City of Pensacola Awarded $1.7 Million Grant for After School Programs

The City of Pensacola Parks and Recreation Department has been awarded an approximately $1.7 million grant from the Escambia Children's Trust, which will be used to support after school programs for local youth at city community centers.

The grant will allow the City of Pensacola to offer after school programs at no cost to children whose families qualify for free and reduced lunch, with a goal of increasing the number of children enrolled in quality after school programming and ensuring equal access for low-income families.

The city will also use the grant funding to hire a full-time Out-of-School Time Coordinator and implement additional programming opportunities in fine arts, STEM, outdoor recreation and conservation education, and behavioral support services through CDAC at Fricker Resource Center.

"It's so important that we as a community take care of every child and ensure they have equal access to educational, engaging after school programming," Mayor D.C. Reeves said. "Thank you to our Parks and Recreation staff for their hard work in securing this grant, and to the Escambia Children's Trust for this monumental award. This funding will be instrumental in helping the city provide even more opportunities for all children in our community to learn, develop and grow."

The total grant award is $1,690,127 over three years, with $540,041 provided in the first year and minor increases the following two years to adjust for inflation.

Parks and Recreation offers four after school programs in community resource centers, which are open to all kindergarten through 5th grade students living in Escambia County and the City of Pensacola.

In addition to a variety of programming including recreational sports, free play, homework assistance and more, participants are offered a nutritious snack as part of the after school program. This is a critical component of the program that helps eliminate food insecurity and improve health outcomes for participating youth.

To learn more about after school programs offered by City of Pensacola Parks and Recreation, visit the Parks and Recreation website.

For more information or general questions, email pio@cityofpensacola.com. To stay informed about what's happening with City of Pensacola government, sign up for email or text notifications through Notify Me or follow @CityofPensacola on social media.