Afterschool providers share advice, feedback at first-ever Convening
The Children’s Trust of Alachua County hosted its first-ever Afterschool Provider Convening on July 31. The attendees included representatives from each Trust-funded afterschool provider: Aces In Motion, Boys & Girls Club, Deeper Purpose, Gainesville Circus Center, Girls Place, Kids Count and Willie Mae Stokes Community Center.
“The Children’s Trust of Alachua County is excited to have you all present at our first Afterschool Provider Convening,” said Marsha Kiner, executive director of Children’s Trust of Alachua County, to the group. “As the Trust continues to grow, there will be changes, but we want to keep you all updated because we are a family. We all have a relationship and are working for the greater good of the youth.”
The event was planned to connect with providers as they head into the last year of their three-year contracts and to offer insight from the data collected over the year. Importantly, it fostered open discussion among the providers and the Trust’s team. Throughout the afternoon, providers actively participated in meaningful discussion, sharing insights about their afterschool programs and offering valuable feedback and advice.
Bonnie Wagner, Children’s Trust research, planning, and evaluation coordinator, presented data that revealed insights on areas such as demographics, academic gains, and social and emotional skills across all of the programs. During the 2021-22 school year, the first year afterschool providers were contracted, Trust-funded programs served 340 children. By the 2023-24 school year, this number had increased to 415 children.
One reason for the growth in youth served was the addition of a new site, at the Willie Mae Stokes Community Center in Micanopy, which was added before the 2024 school year. Its executive director, Bishop Christopher Stokes, expressed his gratitude for the boost Children’s Trust funds were able to give the afterschool program.
“Willie Mae Stokes Community Center has been around for seven years, but this was the first grant we ever applied for, and received,” Stokes said. “We are grateful that it came from the Children’s Trust.”
One new addition to the 2023-24 school year was a new literacy skills assessment on the youth. In the trial run, the afterschool providers who provided data were Boys & Girls Club, Girls Place, Kids Count and Willie Mae Stokes. Across all four programs, youth improved 72% in literacy skills.
As she presented each piece of data, Wagner encouraged the providers to examine the data relevant to their specific programs and discuss factors they found to be helpful for them. The representatives for Kids Count shared their strategies for assisting youth with homework and generously offered to share their resources with the other providers.
At the conclusion of the Afterschool Provider Convening, Kristy Goldwire, chief operating officer of Children’s Trust, expressed her gratitude to all attendees for their participation. To gather additional feedback, Kristy also shared a survey to capture insights on the event’s impact and attendees’ experiences. Overall, the attendees shared that they would like to have similar gatherings throughout the year.
This feedback is guiding the Children’s Trust to plan effectively for the upcoming school year, as well as future convenings for the afterschool providers and other categorized funding recipients.
Written by Miranda Rodriguez, communications intern
