CSC leverages funds for juvenile crime and targets early childhood literacy

CSC leverages funds for juvenile crime and targets early childhood literacy

    LAUDERHILL, FL – Over the past two years, the Children’s Services Council of Broward County (CSC) and the City of West Park have partnered in providing juvenile crime prevention programs to middle school youth. At their August meeting, the Council voted to renew a contract leveraging the Law Enforcement Trust Fund grant of $73,806.45 to continue to provide this year-round violence prevention program.

The success has shown over the past year, when the Council approved a $1 to $1 match request from the City of West Park for the program, included outcomes such as 100 percent of participating youth not using drugs or alcohol, nor obtaining new law violations. The program is contracted to serve students attending high-need middle schools. It serves 42 youth during the school year and 77 youth during the summer, exceeding their targets of 40 and 60, respectively.  Since its inception, more than 150 youth have benefitted from the program.

CSC will also partner with local businesses, non-profit organizations and other com-munity stakeholders to make an impact on the literacy development of nearly 40,000 of Broward’s youngest residents. At its monthly meeting, the CSC approved up to $130,000 to purchase books for Broward Reads for the Record, the local effort based on the national campaign that celebrates literacy by mobilizing millions of children and adults to read the same book on the same day.

On Oct. 21, 2014 readers including teachers, parents, caregivers, local officials, and older children will participate in reading “Bunny Cakes,” a comical story of sibling bonding and birthday shenanigans. The campaign goal in Broward is to ensure that every four and five-year-old gets a copy of the book to take home. That number is just under 40,000, including students from 500 voluntary pre-Kindergarten centers, 225 schools and 1,500 classrooms.

“With this broad effort, we can help remind and educate the community about the importance of early literacy and its link to ensuring success in school and beyond,” said Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, CSC President/CEO.

Community support is already off to a great start with the Jim Moran Foundation contributing $30,000 toward the initiative. Other partners include the School Board of Broward County, United Way of Broward County, Community Foundation of Broward, Early Learning Coalition of Broward, Family Central and more.

Broward Reads for the Record will kick off the CSC’s Campaign for Grade-Level Reading to provide resources to assist children who suffer the most from the education achievement gap.

The Children’s Services Council of Broward County is an independent taxing authority which was established by a public referendum on Sept. 5, 2000, which, through Public Act, Chapter 2000-461 of the laws of Florida, authorized the Council to levy up to 0.5 mills of property taxes. The role of the Council is to provide the leadership, advocacy and resources necessary to enhance children’s lives and empower them to become responsible, productive adults through collaborative planning and funding of a continuum of quality care.

Follow us on Twitter at @CSCBroward and on Facebook.  For more information about the Children’s Services Council of Broward County, please call (954) 377-1000 or visit www.cscbroward.org.