City of Hallandale Beach Carter Chosen to Be One of Just 18 ‘Afterschool Ambassadors’ in the Nation This Year

Afterschool Ambassador Program: Legacy of Leadership

Nicole Carter Will Work in Florida to Raise Awareness About and Increase Access to Afterschool and Summer Learning Programs

     WASHINGTON, DC – The Afterschool Alliance announced today that Nicole Carter, Youth Services Supervisor, at the City of Hallandale Beach Austin Hepburn Center After School Tutorial Enrichment Program, has been selected to serve as an Afterschool Ambassador for the Afterschool Alliance in 2020-2021. She is one of just 18 leaders in the United States chosen for the honor this year. Afterschool Ambassadors continue their work at local afterschool programs while serving the one-year Afterschool Ambassador term, organizing public events, communicating with policy makers and community leaders, and in other ways increasing awareness and support for afterschool and summer learning programs.

“We are so pleased that Nicole Carter will serve as an Afterschool Ambassador this year,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “With the pandemic increasing the need for quality afterschool and summer learning programs so dramatically, we need strong advocates who have their fingers on the pulse of their communities. Nicole will do a terrific job mobilizing community and business leaders, parents, policy makers, educators and others to send the message that afterschool programs are vital to our recovery from COVID-19. Afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and give families peace of mind that their children are safe, learning, and constructively engaged while parents are at work or looking for jobs.”

“I am delighted to work with the Afterschool Alliance to increase support for afterschool programs,” said Carter. “It’s a tremendously important issue in my community and state. In normal times, afterschool programs help young people succeed in school and in life, and support working families throughout Florida. These days, we need to help children with academic, social and emotional needs created by the pandemic and support efforts to rebuild our economy. That makes these programs even more essential. I look forward to helping build support for the out-of-school-time opportunities all students need, now and over time.”

For over 35 years, the children and youth of the Austin Hepburn Center After School Tutorial Enrichment Program have enjoyed high-quality academic support, social services, and recreational activities from the Hallandale Beach Human Services Department. The program operates at a Broward County Licensed Child Care Facility, the Austin Hepburn Community Center, located within the OB Johnson Park Facility at 1000 NW 8^th Avenue in Hallandale Beach, Florida.  The program is licensed for 210 children, from Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) through 8^th Grade. The program is funded by the Children’s Services Council of Broward County, the Broward County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the Friends of the Hepburn Center, Inc., and the City of Hallandale Beach. The Austin Hepburn Center After School Tutorial Enrichment Program is known for providing quality service to children and their families in the Hallandale Beach Community. Each classroom offers instruction from Florida Certified Teachers, Teacher Assistants and/or Teacher Aides in every class, homework assistance, tutoring, cultural enrichment, performing arts and counseling services.

Each Ambassador will organize a major event for Lights On Afterschool, the Afterschool Alliance’s annual rally for afterschool, which will include events on or around Thursday, October 28, 2021.

The 2020-2021 Afterschool Ambassadors are:

Delaware: Ray Taylor, 4H After-school Program, Newark;

Florida: Nicole Carter, City of Hallandale Beach-Hepburn Center Afterschool Tutorial Enrichment Program, Hallandale Beach;

Florida: Kwamara Thompson, Palm Beach County Boys & Girls Clubs, Palm Beach (and Classroom, Inc., New York, NY);

Georgia: Tiffany Collie-Bailey, Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta, Marietta:

Georgia: Dr. Janice Flowers, Bibb County School District, Macon;

Illinois: Kenny Riley, Carole Robertson Center for Learning, Chicago;

Illinois: Teresa Dothard-Campbell, Lights ON for Learning – Glenview Middle School, East Moline;

Maine: Barrett Takesian, Portland Community Squash, Portland;

New Jersey: Darnell A. Scott, The Jointure, Rariton and Branchburg;

New York: Angela Todriff Mundy, Family YMCA of the Glens Falls Area, Glens Falls;

New York: Stephanie Graf, Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Jefferson County, Watertown;

North Carolina: Emily Neff, WAMY Community Action, Inc. / Avery County Afterschool Program, Boone;

Ohio: Debbie Frison, 21st Century Community Learning Center Glenwood/Rosa Parks Elementary, Toledo;

Oregon: Amber Lomascola, Expanding Horizon Youth Center, Myrtle Creek;

Pennsylvania: Chuck Inverso, Neshaminy Kids Club, Langhorne;

South Carolina: Ray C. Funnye, The Village Group, Georgetown;

Wyoming: Shannon Christian, Worland Youth Learning Center, Worland;

Wyoming: Tiffany L Wutzke, Youth Clubs of Park County, Cody.

The America After 3PM household survey of more than 30,000 families, commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance and released this month, finds that unmet demand for afterschool programs has reached an all-time high. For every child in an afterschool program in America today, three more are waiting to get in. The study finds significant inequities, with Black and Latinx children disproportionately without afterschool opportunities. Ninety-four percent of parents of afterschool students say they are satisfied with their child’s program.

A large and powerful body of evidence demonstrates improvements in grades, school attendance, behavior and more among children who participate in afterschool programs. Researchers have also found that students in afterschool programs are more engaged in school and excited about learning and develop critical work and life skills such as problem solving, teamwork, and communications.

     The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs. More information is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org.    

The Human Services Department has been a gathering point for residents for more than 40 years. It operates at the Austin Hepburn Community Center/ Oreste Blake (OB) Johnson Park located at 1000 NW 8th Avenue Hallandale Beach, Florida. The Hepburn Center features a computer lab, game room, indoor basketball court/gymnasium, cafeteria, private areas for social workers/mental health, well-equipped classrooms, food pantry, and covered outdoor playground.  Outdoor features include sport fields, picnic area courtyard, tennis courts and a field house. The City’s youth program is further enhanced by a team of dedicated Social Workers that provide wraparound case management services. In addition to services offered through the youth program, the Human Services Department provides general services to adults of all ages.