HOWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC
10910 ROUTE 108, ELLICOTT CITY, MD 21042 brightmindsfoundation.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE ORGANIZATION ENHANCES THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF HOWARD COUNTY STUDENTS BY BRINGING TOGETHER PRIVATE AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR ACADEMIC INITIATIVES AND OPPORTUNITIES.

BRIGHT MINDS, THE HOWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS EDUCATION FOUNDATION, IS AN INDEPENDENT NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION CREATED IN 2006 BY THE HCPSS BOARD OF EDUCATION AND GOVERNED BY AN INDEPENDENT BOARD OF VOLUNTEERS REPRESENTING COMMUNITY LEADERS. BRIGHT MINDS PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES - BENEFITING STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, FAMILIES, AND THE COMMUNITY - THAT RESPOND TO URGENT COMMUNITY NEEDS AND WOULD OTHERWISE NOT BE AVAILABLE IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM BUDGET. OF THE OVER 59,000 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, NEARLY 1 IN 4 STUDENTS QUALIFY FOR FREE AND REDUCED COST MEALS, AN INDICATOR OF POVERTY. NEARLY 10 PERCENT RECEIVE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES. NEARLY 6 PERCENT ARE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS REPRESENTING MORE THAN 80 LANGUAGES AND 100 COUNTRIES. WE HELP LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD SO ALL CHILDREN HAVE A CHANCE TO SUCCEED.PROGRAMS1. EMERGENCY STUDENT SUPPORTBRIGHT MINDS WORKS CLOSELY WITH HCPSS AND OUR COMMUNITY TO RESPOND TO STUDENT NEEDS DURING TIMES OF CRISIS. MOST RECENTLY, BRIGHT MINDS AND HCPSS ESTABLISHED THE ACCESS TO LEARNING FUND TO RAISE MONEY FOR CRITICAL LEARNING RESOURCES NEEDED TO SUPPORT STUDENTS DURING THE EXTENDED CORONAVIRUS SCHOOL CLOSURE. THANKS TO MORE THAN 250 INDIVIDUALS, COMMUNITY GROUPS, COMPANIES, AND FOUNDATIONS, THE ACCESS TO LEARNING FUND HAS RAISED MORE THAN $100,000 TO SUPPORT REMOTE LEARNING, INCLUDING A $52,000 GRANT FROM THE KAHLERT FOUNDATION. FUNDS HAVE BEEN USED TO PROVIDE INTERNET TO FAMILIES WITHOUT ACCESS, ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM AND OTHER LEARNING DIFFERENCES, ESSENTIAL SCHOOL SUPPLY PACKETS FOR THOUSANDS OF ELEMENTARY STUDENTS, AND TO HELP WITH THE COST OF ONLINE LEARNING SUBSCRIPTIONS, PRINTING, AND MAILING. 2. BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDETHE CORONAVIRUS SCHOOL CLOSURE HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE IMMENSE NEGATIVE EDUCATIONAL IMPACT ON STUDENTS WHO LACK ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY AT HOME. FOR THE PAST 14 YEARS, BRIGHT MINDS HAS WORKED WITH HCPSS TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE FOR STUDENTS. BRIGHT MINDS WORKS WITH SCHOOLS TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS IN NEED AND THEN PROVIDE THEM WITH TECHNOLOGY, TRAINING, AND RESOURCES FOR LOW COST INTERNET. STUDENTS AND STAFF REPORT THAT THE TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN CRITICAL FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS AND COLLEGE PREPARATION. WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE KAHLERT FOUNDATION, BRIGHT MINDS EXPANDED THE PROGRAM THIS YEAR TO SUPPORT 155 STUDENTS, A 20% INCREASE OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR. WHILE THE PROGRAM WAS PAUSED IN MARCH DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IS A CORE PART OF THE NEW ACCESS TO LEARNING FUND. 3. SCHOOL READINESSBRIGHT MINDS IS HOWARD COUNTY'S SPONSOR FOR READ WITH ME O HOWARD COUNTY, A SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM AND AFFILIATE OF DOLLY PARTON'S IMAGINATION LIBRARY THAT SENDS AGE-APPROPRIATE BOOKS MONTHLY TO CHILDREN FROM BIRTH TO AGE FIVE. THE PROGRAM'S GOAL IS FOR PARENTS AND FAMILY MEMBERS TO READ REGULARLY TO CHILDREN TO DEVELOP THEIR LOVE OF LEARNING. OUR COMMUNITY HAS SUPPORTED THE PARTICIPATION OF MORE THAN 1,000 CHILDREN FROM OUR COUNTY IN THIS PROGRAM. SINCE LAUNCHING LAST YEAR, HOWARD COUNTY CHILDREN HAVE RECEIVED MORE THAN 26,000 BOOKS. WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING TO EXPAND THE PROGRAM IN OUR COMMUNITY TO ELIMINATE THE WAITLIST TO JOIN THE PROGRAM AND EXPAND IT TO MORE HOWARD COUNTY HOMES. 4. COLLEGE PREPARATIONBRIGHT MINDS HELPS STUDENTS DEVELOP SKILLS, EARN COLLEGE CREDITS, AND EXPLORE CAREER OPTIONS BY COVERING THE COST OF BOOKS AND FEES FOR INCOME-ELIGIBLE STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN JUMPSTART, THE DUAL-ENROLLMENT PROGRAM BETWEEN HCPSS AND HOWARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE. THIS SCHOOL YEAR, BRIGHT MINDS PROVIDED MORE THAN $22,000 IN SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT TO 45 HCPSS STUDENTS SO THEY COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE JUMPSTART PROGRAM. 5. STAFF & TEACHER GRANTSBRIGHT MINDS HAS AWARDED COMPETITIVE ANNUAL GRANTS TO HCPSS TEACHERS AND STAFF TO SUPPORT INNOVATIVE INSTRUCTIONAL PROJECTS THAT BUILD 21ST CENTURY SKILLS FOR STUDENTS IN AREAS SUCH AS HEALTH, BUSINESS, FINE ARTS, STEM, AND THE HUMANITIES. DURING THIS SCHOOL YEAR, BRIGHT MINDS PROVIDED OVER $10,000 IN GRANTS TO SIX EDUCATORS OR TEAMS OF EDUCATORS. 6. STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPBRIGHT MINDS PROVIDES SELF-FUNDED SCHOLARSHIPS AND ADMINISTERS THIRD-PARTY NAMED AND FUNDED SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDENTS ATTENDING POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS AND HCPSS PROGRAMS THAT CHARGE TUITION, SUCH AS SUMMER SCHOOL. THESE SCHOLARSHIPS HELP STUDENTS WHO MAY NOT OTHERWISE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS OR PARTICIPATE IN PROGRAMS. THIS YEAR, BRIGHT MINDS ADMINISTERED SIX STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS WORTH $8,500 IN TOTAL.

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