News

Confidence. Critical Thinking. Interpersonal Communication. Professionalism. Relationship Development. What a Leader (W.A.L.) is an exciting new training curriculum and youth competition offered by Jacksonville Arts & Music School (JAMS). W.A.L. officially launched in 2021 to promote early professional development. The program allows students to learn and participate in real-world activities enriched with challenges that cultivate essential leadership skills. ​ Research by The Center for American Progress reveals that 77% of corporations experienced leadership voids in 2019 alone. Gallup estimated that the lack of leadership capability costs U.S. corporations up to $550 billion annually. W.A.L. aims to address this significant opportunity gap by facilitating youth and young adult centered introductions to effective stewardship.

Participants in the workshop will learn about the risks associated with soil nutrient imbalance as well as ways to produce more sufficient, safe and nourishing food.

On Friday, June 30th, 2023 more than 300 people gathered at WJCT for the Early Learning Master Class Accreditation Academy Celebration.

John Everett, Director of Workforce Development at Kids Hope Alliance (KHA) and the City of Jacksonville (COJ), has been named a Youth Excel Fellow as a part of the National League of Cities’ (NLC) Youth Excel Initiative.

On Thursday, April 27, 2023, Jacksonville City Council President Terrence Freeman, Kids Hope Alliance, and the City of Jacksonville hosted a press conference to announce the launch of the Jacksonville Upwards Mobility Program (JUMP).

On Saturday, April 1, 2023, hundreds of people celebrated literacy at Family Reading Day in James Weldon Johnson Park. The event was organized by Kids Hope Alliance, the Jacksonville Public Library, the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, and several other members of the READ JAX collaborative in an effort to promote the importance of family reading.

On Friday, July 22, 2022, hundreds of students from summer camps in Jacksonville gathered at the Prime Osborn Convention Center in Downtown Jacksonville to celebrate the Supadupa Summer Literacy Initiative.

More than half of Duval County's third graders can't read at grade level, and the percentage has decreased over the past four years. Children from impoverished, minority communities lag the most, even though parents across all demographic categories recognize the importance of early literacy, according to new research from the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. Reversing the trend will take a communitywide effort that eliminates barriers that hinder parental involvement, JPEF says.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County education advocates know it’s not just students who are on social media, and they’re challenging parents to team up with their children for a social media challenge this summer. READ JAX, a community-wide initiative to increase third-grade reading scores in Duval County, announced the social media contest, “READ JAX Summer Social Challenge,” to highlight the importance of reading at least 20 minutes a day. The challenge runs through the end of July.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Local groups are working together to help kids avoid the “summer slide.” Kids Hope Alliance and the Jacksonville Library are encouraging kids to read this summer to boost literacy rates before the next school year. They believe they found a creative way to do that. More than 5,000 students in Duval County, who are participating in summer programs and organizations, are reading a book called “The Supadupa Kid” over the next four weeks. Ty Allan Jackson is the author. He considers it a classic good vs. evil superhero story.

Full Service Schools awards $5.5 million in mental health services grants Administered by United Way. The initiative provides free mental health care to all Duval County public school students

Kids Hope Alliance along with the City of Jacksonville was awarded $1,000,000 by the Florida Department of Education (DOE) to support local teens to increase Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills in the Northwest community on Moncrief Road.

KHA gives tips on choosing the right afterschool program for your child.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded a $5M annual grant over five years to Kids Hope Alliance working alongside the implementing agency — the Partnership for Child Health. Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCAST), the new system of care, will serve more than 15,000 in

Four years after the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee convened on the order of State Attorney Melissa Nelson, the Duval County Diversion System of Care has fully transferred under the direction of the Kids Hope Alliance and Partnership for Child Health.