The Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County kick off the new year with the opening of three important new club locations in Jupiter, Pahokee and West Palm Beach. The new clubs will serve students during after-school hours and full-time during the summer. Each location officially opened on Monday January 9th to help meet the growing demand from Palm Beach County families for quality and affordable afterschool and summer programming for their children. The cost per child is $30, which provides a Boys & Girls Club membership card, covering the cost of participation for a full year.
The locations include:
- Jupiter Elementary School
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- 200 S. Loxahatchee Dr., Jupiter, FL 33458
- School year hours: 2-6:00pm
- Summer hours: 8:30am-2:30pm
- Pahokee Middle/High School
- 850 Larrimore Rd, Pahokee, FL 33476
- School year hours: 3-5:30pm
- Summer hours: 9:00am-3:00pm
- Conniston Middle School
- 3630 Parker Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
- School year hours: 3-5:30pm
- Summer hours: 8:00am-3:30pm
“These three new Boys & Girls Clubs help us to expand our geographic footprint in the County by serving new communities and increasing from 17 to 20 Clubs. Programming at our Clubs supports predominantly economically challenged families that have children who require additional academic enrichment activities,” said Jaene Miranda, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. “We are working collaboratively with the Palm Beach County School District, school principals and parents to identify 480 children at these school sites that are not currently performing at satisfactory academic achievement levels and would benefit from additional time with certified teachers and youth development professionals during non-school hours.”
According to the Children’s Defense Fund’s 2021 report, infusing resources to expand summer and after-school literacy and cultural enrichment programs for children in order to curb summer learning loss, close achievement gaps, and create additional opportunities for children to feel connected to their education is one major strategy to help bridge the gap for economically challenged young people and prepare them for a successful future.
However, according to the Florida Afterschool Alliance the average annual cost for an afterschool and summer program is $6,600, making most programs out of reach for low-income families. Without an affordable program, parents and caregivers are often unable to obtain or maintain employment. Those that do work, are often left with no alternative but to leave their young children with older siblings who are ill-equipped to provide adequate care or, worse yet, leave them in unsupervised situations after school and throughout the summer.
“Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County is dedicated to providing the neediest youth from 6 to 18 years of age with a safe haven and myriad opportunities to improve their physical, social, and emotional wellness, academic performance and workforce readiness,” stated Miranda. “We are also committed to removing the barrier to quality afterschool care due to family income.”
The new Clubs’ programming is funded through a grant provided by the Florida Department of Education that supports the creation of community learning centers designed to help students meet state standards in core academic subjects, such as English language arts and mathematics; offer students a broad array of high yield enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.
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