Grants & Funded Programs

Office of Grants & Funded Programs

Catalina Castillo, Ed.D.

Director of Grants, Funded Programs and Student Achievement

235 North Ocean Avenue

Freeport, New York

The Freeport Public Schools continuously seek funding opportunities to enhance students' education by implementing robust academic and enrichment programs, offering professional training for teachers and administrators, and providing parents with the resources they need to engage in their children's learning process. Currently, the Freeport Public Schools receive over $7,865,422 in grant funds, which are used to design and supplement various programs and services and to purchase instructional materials.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) grants are made available to districts based on needs. These federal funds aim to level the playing field for school districts that serve students that are educationally at-risk due to economic circumstances, language differences, specialized learning needs, and/or students who just need support to improve performance and meet NYS learning standards. Freeport receives ESSA grants (Title I/Part A, Title II/Part A, Title III/Part A and Title IV/Part A). Tthese ESSA grants are vital in ensuring that Freeport and other districts can provide targeted support for students facing educational challenges, enhancing learning opportunities and fostering academic success across different student groups.

- Title I/Part A supports Academic Intervention Services (AIS) aimed at enhancing student performance in core areas such as reading, writing, and math to help students meet state standards and succeed in exams.

- Title II/Part A funds professional development for teachers, principals, and school leaders, enhancing their effectiveness to improve student achievement.

- Title III/ELL are funds specifically designated for English Language Learners (ELLs). These funds facilitate programs to help students acquire English language proficiency.

- Title III/Immigrant is a subgrant that supplements the instructional opportunities for immigrant students, promoting their educational integration.

- Title IV/Part A focuses on academic enrichment, funding programs that engage students in creative learning experiences such as STEM initiatives, arts, and educational field trips.

The district also enjoys the benefit of receiving funding from other grants that help to supplement professional learning and other initiatives through important partnerships and collaborations between individuals, local colleges, and organizations that significantly impact the goals of the Freeport Public Schools.

Through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant, the district implements academic and enrichment activities through meaningful partnerships with the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Adelphi University, Hofstra University Museum of Art, Long

Island Children’s Museum, Leadership Training Institute, South Shore Child Guidance Center, LI STEAM, Freeport Recreation Center, Drama Kids, Outdoor Education, and the International Association for Human Values/SKY Schools. These programs offer a menu of exciting after-school activities, tutoring, enrichment fun, Family Fun Nights, and much more. Students are meaningfully engaged during the school year, Saturdays, and during the summer months. Freeport wisely utilizes grant funds to create experiences for students that maintain the continuity of learning all year long.

The Family and Community Engagement Project/My Brother’s Keeper (FCEP/MBK) grant funds professional learning opportunities offered by Molloy University that focus on reflective practices, communication skills, and strategies to effectively work with families and members of a diverse school community. Adelphi University, Cradle of Aviation Museum, and Long Island University are other key FCEP/MBK partners that help Freeport pay for parent engagement initiatives, i.e., Parent Universities in the individual schools as well as districtwide parent events.

Professional development is also the focus of our Teacher Resource and Computer Training Center grant provides direct assistance with the development and training of school district Professional Development Planning Committees and mentoring programs which helps keep Freeport teachers abreast of educational trends and offers interest-based workshops that help teachers meet their required annual professional development hours.

Grants also make it possible for Freeport to implement early-college high school programs that put students on track to college and lucrative careers beginning as early as ninth grade. Through the NYS Pathways to Technology Early College High School (P-Tech) Programs in partnership with Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology and the Smart Scholars Early College High School Programs in partnership with SUNY Farmingdale State College, students can complete high school graduation requirements while concurrently earning college credits through a seamless sequence of study extending through two years of postsecondary career and technical education which culminates in an A.A.S. degree. Students can choose a pathway leading to an A.A.S. degree in one of the following: Aeronautical Engineering Technology, Electronics Engineering Technology-Avionics, Animation and Digital Graphics, Computer Science, and Liberal Arts.

Other impactful grants in Freeport include the Smart Start Program grant that provides funding for professional development to a consortium of three school districts (Freeport, Uniondale and Westbury Schools) to provide training to teachers in grades K-8 focusing on strategies to develop computational thinking skills in students. Through a partnership with the New York Institute of Technology, expert coaches conduct push-in support, modeling, and coach teachers.

The Universal Pre-Kindergarten Programs grant in partnership with St. Joseph’s College that introduces learning as early as four-years old. Extensive research has found that early schooling promotes student achievement beyond the school-age years. The district also receives the Statewide Universal Full-Day Prekindergarten (SUFDPK) Expansion Grant that further increases the availability of directly and collaboratively implemented prekindergarten programming.

Freeport received the FY2023 Congressionally Funded Community Project grant that made it possible for Freeport High School to create a College and Career Center. The center aims to support high school students in designing, implementing, and managing services, programs, and systems that foster college and career readiness. The Center provides information about careers and colleges that include college majors, essays, and applications; financial aid; resume writing; college entrance exams and much more. It would house a variety of books, brochures and computer programs with specialized guidance material, test registration forms, and other information resources.

The McKinney Vento Homeless Children & Youth grant helps to provide a variety of supports for temporarily displaced students and their families as they transition to permanent housing. The grant helps to fund academic and mental health support for students and their families including purchases of emergency supplies, referral services and counseling through a partnership with New Ground, Inc. and other consultants.

Most recently, Freeport was awarded the RECOVS Mental Health grant. This project is a collaboration with the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) to expand mental health and wellness practices in schools. The initiative focuses on enhancing the ability of both staff and students to identify mental health concerns, promoting help-seeking behaviors, and fostering an inclusive environment that emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through this partnership, IAHV and SKY Schools aim to provide practical tools and life skills to help students manage stress, improve emotional regulation, and build healthier relationships.

The Freeport Public Schools is proud of its grant seeking capabilities and successes. Our grant-funded programs are instrumental in broadly promoting Freeport’s “Excellence in Education” initiatives.