Pathway for Children and Education

Community Coordinated Care for Children, Inc. (4C)

Since 2007, the City has increased funding by $75,000 and provided a total of $875,000 since 2005 to Community Coordinated Care for Children, Inc. (4C) which provides child care assistance for working families in Parramore.  The City has expanded the 4C guidelines to benefit parents/caregivers who are seeking employment, job training, education or are facing emergencies.  As result of City funds and the programs expansion, all Parramore children previously on the waiting list now have access to child care. 

Parramore Kidz Zone

The Parramore Kidz Zone (PKZ), now entering the third year, has seen dramatic results in the City’s highest poverty community, including:

• A 47% decline in juvenile arrests since 2006
   

• An increase in FCAT math scores by an average of 13% and a 5% increase in reading scores
   

• Since the launch, 2,022 children have been registered in PKZ programs. Of these, 443 have enrolled in the last six months.

Increased Recreation Activities for Youth in PKZ include:

• John H. Jackson Community Center improvements including a new playground and Teen Room and Orlando Magic Reading and Learning Center to address the need for older youth in Parramore to have safe, supervised spaces to spend time during out-of-school hours.
   

• Homework Roomz were opened to provide dedicated, after-school labs that give children tutoring, access to computers, the Internet and supplies. Currently there are 7 Homework Roomz.
   

• PKZ Teen Shack provides another place for Parramore teens to hang out - complete with a new photography lab, laptops and videogames. The new Teen Shack opened in the Downtown Orlando Recreation Complex in January 2009
   

City Kidz! Buddy’s Benefit for Children
Since 2004, Mayor Dyer’s signature event, CityKidz! Buddy’s Benefit for Children, has raised more than $1 million from the community for youth programming, including the PKZ program. From sports activities, to pre-school education, to summer camp programs, to peer and leadership groups, to educational programs, these children have new opportunities and a brighter future. Significant community partners include the Orlando Magic, Bank of America, Florida Hospital, Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World