The Teen Zone

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The Teen Zone

• A partnership between the Alachua County, City of
  Gainesville, School Board, and the Federal
  Government (through a Federal Education
  Improvement grant)

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The Teen Zone
Partnership Contributions

• Alachua County Funding Grant Administration
• City of Gainesville Operates Programs
• School Board Provides school sites
• Federal Government Grant funding

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Teen Zone Sites
City of Gainesville funded sites

• Westwood Middle School Funded and operated by
  the City of Gainesville
• Eastside Community Center (Lincoln and Bishop)

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Teen Zone Sites

• County funded sites
• Kanapaha Middle School
• Ft. Clarke Middle School Funded through a
  Federal Education Improvement (FEI) Grant

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Partnership Arrangements

• Ft. Clarke Middle School
• FEI grant is administered by Alachua County
• Grant expires September 30, 2008
• Contract with the City of Gainesville to run the
  program
• Agreement expires September 30, 2008

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Partnership Arrangements

• Kanapaha Middle School
• Funded through the General Fund and MSTU
  operating budget
• Contract with the City of Gainesville to run the
  program
• Agreement expires September 30, 2008

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Teen Zone at a Glance

• The Teen Zone program provides after-school
  programs for over 200 children at Kanapaha and
  Ft. Clarke Middle Schools

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Teen Zone at a Glance

• This innovative program is FREE to all
  participants
• The program operates Monday through Friday, each
  day that school is in session, from 330-530pm

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History of Teen Zone

• Teen Zone had its origins in a community-driven
  request for middle school activities, led by the
  ACTION Network (2002/2003)

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History of Teen Zone

• In 2003, Westwood Middle School began as a
  city-funded pilot program and Mebane Middle
  School began as a county-funded pilot program
  (each site funded at 50,000 per year)

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History of Teen Zone

• In 2004, the County-funded site was moved to
  Kanapaha Middle School, and both the City and
  County increased funding for their sites 75,000
  per year

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History of Teen Zone

• In 2005 and 2006, the Teen Zone program continued
  operating at Kanapaha Middle School, funded at
  75,000 per year. Enrollment continued to
  increase annually.
• In early 2007, Ft. Clarke Middle School was added
  as a Teen Zone site, funded through a federal FEI
  grant at 49,600 per year.

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2006/2007 School Year

• Kanapaha
• 127 children were registered for the Teen Zone.
• 67 average daily attendance.
• Ft. Clarke
• 75 children at Ft. Clarke were registered for
  Teen Zone
• 28 average daily attendance

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2007/2008 School Year (YTD)

• Kanapaha
• 125 children at KMS are registered for the Teen
  Zone.
• 68 average daily attendance (ytd).
• Ft. Clarke
• 108 children at Ft. Clarke are registered for
  Teen Zone
• 48 average daily attendance (ytd)

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Teen Zone Structure

• The Teen Zone is structured around five areas of
  life
• Character Leadership Enables youth to
  establish meaningful relationships with others
  and develop a positive self-image.
• Education Career Enables youth to become
  proficient in basic educational disciplines and
  to embrace technology to achieve success in their
  careers.

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Teen Zone Structure

• Health Life Skills Provides prevention
  programs specifically developed for middle school
  youth to address drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancy
  and violence prevention.
• Sports, Fitness Recreation Develops fitness,
  positive use of leisure time, prevention of
  obesity, skills for stress management, and
  appreciation of social skills.

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Teen Zone Structure

• The Arts Enables youth to develop their
  creativity and cultural awareness through
  knowledge and appreciation of the visual arts,
  performing arts, creative writing, arts crafts,
  and music.

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Program Components

• The goal of this program is to give children
• A sense of Competency
• A sense of Usefulness
• A sense of Belonging
• A sense of Influence

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Sample Activities in Teen Zone

• Arts Crafts
• Sports Recreation
• Career Exploration
• Character Development
• Cheerleading
• Communication
• Community Service

• Computers/ Technology
• Cooking Classes
• Counseling
• Dance/Step Team
• Drama Classes
• Cultural Activities

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Sample Activities in Teen Zone

• Journalism/ Newspaper
• Yearbook
• Prevention Programs
• Social Activities
• Reading Literacy
• Technology Applications

• Environmental Education
• Esteem Building
• Exercise Fitness
• Gardening Classes
• Martial Arts
• Music Instruction
• Nutrition Classes

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Performance Indicators

• Goal 80 of the youth participating in the
  program will not have initial or repeated
  involvement with the juvenile system
• Outcome 97 of the registered students did not
  have initial or repeated involvement with the
  juvenile system

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Performance Indicators

• Goal 80 of the youth will achieve or maintain a
  GPA of 2.0 or more, or increase their academic
  achievement
• Outcome 88.3 of the youth achieved or
  maintained a GPA of 2.0 or more (vs. 80.5 last
  year)

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Performance Indicators

• Goal The overall average attendance of program
  participants will be better than the overall
  average attendance of non-participants.
• Outcome With a school average daily attendance
  of 93, the Teen Zone participants had a daily
  attendance average of 94.

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Initiatives/Programs in Teen Zone

• Academics embedded into all areas
• Junior Achievement for all participants
• Start Something, a dream-building program that
  will get students thinking about who they are and
  what they can do with their lives sponsored by
  the Tiger Woods Foundation
• Direct communication with teachers

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Initiatives/Programs in Teen Zone

• Service learning projects
• Tutoring/homework help/FCAT prep classes
• Intramural sports among each Teen Zone site
• Cheerleading/dance squads to support school
  activities
• Health/nutrition/fitness components to battle
  obesity epidemic

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Accomplishments

• The Teen Zone program at Kanapaha Middle School
  continues to increase enrollment each year,
  demonstrating the effectiveness and popularity of
  this innovative program
• Enrollment and attendance has increased despite
  competition from the new middle school athletics
  program.
• Enrollment has increased without increasing the
  program budget due to efficiencies gained each
  year.

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We Thank You!