Every year, The Children’s Trust Champions for Children Awards Ceremony highlights three Trust-funded programs that have stood apart from others because of their excellent services to children and families. This year’s three honorees have demonstrated exemplary service through the delivery of quality programming for children.
Early Learning Coalition's Thrive by 5 Child Care Scholarship Initiative
The Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe (ELC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring high quality early education for children through a community-based collaborative approach. It is committed to promoting high quality early learning, advocating on behalf of children and preparing every child for success in both school and life.
Thrive by 5 Child Scholarships are awarded to parents who do not qualify for a School Readiness subsidy but still cannot afford the high cost of quality child care. While School Readiness eligibility covers families with incomes up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level, Thrive by 5 Child Scholarships cover families with incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level. Parents can use the scholarships to enroll children in high-quality programs, based on CLASS assessments, and those programs would benefit from increasing enrollment.
For more information visit elcmdm.org.
Jessie Trice Community Health System School Health Services
Serving Miami-Dade County for over fifty years, Jessie Trice Community Health System’s mission is to improve health equality in our South Florida population by increasing access to quality, comprehensive primary care. Jessie Trice first partnered with The Children's Trust in 2006 in 12 schools to provide comprehensive health services. In 2011, the health program expanded to 23 schools due to the significant impact on students and their families in the community, and today it is one of the most extensive school health programs with 40 sites servicing students across Miami-Dade County daily. Jessie Trice’s school health program serves as an access point across central and northern Miami, empowering individuals to take charge of their health.
Their school-based program has a multicultural, multilingual, and diverse interdisciplinary team of advance nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurse mental health professionals, and licensed clinical social workers. Last year, they delivered 68,541 health visits to over 25,065 students enrolled in Miami-Dade Title 1 schools. The school-based nurses provide essential health services, first aid, and screenings of BMI and Vision, while oral health screenings provide fluoride varnish to our students who may be experiencing a lack of dental care.
For more information visit jtchs.org.
Breakthrough Miami’s Summer Institute
Breakthrough Miami’s Summer Institute provides a rigorous six-week academic summer learning experience for rising 5th – 9th graders at seven sites throughout Miami-Dade County, and one site in Palm Beach County. The evidence-based, cross-age, peer mentoring embedded in Breakthrough’s students-teaching-students model provides rigorous teaching and learning, while simultaneously shaping future educational leaders through our teaching fellowship. Our Teaching Fellows (high school/college students) are mentored and supervised by experienced certified educators, and guide our Scholars through the summer program. The Summer Institute supports academic progress, life/leadership skill building and social emotional wellness, empowering Scholars to thrive in rigorous programs, graduate high school and enter four-year colleges.
Among the skills and experience gained by Breakthrough Miami’s Summer Institute scholars are; an understanding of the interconnectedness of interpersonal, life and academic skills; repeated opportunities to express choice and voice in a nurturing environment of equally motivated individuals; greater agency over their mental health and wellness; academic skills to prepare them for the upcoming school year; exposure to new interests/career paths through specialized elective courses led by near-peer mentors and teachers passionate and experienced in that field; and skills to sustain independent learning in summer and beyond.
For more information visit breakthroughmiami.org.