In May 2006, the NCLR Workforce Development (WFD) Program solicited proposals from eligible Affiliates in the New York and Washington, DC areas to implement the NCLR Escalera Program.
• PROMESA: East Harlem Council for Community Improvement, Inc. (EHCCI) located in New York, New York was selected as the third Escalera site. PROMESA/EHCCI began implementing the Escalera Program with its first cohort of 15 students in March 2007 and will serve 45 students over the twoyear grant cycle.
In May 2007, the NCLR WFD Program solicited proposals from eligible NCLR Affiliates in the Kansas City, Dallas, Austin, and Houston areas to implement the NCLR Escalera Program. • American YouthWorks (AYW) located in Austin, Texas was selected by NCLR to implement the Escalera Program. AYW will launch its first cohort of 20 students in March 2008 and will serve 55 students over the two-year grant cycle. • Guadalupe Centers, Inc. (GCI) located in Kansas City, Missouri was selected by NCLR to implement the Escalera Program. GCI will launch its first cohort of 20 students in March 2008 and will serve a total of 55 students over the two-year grant cycle.
By March 2008, the NCLR Escalera Program: Taking Steps to Success will be operating in five cities across the country (LA, Chicago, NYC, Austin, and Kansas City) and serving 258 students.
In an effort to continue program refinement, strengthen key program components, streamline replication, highlight program best practices, and identify opportunities for improvement, NCLR coordinated an independent formative and summative evaluation of the Escalera Program. Nterlink Consulting, LLC. completed the NCLR Escalera Program evaluation in June 2007. Based on the evaluation findings, NCLR seeks to continue strengthening the Escalera Program and execute a strategy to develop a national after-school model that can be sustained through various funding streams, meet 21stcentury workforce needs, and achieve maximum impact.
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