  • $110,000 to begin faculty training to establish the International Baccalaureate Programme in two elementary schools
  • $67,100 for continued implementation of the International Baccalaureate Programme in Springdale High School

HEALTH INITIATIVE GRANTS

Bilingual Nursing Education Initiative: $156,150 to Northwest Arkansas for Nurses to support the third year of a program to recruit, train, and retain bilingual nurses. Funds are used primarily to provide scholarships and stipends for bilingual students in area nursing schools.

Prenatal Health Initiative:

• $104,000 to Community Clinic at St. Francis House for their Prenatal Pathways program. Prenatal Pathways provides bilingual intake and referral services to low-income women.
• $125,000 to Decision Point for their Specialized Women's Services program at their new facility in Benton County. The program provides comprehensive services that assist pregnant women and mothers overcome substance abuse and addiction.

School Based Fitness Initiative: $140,000 to Springdale Public Schools to place a fitness center and the PE4Life program at Hellstern Middle School. This grant will provide students a wide range of physical experiences from riding mountain bikes to climbing walls to working out on appropriate fitness machines.

School Based Lifestyles Education Initiative: $21,175 was awarded to Kids for Health to place 5th and 6th grade curriculum in Benton County public elementary schools and for 2009-10 longitudinal study on students that have received an entire set of curriculum.

School Based Mental Health Initiative: $377,000 to Ozark Guidance to continue the services started in 2005 at Harp Elementary in Springdale and Apple Glen Elementary in Bentonville.

School Based Nutrition Initiative: $280,000 to Communication Arts Institute of Eureka Springs to launch a kid-to-kid nutrition curriculum and an interactive website. The program targets middle school students and addresses obesity, healthy eating, and prevention of childhood type II diabetes.

School Based Social Services Initiative: $273,000 to elementary schools in Bentonville, Decatur, Gravette, Siloam Springs, and Springdale to continue the programs started in 2005.

Other:

• $280,000 to Northwest Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute toward the purchase of a Varian Trilogy Linear Accelerator.

IMMIGRATION INITIATIVE GRANTS

• $49,500 to Dogwood Literacy Council for a joint program with the Literacy Council of Benton County to initiate English As a Second Language programs for adults in Gravette and Sulphur Springs
• $65,000 to Hispanic Women's Organization of Arkansas for the third year of the Guiding, Empowering and Mentoring (GEM) program
• $52,000 to Northwest Arkansas Community College for the Building the Future program that teaches financial literacy to Spanish-speaking working adults
• $55,000 to Ozark Literacy Council for the third year of a workplace literacy program for adult immigrants
• $62,700 to University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences/Area Health Education Center for the third year of the Medical Interpreter Training Program

OTHER GRANTS

• Jones Center for Families received $500,000 for general operating expenses.
• Community Clinic at St. Francis House received $120,000 for medical and dental services.