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Today, the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department was awarded a $12.5 million grant by The Children’s Trust to support expansion of the Department’s award-winning, evidence-based afterschool and summer camp programs that have proven results in improving the health and fitness of participants. The new funding will allow the Parks Department to expand its camps’ capacity and reach more children in underserved communities, including those with disabilities.
“Congratulations to our Parks Department for this outstanding grant award and my heartfelt thank you to The Children’s Trust for their great support for our community’s parks and children,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “This award makes it possible for more youth to access free recreational and educational activities that could help shape their futures.”
The funds will allow Miami-Dade Parks to increase the number of free afterschool and summer camp program opportunities supported by The Children’s Trust, from seven (7) to ten (10) general program sites and from three (3) to six (6) Therapeutic Recreation and Inclusion (TRI) program sites. The already existing TRI program is exclusively for children and adults with disabilities and is run by Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists. TRI also offers an Inclusion Initiative to assist children and adults with disabilities in getting involved in general parks programs not geared specifically to persons with disabilities.
The funds will also impact the number of free after school program slots, increasing them from 435 youth served to 680. The number of free summer camp program slots will also increase from 685 youth served to 830.
“Thank you to The Children’s Trust for the grant award,” said Miami-Dade Parks Director Maria I. Nardi. “We are honored to continue to work with The Trust to impact children’s lives for the better by continuing to provide parks program participants with our nationally recognized program, Fit2Play. Our goal is to keep making Miami-Dade’s kids healthier and more resilient through this evidence-based program, and to utilize the new funding to take our afterschool and summer camp programming to the next level.”
In addition, the funding will allow the Parks Department to add new curriculum components, including Academic Support and Course Completion Assistance, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Financial Literacy and Graduation Support, Enhanced Health and Wellness, Sports, Learn to Swim, Art and Culture (Music, Dance and Theater), Environment and Conservation (4H), and Family Engagement (Park Parent Club).
The total $12.5 million grant award will be disbursed in increments of $2.5 million per year, over five years, beginning in August 2023. The grant is nearly double the award that the Parks Department received from The Children’s Trust for 2018 to 2023 of $1.3 million per year,$6.5 million in total.
The following are Miami-Dade Parks’ 10 locations supported by The Children’s Trust that will open for general afterschool programs in August 2023 and for general summer camps in 2024: Oak Grove Park, 690 NE 159 Street; Gwen Cherry Park, 7090 NW 22 Street; Little River Park, 10525 NW 24 Avenue; Sidney Wynn Park at Arcola, 1680 NW 87 Street; Martin Luther King Park,6160 NW 32 Court; Ruben Dario Park, 9825 W Flagler; JL and Enid Demps Park ,11350 SW 216 Street, Naranja Park, 14159 SW 264 Street, Live Like Bella Park, 29305 Illinois Road; and South Dade Park, 16350 SW 280 Street.
The following are Miami-Dade Parks’ six (6) locations supported by The Children’s Trust that will open for Therapeutic Recreation and Inclusion (TRI) afterschool programs in August 2023 and TRI summer camps in 2024: Highland Oaks Park, 20300 NE 24 Avenue; Ojus Park, 18995 W. Dixie Highway; Tamiami Park, 11201 SW 24 Street; Camp Matecumbe Park, 13841 SW 120 Street; Kendale Lakes Park, 7850 SW 142 Avenue; and JL and Enid Demps Park, 11350 SW 216 Street.
About Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces:
Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces is the third largest county park system in the United States, consisting of more than 280 parks and 40,000+ acres of parks and natural areas, comprised of active, passive parklands and nature preserves. It is one of the most unique park and recreation systems in the world and focused on placemaking, health and fitness, and conservation and stewardship.
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