CHENANGO COUNTY – With summer vacation drawing near for thousands of school students across the county, many will have job opportunities to turn to for the season, thanks largely to public funding to maintain Chenango County’s summer youth employment program for another year.

Chenango County Department of Social Services is slated to receive funding through the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) to help bring local youth into the workforce, build on skills that can help them boost academic performance, and of course, earn a little extra spending cash.

According to the OTDA, $25 million in funding to all 57 counties and New York City will help more than 18,000 teens statewide find a job this summer.

Chenango County is set to receive $72,700, enough to employ a total of 49 youth across the county. While funding is allocated annually with this purpose in mind, the recent New York State budget has allowed more than $7,000 more than last year, meaning more youth will benefit this year.

Eligibility is restricted to youths ages 14-20 whose families are recipients of public assistance or have a family income below 200 percent the federal poverty level. Chenango DSS has contracted with The Place in Norwich to recruit youth and to team up with local entities, public and private, for community projects that teens in the program can help with.