About Us
PRIMEtime Collaborative is a network of local organizations and youth programs that provide free after-school and summer programming for approximately 1,000 school-age children in Northfield. More information about these programs is available on our Programs page, and documentation of the very positive outcomes of these programs is available on our Outcomes page.
Funding for the PRIMEtime Collaborative, from a two-year grant from the Minnesota Department of Education earmarked specifically for after-school youth programming, expired at the end of August 2009. The beneficial impact of the PRIMEtime Collaborative programs and its impending loss of funding was addressed in a Northfield News article in April 2009.
The collaborative was fortunate to learn in September 2009 it would receive funds from a new two-year Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Fewer than 10% of applicants received funding, so PRIMEtime partners feel very fortunate to have received this highly-competitive grant. The grant reviewers commented that PRIMEtime is a very cost-effective, collaborative, and innovative model for delivering a variety of after school options to a diverse group of young people.
Nevertheless, while this was welcome news, this new grant covers only a portion of the staffing costs and cannot be used for any program expenses or supplies. In addition, it expires in 2012 and cannot be renewed.
Being dependent on the uncertainties of state and federal funding makes the PRIMEtime Collaborative vulnerable and serves as a reminder of an important lesson:
It’s our community. They are our kids. Let’s take responsibility for making sure that when 4 p.m. rolls around, they have somewhere safe to go and positive, healthy activities to engage in. We’re all better off when kids succeed.
