Alachua County Organizations Help Students Outside Classroom

Over the past few weeks I have been working on a feature story for my Radio 2 class. I have been collecting interviews, going out in the field doing research and I am finally finished. Over the past year I have been doing a lot of reporting. Below you will see the web story that compliments my radio story. I did my project on children in the county seeking help outside of the classroom. Not every child can be successful just by the instruction they receive in the classroom. Take a read and see learn about the organizations that are helping students in the county! 

Alachua County Organizations Help Students Outside Classroom

Taylor Hagan

More than a dozen non-profit organizations throughout Alachua County are assisting children outside of the classroom. The organizations are providing after school programs where students receive tutoring and mentorship.

Kids Count, a non-profit organization in East Gainesville serves 60 elementary students each week. Kids Count provides students with an opportunity for extra support in the community to succeed in and outside of the classroom.

Executive Director of Kids Count Bill Hutchinson says that 94% of the students and 100% of third graders have seen an improvement in school.

Hutchinson says “character, social skills, behavior in classrooms have all been improved and that’s from reports from report cards, conferences with teachers and with parents telling us that it has made a big improvement in their lives.”

Many children throughout the county are not able to receive this type of tutoring outside of school. President of Kids Count Dorene Ross says the program can’t serve every kid because of the expenses.

Ross says “It’s very motivational for the students that we serve but high quality afterschool care is not inexpensive.”

Ross went on to add that the schools that Kid’s Count serves have very high populations of children coming from low income homes.

Aces in Motion is another program in East Gainesville that serves elementary and middle school students in need of help.  Aces in Motion is a youth program that uses tennis and afterschool tutoring to promote character development and academic achievement.

AIM After-School Director Naseeka Dennis says that the program is beneficial because the students get the attention they need.

Dennis says “Not only do they get that one on one but they are able to go to their separate room and go at their own pace.”

The program strives to teach the children character development through playing tennis. Dariana Williams a student at Williams Elementary school attends the program every day and receives tutoring twice a week.

“It did help me improve at my school because they help me with my homework, they explain it more clearly and help me with. I’m getting good grades.”

Kids Count and Aces in Motion are just two of the many non-profit organizations in Alachua County. Schools, churches, organizations and businesses in the community are working together to help the children find success.