Yonkers Partners in Education (YPIE) announced that the New York Life Foundation will be making a $300,000 commitment to fund Getting Prepared for Success (GPS), a program to prepare middle school students for success in high school and college.
YPIE, a private nonprofit that works in partnership with the Yonkers Public Schools, established the GPS program in 2011 to address the need for students to develop strategies for success before entering high school.
GPS provides seventh and eighth grade students with a year-long, interactive curriculum designed to prepare them for success and engage them in meaningful planning around their college and career choices.
This year more than 900 students in seven Yonkers middle schools are participating in the program. Additional funding from the grant will support the College and Career Center at Gorton High School, which aims to increase the number of Gorton students who complete a post-secondary program.
“By making higher education achievable, YPIE impacts not only the individual student but also the larger Yonkers community,” said Maria Collins, senior program officer of the New York Life Foundation in a statement. “The grant will help them to continue to prepare students for high school and beyond. This grant is an investment in our future.”
