Grant Award Released to Springfield Schools
Acting Commissioner Johnston at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced today the release of the Fund Code 348 Multilingual Newcomer and Homeless Support grant, which will direct $75,000 to the Springfield school district to aid in mitigating costs associated with an increase in homeless enrollment of newcomer multilingual learners. The purpose of this targeted grant is to cover costs associated with welcoming newcomers and their families to a safe and inclusive school environment, providing high-quality instruction for newcomers with well-trained educators, and meeting the emergency and/or basic needs of these students.
State Senator Adam Gomez, a former chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, had this to say on the funds being released, “Every child deserves an equal opportunity to learn, and meeting them where they are with the services they need will only help them succeed and adapt to their new learning environment. I am proud of this administration for seeing the need for more funding here and meeting it, and I look forward to more initiatives that ensure no child gets left behind.”
Through this grant initiative, applicants will prioritize one or more of the following areas as they relate to the implementation of strategies, interventions, and supports for newly arrived English learners who are also homeless.
Welcoming Newcomers and their Families to a Safe and Inclusive School Environment — developing systems and resources for welcoming newcomer students and their families, which can include translation and interpretation resources, developing and implementing orientation activities for students and/or families, and conducting culturally and linguistically responsive family outreach.
Providing High-Quality Instruction for Newcomers with Well-Trained Educators — building educator capacity to meet the needs of newcomers by supporting 1) initial ESL licensure and/or licensure advancement beyond emergency, initial, or provisional status to increase the number of certified ESL teachers; 2) Developing or procuring professional development related to supporting newcomer students effectively for all educators who serve them.
Meeting emergency and/or basic needs: responding to emergency and/or basic needs of newcomer students in ways that will facilitate the identification, enrollment, retention, and educational success of homeless children and youth.
For more information on the program and announcement, please visit https://www.doe.mass.edu/grants/2025/0348/