Danbury HS DECO Program Gets $30K Grant

DANBURY, CT. — The Danbury Early College Opportunity (DECO) program at Danbury High School has received a $30,000 grant from the Fairfield County’s Community Foundation (FCCF).

The grant will give students in the program access to course programming that will help them in their pursuit of an Associate Degree in Computer Information Sciences.

DECO gives students an opportunity to earn an Associate Degree simultaneously with their high school diploma. The degree program is offered by Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) at the high school as part of the program’s curriculum. Students begin accelerating their high school requirements so that by sophomore or junior year they can begin incorporating college-level courses. They can expect to complete the Associate Degree in four, five or six years. Some courses may take place at NVCC’s Danbury campus. DHS is the second high school in Connecticut to offer such a program.

“Support from the community for this program comes in many forms, from the families and students who spend after-school and summer break time to either transport or work on their studies, from local businesses and organizations that donate money or host interns, from the Board of Education and Danbury Public Schools that support the overall development and growth of the program,” said Dr. Sarah Roy, DECO's coordinator. “This is truly an exemplar of the old adage, ‘It takes a village.’

There are 77 students in the first cohort, 61 in the second and 65 freshmen students who started the third cohort last September. A new cohort of freshmen will start the program in the fall.