CSC Leon Announces Summer 2022 Investment Partners

CSC Leon invests $1.56 million to fund cross-cutting child and youth programs for the summer

The Children’s Services Council of Leon County (CSC Leon) has issued 29 contracts to fund the expansion of 30 existing programs for summer 2022. These one-time, short-term investments total $1,565,481.69 across the three priority areas detailed below and are anticipated to impact more than 13,000 children, youth and families. Funding will help provide summer learning opportunities to keep kids engaged and off the streets, as well as overcome transportation barriers, improve data collection, enhance hands-on learning, build workforce readiness skills, provide creative spaces for career exploration, improve access to mental health resources, and better educate the community on societal needs including recognizing the signs of and responding to human trafficking situations.

These programs were selected in accordance with the methodology that was discussed and adopted at the May 26 Governing Council meeting, and is published on the CSC Leon website.

“This first funding cycle absolutely reinforces what many human services providers in our community already knew to be true,” explained Cecka Rose Green, CSC Leon Executive Director. “There is no one, stand-alone solution to address childhood concerns and support youth development. Rather, there are several solutions, many of which are interrelated and reliant on one another to result in positive impact on child and family well-being, and student achievement.” The solutions that will be levied this summer and funded through future investment opportunities will crossover priority areas and work best when providers—including business, industry, nonprofits and faith-based providers—intentionally collaborate and partner.

Success in School & Life: Investment of $824,678.31

Seventeen programs selected for funding will expand available summer learning opportunities to children and youth across the entire community, with a specific focus on Title 1 neighborhoods. Based on conservative estimates, 1,380 children and youth will now have affordable access to camps and other expanded learning opportunities this summer. In addition, many more children and youth already engaged in these programs will benefit from higher quality curricula and/or more days of programming. For example, 21st Century Community Learning Centers was able to accept more students at nine Title 1 schools in Leon County and extend the duration of their summer program for all participants to be Monday-Friday instead of closed on Fridays (close to 700 children and youth funded by other efforts).

The funded summer learning programs are expected to impact the CSC Leon identified domains of school readiness, school-age supports, and youth development. Most programs are focused on increasing academic gains and mitigating learning loss associated with the” summer slide” and long-term impacts of COVID. However, some programs are focused on providing workforce ready skill development associated with STEM curricula or on building resiliency through arts education and/or social-emotional learning. One of the programs funded, Geeks and Gramps, will pair young people with seniors in their community to help with technology skill acquisition through an intergenerational approach that is both sustainable and meets a social-emotional need for all participants. All programs in this category will be required to document learning gains in specified focus areas, as well as provide attendance logs by site and detailed accounting of expenses.

Click here to learn more about these seventeen programs

Healthy Children, Youth & Families: Investment – $211,163.86

Four programs selected for funding will expand access to mental health services and support specifically for children and youth. This includes partnering with existing summer camps to offer mental health services as part of those programs, offering group and individual family sessions, improving existing mental health navigation and support tools, and providing free transportation to families to access mental health services. Approximately 245 families will benefit directly from these programs, with another 3,000 benefiting from the improvement of the community referral database.

The funded mental health programs are expected to impact the CSC Leon identified domains of mental health, youth development and enhanced supports for caregivers. All programs in this category will be required to document learning gains for activities with direct child, youth or family contact, as well as provide weekly contact logs and detailed accounting of expenses.

Click here to learn more about these four programs

Stable and Nurturing Families & Community: Investment – $529, 639.51

Nine programs selected for funding will expand available supports for families and youth this summer. This includes parenting classes, community navigation services, workforce development tools, direct financial assistance, access to food, transportation and more. Some programs will use a model of parents and youth learning together, while others will focus specifically on parent education or one-on-one navigation support. Topics include kindergarten registration, school attendance, college and career readiness, financial literacy, accessing legal services, etc. Through the expansive reach of food distribution efforts, technology-based platforms, and community events, these combined efforts will positively impact more than 9,000 families.

The funded family and youth support programs are expected to impact the CSC Leon-identified domains of enhanced supports for caregivers, youth development, housing stability, food stability and school readiness. All programs in this category will be required to document learning gains in specified focus areas for activities with direct child, youth or family contact, as well as provide weekly contact logs and detailed accounting of expenses.

Click here to learn more about these nine programs

All summer funded programs will be required to attend regular training, submit monthly reports, and complete a final report at the conclusion of the project period (June 1 – August 30, with final report due September 15). CSC Leon plans to host a community event in late September discussing the impact of these summer investments, including mapping the county-wide effects.

“We’ve much to do,” shared Liza McFadden, CSC Leon Council Member, “and we certainly don’t have all the answers, but I do think we’re moving forward not just with data and assessment tools, but also with an eye toward listening to the hearts of others.”

Later this month, CSC Leon will host a public workshop and business meeting to finalize its Needs Assessment, explore priorities for future funding cycles, and host initial discussions on the fiscal year 2022-2023 millage rate. Members of the public are invited to join the meeting in person at the Leon County Courthouse in the Commission Chambers located on the 5th floor or via livestream on YouTube.