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:
Middle School – Funded
and operated by the City of
Gainesville
 Westwood
 Eastside
Community Center
(Lincoln and Bishop)
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Teen Zone Sites
County funded sites:
 Kanapaha
Middle
School
Clarke Middle School – Funded
through a Federal Education
Improvement (FEI) Grant
 Ft.
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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 3:305:30pm
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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:
1.
Character & Leadership – Enables youth
to establish meaningful relationships with
others and develop a positive self-image.
2.
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
3.
Health & Life Skills – Provides prevention
programs specifically developed for middle
school youth to address drugs, alcohol, teen
pregnancy and violence prevention.
4.
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
5.
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

Environmental
Education

Journalism/
Newspaper

Esteem Building

Yearbook

Exercise & Fitness


Gardening Classes
Prevention
Programs

Social Activities

Reading & Literacy

Technology
Applications



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!
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