NARRAGANSETT, RI - In an effort to give court-adjudicated young men a second chance to earn their high school diplomas and reach their full academic potential, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today joined Brother Brendan Gerrity, President and Executive Director of Ocean Tides, as well as students and faculty from the program in announcing $268,000 in federal funding for Ocean Tides. Senator Reed and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) secured the federal funding for Ocean Tides in the Fiscal Year 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act. This money will enable Ocean Tides, an integrated residential and education facility for over 50 young men ages 14-18, to enhance its science, computer, and multi-media labs and arts and ceramics room; build a new library; and develop counseling rooms.

"I am pleased to have secured this federal funding to enhance Ocean Tides' Narragansett facility. The students who come here have hit a rough patch in their lives, but the dedicated faculty and staff at Ocean Tides does an outstanding job of helping these youngsters turn things around, earn their diplomas, and develop work-readiness and social skills," said Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. "This federal funding is a wise investment in our children and our community. It costs the state about half the amount to educate a young man at Ocean Tides as it would at the Training School. Ocean Tides has a proven track record of helping kids graduate and remain trouble-free."

"The young men who come to Ocean Tides are at a crossroads in their lives, and the education and support they receive here have helped more than a thousand of them make better choices and go on to lead more productive lives," said Whitehouse, who served as Rhode Island's Attorney General from 1998-2002. "These young people deserve a second chance, and I'm glad that this federal funding will help Ocean Tides open even more doors for them and their families."

Since Ocean Tides was founded in 1975, it has helped turn around the lives of over 1,600 young men deemed by a state agency to be in need of residential placement and supervision. It offers an alternative to the Rhode Island State Training School. Ocean Tides' comprehensive program provides coordinated treatment for each young man and their families by offering fully accredited classes for boys in 8th through 12th grade; an extensive work-study program for vocational training; and counseling services all in a supportive community environment. Each June about 20 boys earn their high school diplomas and go on to college or vocational school. Nearly 80 percent of the students who graduate from the program do not get into further trouble.

"On behalf of the boys and staff at Ocean Tides, I am particularly grateful to Senator Reed for securing federal funding to enhance our educational programs and support services. Senator Reed has been a long-time friend and supporter of Ocean Tides since his time in the state legislature and has continued over many years to encourage our commitment to providing quality care for adjudicated youth and their families. We are very thankful for the efforts of Senators Reed and Whitehouse for accomplishing this federal support," said Brother Brendan Gerrity, President and Executive Director of Ocean Tides.

Ocean Tides main campus in Narragansett includes administrative offices, residential living for the majority of the youngsters served, and social services counseling facilities. The program also has a Providence campus day school that was developed to provide an educational transition opportunity for students completing the Ocean Tides residential program and for students referred by any school district in Rhode Island. It is an alternative high school for boys who have difficulty with the traditional structure and programming within their local high schools. Ocean Tides also has four community based group homes and a service center located in Providence and West Warwick.