STARS

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STARS “Striving Towards Academic Research Standards”

CSLC’s STARS program takes an innovative approach to offering several facets of programs under one umbrella. This approach enhances and enriches students holistically to facilitate in the development of a well-rounded student. STARS’ approach offers flexibility and allows program administrators to tailor the program to individual needs.

CSLC is no stranger to federal, state and foundation grants. Thus, CSLC has met and/or exceeded all outcomes. Yet, with the Department of Education- Parent Information Resource Center (PIRC) grant, CSLC has yield exceptional results.  The project is broad in scope, targeting parents, early childhood and K-12 learners. Serving over 49,684 consumers across the state of Mississippi, CSLC has documented academic achievement in each target population throughout the entire state as well as engaged parents to be actively involved. However, despite how effective the PIRC program was, due to the congressional cuts in funding, PIRC’s funding was eliminated for the 2012 budget.

Impact on failure to provide service
Time and time again, experts say that educating children is the key to ending the cycle of poverty. According to the Alliance for Education, more than 16,200 students did not graduate from Mississippi’s high schools in 2009; the lost lifetime earnings in Mississippi for that class of dropouts alone total more than $4.2 billion. Mississippi would have saved more than $121.2 million in health care costs over the lifetimes of each class dropouts had they earned their diplomas. If Mississippi’s high schools graduated all their students ready for college, the state would have saved almost $37 million a year in community college remediation costs and lost earnings. Teen births in Holmes County cost taxpayers approximately $1,832,760 in 2009. Teen childbearing in Mississippi cost taxpayers $155,000,000. Each $1.00 invested in teen pregnancy prevention saves taxpayers an average of $4.34 in the first year and $17.23 over 5 years, a 1,723% return on investment.

STARS would like you to join us in taking a “step up” to save our children from “falling through the cracks” of poverty to ensure that they get the development and education they need as a foundation for independence and success.