BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF POLK COUNTY

• Increase school grades (reading, math, science, social studies)
• Increase state test level(s) of academic proficiency (reading, math, science)
• Decrease school suspensions and office disciplinary referrals due to classroom behaviors
• Increase school attendance rates
• Increase daily amount of time of physical fitness activities, routines, and habits
• Increase daily recommended proportions of fresh fruits and vegetables
• Reduce number of sugar-sweetened drinks consumed per day
• Increase healthy eating habits
• Increase hours slept per night to at least 8 hours of sleep/night
• Reduce risky decision making, increase positive sources of influence and positive role models
• Significantly reduce amount of time youth report feeling sad, depressed, or hopeless

BGCPC provides comprehensive, high-quality after-school and summer programming for low-income youth based on positive youth development principles and strategies. With effective programs and high-quality mentorship, programs lead to Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) national outcomes: 1) academic success, 2) increased likelihood of on-time high school graduation, and 3) healthy lifestyles (physical fitness, good mental health, and healthy eating). All BGCPC programs reduce risky behaviors/decision-making and increase protective factors for youth ages 6-18.

Programs integrate homework help, tutoring, and academic enrichment with a strong focus on STEM, physical fitness and sports, healthy eating, social skills, youth voice, social advocacy, character and leadership development, service to the community, and family engagement. BGCPC programs are based on developing/using such 21st century competencies as collaboration, teamwork, communication, leadership, and problem solving. Youth grapple with youth and community issues in order to advocate for inclusive community, social, and systemic changes. Providing expressive and creative avenues for youth voice to build awareness, speak for the voiceless, and collaboratively address change is a key feature of BGCPC programs.

First, BGCPC has a strong and deeply committed Board of Directors many of whom have participated in Boys & Girls Clubs when they were young. The board consists of individuals from each community served and from varying professional occupations. Positive youth development programming is their commitment. 100% donate and all are involved in fundraising activities.

The president and central administrative staff are also deeply committed to highly effective Boys & Girls Clubs programs that result in 1) high attainment of outcomes, 2) putting each youth on a path that includes college completion+, 3) engagement in careers and occupations with lifelong sustainable wages, and 4) continuing to volunteer at their local Boys & Girls Clubs. This kind of impact is consistently seen and many club alumni return to speak to/encourage current club participants. Central staff also include club alumni who ensure similar high-quality experiences.

Each unit director (3 units in Lakeland, 1 each in Bartow, Haines City, Lake Wales, Mulberry, Winter Haven, and 1 in progress in Fort Meade) has many years of experience in implementing positive youth development programs in Boys & Girls Clubs as do staff members. All unit staff are committed to, and exemplify, eradicating academic and health disparities Polk County youth experience. All unit staff are positive mentors and role models.

The BGCPC Director of Grants, Ashley Thomas Ray, tracks student progress on a quarterly basis and in strong communication/collaboration with partner schools. She also tracks 1) BGCPC student and parent perception surveys, 2) partner-school teacher satisfaction surveys, and 3) program evaluation data. The design of BGCPC’s annual objectives, outcomes, and evaluation adheres to Florida Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers metric requirements. In addition, she conducts monthly unit walkthroughs with scaled rubrics of exemplary practices to observe and verify conditions that will lead to meeting objectives. Unit Directors also conduct monthly walkthroughs which are provided to Ms. Ray.

Quarterly data and walkthrough summaries are used to conduct real-time continuous improvement analysis with subsequent implementation of improvement strategies. Quarterly summaries are provided to the president who participates in continuous improvement. The president summarizes further to the Board of Directors.

BGCPC has strong community partnerships including partner schools in each community, each city and the county, strategic health and education community foundations, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, U.S.D.A. Child Care Food and Healthy Snacks Programs, University of Florida/IFAS Extension Polk County Office, as well as local corporations, businesses, and faith-based organizations.

The Boys & Girls Clubs movement has its beginning in 1860. BGCPC was organized in 1939 and has served at the forefront of youth development in Polk County communities for over 80 years, growing from one to nearly-nine locations.

BGCPC annually serves over 2,500 school-age youth who, without high-quality, comprehensive after-school and summer programming, would be at tremendous risk of negative risk factors, negative influences, and dropping out of school. By providing an effective mix of positive youth development programs, youth, instead, develop protective factors, stay in school, increase academic proficiency, graduate on time, and develop into responsible, community-minded individuals.

Boys & Girls Clubs in Florida make a positive impact on its participants’ academic performance and positive decision-making, and helps mold productive and responsible citizens who give back to the community. Results from independent studies include:

• 10%+ higher graduation rate than other youth in similar communities
• Youth attain academic proficiency
• 50% fewer days absent from school and 50% reduction in chronic absenteeism—preventing grade retention and dropout
• 60% fewer juvenile justice events—youth involved in the criminal justice system are at tremendous risk of recidivism and reincarceration

BGCPC’s lead program, Florida Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Center, shows impressive results including that 98% of participants were promoted on time to their next grade level, 94% of families state the program helped their child make better decisions, and 0% youth were involved in juvenile arrests.

BGCPC is a member of Boys & Girls Clubs of America with good standing (meets all operating standards, charter provisions, youth development best practices, fiscal and governance requirements, and National Youth Outcomes Initiatives assessment and continuous improvement practices).

The Chronicle of Philanthropy consistently rates Boys & Girls Clubs as the top youth development organization that donors give to and is currently #10 of America’s Favorite Charities.