The districts applied jointly for the Educate America Act grant and received $215,000, said Kathleen Feeney, Farrell special projects coordinator and grant writer. She said the new program, for first- through fourth-graders, will be held in after-school centers at Farrell Area Elementary and in Sharon at West Hill, Case Avenue and Musser schools.

The program, called Technology-Enhanced Achievement of the Primary Standards, or T.A.P.S., uses technology as a tool for student learning in the areas of reading and writing, mathematics and science, Mrs. Feeney said. She said all the activities will follow a multi-cultural theme.

Students will be allowed to sign up for the program after all the staff is in place, Mrs. Feeney said.

Mrs. Feeney said she expects they program to be in place in March. She said the program will run Mondays through Thursdays for an hour and 15 minutes. She said she expects the program to run through the end of summer.

Each school will have a teacher and two aides running the program. Mrs. Feeney said the teachers will most likely already be working in the school. The grant money will pay their salaries and will be used to provide workshops for the teachers and staffs and will buy laptop computers for student and teacher use, Mrs. Feeney said.

Farrell and Sharon already have two joint after-school programs in place. Students in grades four through eight can attend the Children’s Opportunities for Outside Learning program -- a standards-based academic enrichment program -- and the 21st Century Community Learning Center, which focuses on tutoring, recreation, cultural arts, technology and parenting programs.

Last year the districts received a $204,000 Educate America Grant to start COOL, Mrs. Feeney said.