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Camas Educational Foundation

It all started ten years ago as an idea from a small group of Camas School District parents, and now the Camas Educational Foundation has reached its decade milestone with an amazing level of success.

Recognizing that traditional revenue sources are not enough to do all that we want public education to do for our children, they founded the Camas Educational Foundation (CEF). Today, that small group of parents has evolved into over 75 volunteers representing all schools within the district, and has brought parents, educators and children together.

Over the past ten years, CEF has given over $625,500 to Camas Schools: $225,500 through its strategic-grant program and over $400,000 in “mini-grants.”

CEF Strategic Grants are designated for programs that have significant impact on educational curriculum and advancement of Camas students. Aided by support from a three-year strategic grant, the district purchased and implemented the Waterford Early Reading Program at all elementary schools. Waterford utilizes state-of-the-art multimedia technology to help children learn to read. According to Christy Cline, reading specialist at Prune Hill Elementary, “Having used the Waterford Early Reading Program with our most struggling kindergarten students, I have seen significant results. The improvement has been measured in letter recognition, letter-sound correspondence, phonemic awareness, concepts of print and reading levels. Many of our lowest students in kindergarten entered first grade in the upper middle skill level of their class and no longer require LAP services. Others often need a short term in LAP and then exit the program thanks to Waterford.”

In the spring of 2003, CEF committed to help support expansion of the district’s foreign language program at the middle and high school levels. Supported by a three-year CEF commitment of up to $30,000 per year, the district increased the number of classes taught in eighth grade through high school. Foundation funding made it possible for more students to begin foreign language instruction in middle school, and for more graduating seniors to have 3-4 years of foreign language study in order to better meet escalating college admissions criteria.

Members of the CEF board, along with teams of fund-raising volunteers, are hard at work to raise more money than ever for Camas Schools. “In order to enhance the education experience beyond what the state and school district can fund, we as a community must join together to give the children the tools they need to reach educational excellence,” says CEF Board President Kelly Cooper-Slayton. “We want to turn the funds back around into the classrooms as quickly as possible and make a real difference for the students, staff and parents.”

CEF recently announced its support of the Camas High School Math, Science and Technology magnet program through the award of a $30,000 CEF strategic grant earmarked to help purchase engineering curriculum. The magnet program is distinguished by a strong research strand woven through all four years of instruction culminating in annual showcases and a senior-year research investigation. The program will open with a cohort of approximately 32 ninth graders, and add a grade each year to the program until grades nine through twelve are in place.