On July 11th, Pivot Charter School, North Bay was awarded a $5,000 mini-grant by the City of Santa Rosa Gang and Violence Prevention Department. The mini-grant will provide funding to purchase fourteen Chromebooks with a 1-year Kajeet internet hotspot subscription. The computers will be provided to Pivot’s most at-risk youth so that they can access Pivot’s online curriculum from anywhere and accommodate various circumstance so they can continue to advance their academic careers.
Site Director Jennifer Clopton submitted for the mini-grant after talking with the Sonoma County
Office of Education (SCOE). She saw that SCOE was providing computers with internet hotspots to foster and homeless youth with great success. “When kids are always in transition or without a place to call home, it makes it really hard for them to continue their education. Because Pivot’s program is available as a hybrid classroom-online experience, it seemed logical that we could increase the chance of academic success for these kids if they had a laptop and internet access no matter where they are. The Santa Rosa mini grant demonstrates their embrace of innovation and a progressive approach to delivering education that gives youth choice.”
Pivot has developed a list of criteria to fairly determine who will receive the computers when the new school starts September 6th, and priority will be given to foster and homeless students. Once given the computer, the student’s progress will be monitored by their assigned Educational Coordinator and tracked daily via the online curriculum while specific academic goals and expectations will be communicated virtually to the student. This will then be supplemented by one-on-one discussions with teachers at the Santa Rosa resource center.
The grant was awarded by Jason Carter, the Program Director of the Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership. Carter is a native of Santa Rosa and has worked with at-risk youth
in the community for ten years. “I am honored to present Pivot with the mini-grant to help fund technology and internet access for some of their students. Helping at-risk youth in Santa Rosa is a passion of mine, and the City and County Board of Education are constantly looking for innovative ways to make a positive impact in the lives of our at-risk youth. Progress we can make in the formative years will reap years of dividends for both the child and our community.”
About the City of Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership
The City of Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership is part of the city’s Community Engagement Department. The partnership is funded by Measure O and is a collaborative effort involving private citizens, government, local community-based organizations, schools, parents, the faith community, and local law enforcement to prevent violence in our community and provide support for our youth and families through partnerships. Jason Carter is the Program Manager and can be reached at JCarter@srcity.org.