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A new grant will increase the stability of a program that provides afterschool and summer activities for families.
Amelia Smith, 9, finishes a craft at Spokane Public Schools summer program while her sibling participates in middle school events.
Credit Rebecca White/SPR
Afterschool and summer programs that help children in northeast Spokane connect with safe recreation activities, literacy and science programs just received a $2 million boost from the federal government.
Since 2018 afterschool programs at northeast Spokane schools have introduced children to swimming lessons, new parks and educational opportunities.
Amber Waldref is the director of the ZoNE, which finds grants and private donors to pay for many of those programs. She said finding long-term funding to sustain after school and summer funding is always a challenge, but said $2 million from the feds will change that.