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YMCA-run Take Stock in Children outlines mentoring, two-year tuition scholarships for Clay students
Summary
Representatives from the YMCA told the Clay County School Board workshop Jan. 28 that the Take Stock in Children program has served hundreds of Clay students, provides mentors and college-success coaching, and awards two-year tuition scholarships for eligible graduates.
Charmaine Reynolds, association director for the YMCA's Take Stock in Children program in Clay County, told the school board during its Jan. 28 workshop that the nonprofit recruits underrepresented students as early as seventh grade, pairs them with mentors and provides a college-success coach and a two-year tuition scholarship that can be used at any eligible Florida institution.
The program aims to remove financial barriers so students can pursue postsecondary education, Reynolds said. "We want to eliminate that financial barrier so that they can too have a, education beyond high school," she said.
The program, statewide and educator-founded, selects students largely by free-or-reduced-lunch status and by academic and attendance criteria, Reynolds said. Participants receive ongoing mentorship, coaching on college and trade-school options and a two-year, tuition-based scholarship for use at Florida institutions. Janice Tucker, who the presenters identified as the program's advisory council chair, described more than two decades of mentoring experience and cited Take Stock graduates who have gone into medicine and pharmacy.
Reynolds said that since the YMCA took over the Clay County program the group has served more than 257 students and awarded about $1.3 million in scholarships in Clay County. She and Tucker asked the board to help increase awareness among principals, counselors and teachers so more eligible students are identified and mentors recruited.
Superintendent Mark Brodsky welcomed the presentation and the board and staff discussed next steps to connect Take Stock staff with principals and school counselors. A board member who serves as a principal said she has seen the program make a difference and recommended the presenters address a principals' meeting to raise awareness; Reynolds agreed that mentors are always needed.
The presentation materials were left on the back table for board members and staff and Reynolds provided contact information for anyone who wants to follow up.
Take Stock in Children is run statewide and is supported locally by the YMCA as the program operator for Clay County; the presenters asked the board to help publicize eligibility criteria and mentor recruitment opportunities in district schools.
The workshop moved afterward to a separate agenda item on policy manual revision.
