By SANDY McGEE

CUMBERLAND — The federal government recently awarded the Office of Children, Youth and Learning (OCYL) with more than a half million dollars in funds for its before- and after-school programs.

The OCYL was recently granted $550,000 by the U.S. Department of Education to finance the expansion of the town’s youth department, according to a press release issued recently from the office of Mayor Daniel J. McKee.
The award was the result of an 18-month effort on the part of Sen. Jack Reed, Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy and McKee, according to the release.
The federal dollars will be used to provide the youth department with extra staff, instructors and materials as part of plans to dramatically expand the OCYL’s “out-of-school” programs.
“This federal funding ensures that the OCYL can grow as we have hoped and remain sustainable over the next three years,” said Dr. Michael Magee, who has served as director of the OCYL since the department’s founding by the mayor and Town Council in February 2007. “It also positions us to attract additional major funding towards our 10 year sustainability plan.”
“Senator Reed and Congressman Kennedy have been the greatest of friends to the town of Cumberland,” McKee said.
“They understand the great importance of expanding learning opportunities in our community, of thinking outside the box and of bringing resources from outside our state to the table in these difficult fiscal times.”
Since February 2007, the OCYL has created dozens of learning programs that to date have served nearly 1,000 children in Cumberland, according to the release.
Programs that will grow substantially as a result of the new federal funding include a 15-week early childhood literacy class for 4 to 6 year olds, visual art classes for elementary and middle school children and a high-tech “youth mapping” program for high school students.
The OCYL’s Digital Media Lab, which offers a variety of digital technology classes and sponsors the “Young Filmmakers Club,” will also expand, according to the press release. Other plans include the piloting of a five-day per week extended learning program in Valley Falls.