Think Together, California’s leading nonprofit provider of afterschool, expanded learning and school improvement programs, is proud to announce its service partner, the City of Moreno Valley, was honored by the League of California Cities with the prestigious Helen Putnam Award for Excellence.
The City of Moreno Valley works with Moreno Valley Unified School District (MVUSD) and Val Verde Unified School District (VVUSD) to offer Think Together afterschool and expanded learning programs at 43 elementary and middle schools. During this 2020-2021 school year, the districts’ students began the school year participating in Think Together’s expanded learning and afterschool programs via distance learning to comply with local health mandates.
“The hours between the time when school lets out and parents get home from work are the riskiest time of day for children," said Dr. Yxstian Gutierrez, Mayor of Moreno Valley. "The City's Afterschool Expanded Learning Program provides students with a fun, safe learning and socializing environment that keeps them out of trouble and on the path to success."
Students enrolled in Think Together programs at MVUSD participate in virtual lessons focused on social emotional learning, healthy living and academic support. The district serves 246 students in grades TK-6 with academic enrichment and homework help that aligns with the curriculum students learn in their school day.
“The Think Together partnership is a great program for our students that allows us to utilize that after-school time for academic enrichment and social development. We appreciate and value the work that they do for our families, especially during this time that they need it the most. We are happy to maintain Think Together services to offer additional support to families and are proud of the recognition for the Helen Putnam Award,” said Moreno Valley Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Martinrex Kedziora.
Nearly 181 students are enrolled in VVUSD’s Think Together afterschool and expanded learning program via distance learning. Planning is well under way and we look forward to providing 952 students with the option to enroll in Think Together’s in-person program serving 16 school sites at 5 locations. All sites will adhere to local and state health guidelines and student-teacher ratios have been reduced to limit exposure to illness. Given the current status of COVID-19 cases in Riverside County, we continue to evaluate the proper timing for the implementation of in-person programming.
“Our Think Together regional leaders have been the “gold standard” in terms of planning for the safe return of students and staff. They have gone above and beyond in developing procedures that address every aspect of a student’s day from the time they arrive in the parking lot for drop off, to instructional support time, to break times, to departure and return to their parents/guardians at the end of the program,” said VVUSD Superintendent of Schools Mr. Michael McCormick.
The City of Moreno Valley has been a strong advocate for expanded learning and afterschool programs such as Think Together. In October, Dr. Yxstian Gutierrez, Mayor of Moreno Valley served as a guest speaker at the organization’s Lights on Afterschool event to bring awareness to afterschool programs and their essential role in education. The City also showed their support by lighting the iconic M on Box Springs Mountain in blue and yellow in honor of the advocacy campaign.
“In our program, we spend about $12 a day to provide each student with about three hours of academic support and healthy socialization, all within a safe, welcoming and caring environment,” said Mayor Gutierrez. “I’m no Wall Street stockbroker, but I know an obviously great investment when I see it.”
The successful collaborative partnership among the City, Think Together, and the two school districts has also allowed the City to be awarded a five-year federal grant to fund a similar program at an elementary school for the summer.
Think Together’s Afterschool Expanded Learning Program is funded in part through After School Education and Safety (ASES) grant awarded to the City of Moreno Valley to fund the Think Together program at elementary and middle schools in the Moreno Valley and Val Verde Unified School Districts. The program served 4,000 students in the 2019-20 school year and has served more than 46,000 since beginning in 2007.
In addition to the Helen Putnam Award, the joint partnership was also selected as a 2019 California Park & Recreation Society (CPRS) Award of Excellence recipient. The City’s ongoing stewardship of the program partnership, combined with the outstanding curriculum, continual grant-seeking efforts and academic and social opportunities provided to youth contributed to winning this award.
The Helen Putnam Award is considered the highest honor bestowed upon a city project or program in California. Sponsored by the League Partners Program, the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence program was designed to recognize and promote the outstanding efforts and innovative solutions made by city governments each year.
About Think Together
Think Together partners with schools and communities to pursue educational equity and excellence for all kids. As a nonprofit organization, Think Together innovates, implements and scales academic solutions that change the odds for hundreds of thousands of California students. Think Together’s program areas include early learning, afterschool, school support services and leadership development for teachers and school administrators. For more information, call (888) 485-THINK or visit www.thinktogether.org.
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