Healthy, Educated, Supported, and Safe |
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From the Executive Director, Colin G. Murphy |
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The New Year is a time for reflection on the old year. We assess how we did and report on our accomplishments in the Annual Report, which you can find on our website. We also report on some upcoming programs, which are found below.
We expect to be very busy working to help our kids and their families. We will continue our laser focus on the only goal that matters - our kids.
Our Lights on Afterschool event remains one of my favorite days this year. It was the first large-scale community event for the Trust. We had about 200 kids having fun, learning, and having fun while learning at the Cade Museum. Some of the kids are pictured above.
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Success Stories from Parents about Summer Fun 2021 |
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“It gave my children an opportunity to get outside of the apartment and meet friends, I’ve always wanted my children to experience camp but have never been able to afford it.”
“My kids have noticeable increases in their independence and self-confidence over the course of their weeks in camp. My kids were all positively impacted from their interactions with their counselors, who went above and beyond to do their job.”
“We gave something to our child that we couldn’t afford at this time and we are grateful for the opportunity. The camp was able to harness her potential to be more creative and imaginative. She can’t stop commenting on how great her teacher is and how she listened to the lessons and instructions.”
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TeensWork RFP - Summer Youth Employment Program |
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CTAC is seeking a Contractor or Contractors to manage the TeensWork Alachua Summer Youth Employment Program. TWA is a pilot project of the CTAC that aims to employ between 150-200 youth from ages 14-18 years old as summer interns during the summer of 2022. Summer interns' salaries will be paid through funds provided directly by CTAC. The Contractor will be responsible for marketing, outreach, worksite recruitment, summer intern recruitment, work readiness training, and job coaching.
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Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools |
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The Children’s Trust and the University of Florida College of Education - Collaborative for Equity in Education are working together to bring the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) - Freedom School model to Alachua County. This pilot program is for 40 low-income, public school children, who otherwise may not have access to books and educational enhancement programs during the summer, particularly African-American and Latino children from at-risk communities.
The Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools, a six-week summer reading camp that aims to motivate children to fall in love with reading. CDF Freedom Schools focus on addressing the summer slide, where children fall behind academically because their families and/or community lack the resources to engage them in high-quality summer programs. Freedom Schools also emphasize how scholars (students) can make a difference in themselves, their families, the school community, the country, and the world. Specific program activities include:
- Integrated Reading Curriculum (3 hours/day)
- Weekly field trips
- Weekly parent meetings/workshops
- Extracurricular activities (e.g., music, dance, sports, arts, etc.)
- STEM development
- Weekly programming at the intersection of arts, culture, entrepreneurship, education, and wellness
- Teacher candidate and teacher professional development
The Children’s Trust is supporting the entire pilot program with a $60,000 grant.
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Help Me Grow Contract Alachua Awarded to Children's Home Society |
Help Me Grow is designed so all children have the best possible start in life by providing free developmental and behavioral screenings. Families benefit as Help Me Grow listens to them, links them to services, and provides ongoing support.
CHS is a nationally recognized leader in delivering innovative, effective services and solutions to keep more families safe, strong and together.
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Matching Funds - Cade Museum - Operation Full STEAM |
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The Cade Museum was awarded match funding from CTAC in the amount of $33,958.50 for Operation Full STEAM. This program provides interactive, hands-on science experiences aligned with the school-based science curriculum for students in grades 2-5 in three strategically selected elementary schools by providing on-going field trips, make and takes, and a yearlong membership to the Cade Museum. While Alachua County Public Schools provides science instruction, opportunities to “do” science and make real-world connections are lacking; this funding will provide exposure to 800 students attending high poverty schools. Operation Full STEAM has an overall operating budget of $135,834 and is to receive $67,917 in grant funds from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
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Partnership for Strong Families (PSF)
Family Resource Centers/Community Navigator Program
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The primary goal of the program is to build caregiver protective factors, thus reducing the risk of child abuse/neglect, decreasing entry into the child welfare system, and improving outcomes for children and families through the provision of family support services. Financial support for the Family Resource Centers will assist in sustaining prevention services to families that reside in 32601, 32609, 32605, 32653, and 32641 and expand prevention services to families that live in underserved, rural communities in Alachua County.
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Board of County Commissioners
12 SE 1st Street, 2nd Floor
Gainesville, FL 32601
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