For the past 30 years, students in the Carlsbad Unified School District (CUSD) have benefited from an exemplary public-private partnership: the Carlsbad Educational Foundation.
CEF was created to develop and to fund impactful programs at CUSD schools, and to enrich the students' educational experiences. It receives funding from corporate donors, businesses, other foundations and individuals, and then gives grants to the school district for specific purposes. Over those 30 years, CEF has contributed more than $6 million to support CUSD school programs that have reached tens of thousands of students.
The strength of CEF has been its unique relationship with the school district, independent but collaborative. The CEF-CUSD team is an outstanding example of local control, leveraging private support to target defined needs at the schools.
CEF does not fund facilities, administration or regular classroom instruction. Instead, it targets money directly in three specific areas: hands-on science experiences for students; weekly music classes for every elementary school student; and educational and technological innovations.
CEF-supported projects in those areas include such outstanding undertakings as FIRST LEGO League Robotics; FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics; Junior Achievement BizTown; the International Baccalaureate program at Jefferson Elementary School; and the innovative My Access writing software program. In addition, CEF funds music instructors at all elementary schools, "traveling" science lab teachers for the 4th and 5th grades, and a Carlsbad High School science lab assistant. In most cases the programs and instructors underwritten by CEF would not exist without its financial support. This year alone contributions from CEF will exceed $500,000.
In some instances a corporate donor or foundation will underwrite a specific program offering. Here are a few examples of programs facilitated by CEF over the past year:
• The Science Olympic Program was supported by ViaSat Inc.
• Carlsbad High School's award-winning TV broadcasting program received contributions from the Leichtag Foundation.
• Upper-grades science-lab teachers were supported by Life Technologies Corp.
• "Celebrate Carlsbad Day" was hosted by LEGOLAND California Resort.
CEF also runs high quality before- and after-school child care programs that serve 700 children at nine elementary schools; a fee-based summer enrichment program; and after-school enrichment classes during the school year. These popular programs provide affordable options for parents and students, and raise funds to be invested in CEF initiatives. Now that it runs its own direct service programs, CEF can boast that every dollar donated by a foundation, business or community member goes directly to support innovative programs for CUSD students.
Finally, CEF sponsors several major fundraisers throughout the year. Coming up on Oct. 25, CEF's annual golf tournament will be held at The Crossings at Carlsbad. Check out the CEF website (www.carlsbaded.org) for sponsorship opportunities and golf registration information.
The Carlsbad Unified School District salutes the Carlsbad Educational Foundation, on the occasion of the foundation's 30th anniversary, for its invaluable contributions to the education of Carlsbad's students.
CEF was created to develop and to fund impactful programs at CUSD schools, and to enrich the students' educational experiences. It receives funding from corporate donors, businesses, other foundations and individuals, and then gives grants to the school district for specific purposes. Over those 30 years, CEF has contributed more than $6 million to support CUSD school programs that have reached tens of thousands of students.
The strength of CEF has been its unique relationship with the school district, independent but collaborative. The CEF-CUSD team is an outstanding example of local control, leveraging private support to target defined needs at the schools.
CEF does not fund facilities, administration or regular classroom instruction. Instead, it targets money directly in three specific areas: hands-on science experiences for students; weekly music classes for every elementary school student; and educational and technological innovations.
CEF-supported projects in those areas include such outstanding undertakings as FIRST LEGO League Robotics; FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics; Junior Achievement BizTown; the International Baccalaureate program at Jefferson Elementary School; and the innovative My Access writing software program. In addition, CEF funds music instructors at all elementary schools, "traveling" science lab teachers for the 4th and 5th grades, and a Carlsbad High School science lab assistant. In most cases the programs and instructors underwritten by CEF would not exist without its financial support. This year alone contributions from CEF will exceed $500,000.
In some instances a corporate donor or foundation will underwrite a specific program offering. Here are a few examples of programs facilitated by CEF over the past year:
• The Science Olympic Program was supported by ViaSat Inc.
• Carlsbad High School's award-winning TV broadcasting program received contributions from the Leichtag Foundation.
• Upper-grades science-lab teachers were supported by Life Technologies Corp.
• "Celebrate Carlsbad Day" was hosted by LEGOLAND California Resort.
CEF also runs high quality before- and after-school child care programs that serve 700 children at nine elementary schools; a fee-based summer enrichment program; and after-school enrichment classes during the school year. These popular programs provide affordable options for parents and students, and raise funds to be invested in CEF initiatives. Now that it runs its own direct service programs, CEF can boast that every dollar donated by a foundation, business or community member goes directly to support innovative programs for CUSD students.
Finally, CEF sponsors several major fundraisers throughout the year. Coming up on Oct. 25, CEF's annual golf tournament will be held at The Crossings at Carlsbad. Check out the CEF website (www.carlsbaded.org) for sponsorship opportunities and golf registration information.
The Carlsbad Unified School District salutes the Carlsbad Educational Foundation, on the occasion of the foundation's 30th anniversary, for its invaluable contributions to the education of Carlsbad's students.