A program for Milton Elementary students is expanding thanks to a $320,000 grant.

Friends After School at Milton Elementary received a state grant, which is renewable for up to five years, for a total of $1.6 million.

FAME coordinators Brittany Bailey and Kacie Goins said funds will be used to expand the summer and after-school program; both programs will now run Monday through Thursday. During the school year, students will also benefit from new partnerships with the Milton Public Library and Milton Theatre.

“It will expose them to their community and highlight the arts here in Milton,” Goins said.

Bailey said summer campers will go on field trips to the library and theater, the beach and Jungle Jim’s Water Park in Rehoboth.

“We really just want to get the students out and about with experiences they might not otherwise have,” Bailey said. Applications are due Monday, May 31.

FAME provides enrichment activities to improve the academic success of students from Title I schools. Schools are designated as Title I based on the percentage of students who come from low-income families. The grant is through the Delaware Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Center.

The summer camp helps students retain literacy and math skills learned during the previous school year.

“It’s a remediation program,” Goins said. “It prevents regression during summer vacation and helps students maintain reading levels and math skills.”

Summer camp will be held at H.O. Brittingham Elementary because construction at Milton Elementary begins as soon as the school year ends. 

Applications for the 2019-20 after-school program will be mailed to students’ homes this summer. Parents can also email brittany.bailey@cape.k12.de.us or kacie.goins@cape.k12.de.us. The program kicks off Monday, Sept. 9.