A 2015 Grant Request to the CFP Foundation to Support the Dallas Arboretum’s Children’s Educational Opportunity Fund Submitted 8/28/2015 by Pam King Foundation Liaison and Grant Writer 214-515-6623 pking@dallasarboretum.orgExecutive Summary With deep appreciation for the CFP Foundation’s partnership, we respectfully request a gift of $10,000 to support the 2015 Educational Opportunity Fund. The Opportunity Fund provides financial assistance to economically challenged schools and youth serving agencies in the Dallas area enabling their students to participate in our children’s science education and enrichment learning, in the Children’s Adventure Garden. Your grant of $10,000 will help provide field trip transportation for approximately 850 school children. In combination with other Opportunity Fund donors, 4,599 students will come to the Arboretum by the end of the year for outdoor science experiences no textbook can duplicate, STEM Education is Vital Education at all levels is indispensable to personal, civic, and economic success. Preparing children to succeed in the 21* Century’s technology-driven global economy means equipping them early with a clear understanding of basic concepts, then helping them develop the knowledge and skills they need to move into the workforce of the future. A diverse, highly accomplished panel at the U.S. News & World Report STEM Solutions Conference, in April, 2014, agreed that, “the tech and science fields need more diversity in the future workforce and minorities in underserved communities are at risk of being left behind, Unlocking the door for poor black, Latino and rural white kids, involves several factors, including: © “Exposure to STEM, and not just in the classroom, Students learn best through hands- on, experiential learning; * “Introducing kids to relatable, youthful role models; ‘© “Encouraging them to dream big”. How vital is the need to emphasize science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) educational programming? Science scores of American school children are the lowest of all academic areas tested, earth science the lowest of all science disciplines, Test scores of Dallas ISD students are no better. In April, 2013, only 58% of DISD 5"-graders who took the state’s standardized test passed the science portion; 46% of DISD S™-graders who took the test in Spanish passed. Sadly, research also shows children have little chance of mastering the sciences in middle and upper school grades, if they do not grasp them in elementary school. Scientists, inventors, explorers, engineers, doctors, botanists, chemists, astronomers and naturalists - all are exciting and essential professions for our future. Without exposure, encouragement, and a firm grounding in science, though, many children who could, with the right educational experiences and opportunities, will be left behind.STEM Fun-damentals The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is an exceptional place to ‘stop and smell the roses.” Its year-round beauty now brings more than I million visitors a year from around the world. In addition to its beauty is the Arboretum’s deeply rooted commitment to edueation. We thank you for helping us make the interactive, low-stakes, high fun Adventure Garden galleries and educational enrichment programs as breath-taking in the lives of future North Texas gener as the main gardens are breath-taking to our souls. Education has been central to the Arboretum’s mission since its inception, in 1974, We strive to reach children at an early age, when the foundations of leaming are laid, and when attitudes toward science learning, self-esteem and views of their own skills are open to positive reinforcement. Our passion for connecting children with enriched, outdoor hands-on science studies sparks interest, and brings understanding, vital to academically at-risk students who deserve a vibrant future. In recent years, the Arboretum has vastly increased the breadth and reach of its science programming, including natural materials, interactive technology, equipment, and activities that routinely amaze students in after-school programs, nature adventures, summer camps, summer institutes and programs that touch every aspect of life, earth, and environmental science, space and sustainability, Incorporating curiosity, playfulness, and creativity into science learning enhances classroom learning dramatically. The Arboretum is the proud recipient of the 2013 Simmons Luminary Award, which celebrates the power of learning to illuminate and improve society. SMU’s School of Education presented the Award to the Arboretum for its work providing innovative science education. Learning Hands-On, in the Children’s Adventure Garden It was with a deep devotion to educating children, broadening their horizons, and improving their opportunities that _ the Arboretum’s Board of Directors dedicated the last available acreage on the Arboretum grounds to the creation of the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden, More than 17 years in planning and construction, the 8-acre Children’s Adventure Garden was designed by educators and scientists. It is comprised of 17 distinct learning areas and more than 150 interactive exhibits that support the garden's educational objectives. Of these 17 areas, 9 are “Learning Galleries’ with formal teaching stations.Teachers select a Learning Gallery program according to the science concepts their students need to lear and experience, then they reserve the Learning Gallery for their class. Each Learning Gallery is targeted to specific age groups and gives children four learning exposures to grade- appropriate concepts featured within that gallery. ‘These four exposures are: Exposure One: A degreed and experienced Arboretum teacher presents a lesson to a school group; «Exposure Two: Children see and hear the teacher do a live demonstration to illustrate the lesson; ‘+ Exposure Three: Interactive exhibits in the Gallery ensure that children enjoy hands-on experience with the concept; © Exposure Four: Children seek out live plants and materials that illustrate the concepts they’ve just leamed so they can make real world connections to their classroom leaming, Since the Children’s Adventure Garden opened in September, 2013, more than 500,000 visitors have come to enjoy and learn with us Plants are Alive Leaming Gallery in the Children's Adventure Garden Educational Evaluation: Measuring Success Leaming may be fun, but how effective is it? While the Arboretum has used independent educational evaluators through the years, it formed a strategic alliance with SMU’s Simmons School of Education to create and implement a three-year Evaluation Master Plan, specifically assessing the impact of its programs in the Children’s Adventure Garden. Both innovative and extensive, the plan is currentlyfocusing on the impact that the enriched experiences students have in the Children’s Garden. Using two of the after-school programs and one of the summer camp programs, the evaluation plan includes both qualitative and quantitative ‘methods. Qualitative evaluations include sample and focus groups, interviews, and open-ended surveys. Quantitative evaluations include experiments, pre-and post-test score comparisons, observations, surveys and. categorical questions, ‘The first year of the evaluations has been completed and reported. We discovered we are giving children and teachers a new view of leaming. Students who participated in Science First (an 18 week curriculum for Grades 1-3) and Science in Action, (a 21 week curriculum for Grades 4-6), two of our after-school outreach programs, showed a gain of as much as 47 points in retained learning of science concepts after a trip to the Children’s Adventure Garden. They also overwhelmingly reflected a more positive attitude toward science learning. We are especially pleased with our programs’ success with English as a Second Language (ESL)- students. The number of ESL students enrolled in area schools increases every year, and ESL students’ test scores are lower than those of other subgroups tested. Statistical analysis conducted by an outside evaluator shows that our programming is making a major difference in their science testing and comprehension, raising test scores and giving underserved children a new view of their abilities and potential. We, too, want “them to dream big”! Education is a Long-Term Investment We offer children a wealth of opportunities, to steer them toward success in school and beyond and we rely on community partners such as the CFP Foundation, to maximize our reach throughout the most vulnerable audiences. We sincerely hope our work and our request this year will merit your investment of $10,000, We are tremendously grateful for your support in 2014 and will continue to be exceptional stewards of your investments going forward. Sincerely, Pam King Foundation Liaison & Grant writer Enclosures: 201-2016 Educators’ Guide 2015 Board of Directors and Officers Arboretum's History and Purpose 2015 Board - Tenure 2015 Educational Opportunity Fund Budget 2015 Board-Financial Support YTD Corporate & Foundation Support 2015 IRS 501(6)(3) Leiter Ed. Opportunity Fund Grant Requests 2015 2014 Audited Financial Statement USA Patriot Act Compliance Statement 2013 Form 990