FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): A program designed to keep at-risk youths in school and out of jail is getting a boost.

The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute has awarded a grant of more than $200,000 to the Allen County Juvenile Center’s “Check and Connect” program, which is an effort to mentor students in grades K through 12.

The Check and Connect program identifies students who are showing signs of disengaging from school, including poor attendance and low grades, and pairs them with mentors who work with them on problem-solving and skill-building.

The program, which has been in operation since 2014, hopes to reduce truancies in the schools it serves by 10 percent or more.

“This is the largest grant we have ever received for Check and Connect,” said Judge Andrea R. Trevino, Supervising Judge of the ACJC. “This tells us something important: That the work Check and Connect accomplishes is important and impactful on the students we serve. It also gives us the encouragement our team needs to keep building on what Check and Connect has already accomplished.”