City of Morgan Hill - File #: 15-475

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Action Details	Meeting Details	Video
8/5/2015	1	City Council	accepted	Pass	Roll call	Meeting details	Video

CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT

MEETING DATE: August 5, 2015

PREPARED BY: Nick Calubaquib, Recreation Manager

APPROVED BY: City Manager

Title

UPDATE ON “SUPPORTING YOUTH” INITIATIVES

END

RECOMMENDATION(S)

RECOMMENDATION

Accept the report on “Supporting “Youth” initiatives.

BODY

COUNCIL PRIORITIES, GOALS & STRATEGIES:

Ongoing Priorities

Enhancing public safety

Supporting youth

REPORT NARRATIVE:

During the City Council Budget Workshop on May 29, 2015, the Council requested an update on current initiatives that contribute to the Council’s ongoing priority of supporting youth. This report is intended to provide a summary of the youth serving programs and activities funded by the City of Morgan Hill and operated by the City and/or its community partners.

After School Programs

Village Avante After School Program

This program represents a unique partnership between Discovery Counseling Center, Village Avante Apartments and the City to provide necessary after school programming to Village Avante residents. The After School program began on February 9th and is funded by the CalGrip grant that the South County Youth Task Force received in late 2015. Prior to February, volunteers from Discovery Counseling Center operated a homework club onsite three days per week. Grant funding allowed the City to partner with Discover Counseling Center to extend operating hours (2:45-5:30pm) by offering recreation activities and daily participation numbers immediately increased. Children in the program must participate in both the homework and the recreation program. Program participation has steadily grown and now averages 30 children per day. For FY 2015-16, the Council approved a decision package to extend this three day per week program to five days. Now operating Monday- Friday, it is anticipated that the program will continue to grow until it reaches the capacity of 34 youth per day on a consistent basis.

Murphy Ranch After School Program

First Community Housing contracts with the City to provide an after school program at Murphy Ranch Apartments for its residents. Going on its 7^th year of operation, the program ran four afternoons per week during the 2014-15 school year. The program is currently operating five days per week during the summer of 2015 and will continue to be offered Monday- Friday from 2:30-5:00pm (Wednesdays1:30-5:00pm) in the fall. Recreation teammates assist with homework and provide recreation activities on-site throughout the school year. The program also brings in special guests to help educate and broaden the participants’ experiences. A few of the highlighted guests include City teammates from various departments, representatives from the library and Healthier Kids Foundation. The children also enjoy visits from the CRC Fitness team who lead the children in Zumba, yoga, and boot camp sessions. The Youth Action Council also conducts a bi-monthly book club with the participants. An average of 15 participants attends this program per day.

Programs at the Centennial Recreation Center (CRC)

CRC Membership

Of the CRC’s 15,000 members, 43% (6,600) are youth under the age of 18. The CRC continues to offer a number of youth programs and support asset development. CRC Teammates continue to promote the Developmental Assets throughout the facility by promoting the asset of the month through signage, messages on all registration receipts and the monthly member newsletter. The CRC has also adopted policies to create a more youth friendly facility and encourage youth to become and stay active. Youth as young as eight years old may participate in group exercise classes and work out in the fitness center after attending an orientation.

Kids Club

The Kids Club at the CRC offers activities for youth while their parents/guardians work out. This service is free to CRC members and provides Developmental Asset based programs and activities for youth ages 6 weeks to 12 years. The friendly Kids Club Team offer a variety of engaging activities seven days a week, ranging from arts and crafts to games to educational classes. The Kids Club serves an average of 160 young people per day, with over 40,000 check ins annually. The Kids Club Team also offer a variety of special programs, including Girls Club, Boys Club, Jewelry Making, Cooking with Kids and Parent’s Night Out.

Mini Me/Parent Tot Fitness

This program incorporates fun and dynamic physical activity for children 3-4 years old. Participants engage in various games and activities that keep their feet moving and their hearts thumping. Kid-friendly ways to make nutrition and exercise engaging and exciting are emphasized. Classes are free to CRC members and are available to non-members at a small fee. Classes serve an average of 12 youth and are offered throughout the year.

Youth Fitness

Youth Fitness classes emphasize sports and sportsmanship in all forms, as well as healthy lifestyles. Participants play a variety of games and sports, including basketball, indoor soccer, hockey, and baseball. The class aims to develop not only motor skills and sport fundamentals, but also self-efficacy, interpersonal skill, and nutrition fundamentals. Classes are a place for youth ages 6-10 years to start building a strong foundation for a healthy future. Classes are free to CRC members and are available to non-members at a small fee. Classes serve an average of 22 youth and are offered throughout the year.

Strength Training

The Youth Strength Training (YST) program is designed to orient youth members ages 8-15 to the Fitness Center in a small group setting. During this 3-phase course, youth are trained on how to safely and appropriately use the CRC’s cardio and strength training equipment, as well as learn proper Fitness Center etiquette and rules. All youth ages 8-11 years old must go through our YST program before utilizing the CRC Fitness Center, and it is highly encouraged that youth ages 12-15 to take the class as well. The program is free to CRC members. The Fitness Team conducts an average of 900 appointments per year.

Special Events for Youth

Two fitness focused special events are offered annually. These events are intended to get youth outside and active and emphasize fun over competition. The Splash to Dash Youth Triathlon is for participants ages 5-13 years old and is a fun and confidence building race. Participants swim, bike and run varying age appropriate distances and receive a medal at the end. For the past two years, this event has been held at Sobrato High School and has drawn over 150 youth annually.

For eight years, staff at the CRC hosted the annual Get Fit 5K Fun Run. After many successful races, staff worked to change the race format this past year and offered the first annual Get Fit Obstacle Challenge. This exciting 1.5 Mile Run/Walk featured obstacles for children age 12 and under, utilizing the streets and park surrounding the Centennial Recreation Center. The youth-friendly obstacles included a hay bale climb, tire run, balance beam, cargo net crawl, a bouncy obstacle course and more. This past year’s event drew over 130 youth and is expected to grow in the years to come.

Centennial Recreation Teen Center

Representing a partnership between the City of Morgan Hill and the Mt. Madonna YMCA, the Centennial Recreation Teen Center offers a safe and engaging environment for teens to make friends, participate in fun programs and activities or “just chill and hang out.” Membership to the Teen Center is free to all Morgan Hill residents ages 12-18 and $10 a year for non-residents. The Teen Center is equipped with a large flat screen TV, an Xbox 360, a Wii, pool table, a foosball table, a ping pong table, computers, a healthy snack bar and a large outdoor patio. Center hours are Monday- Thursday 3:00-8:00pm, Friday 3:00-10:00pm and Saturday 10:30am-4:00pm. The Teen Center strives to help teens build positive assets in their everyday lives through programs and interactions at the Center. Ongoing programs include: homework assistance, movie nights, Saturday sports challenges and special events hosted by the Youth Action Council. The Teen Center has an average of 4,200 visits annually with an average of 14 teens utilizing the facility each day.

Youth Action Council (YAC)

The Youth Action Council is a group of teen leaders ages 13 to 19 who voice the opinion of teens within the community. This leadership program encourages leadership and responsibility through involvement; allows teens to explore and identify issues and concerns of special importance to teens; teaches young people to look for ways to promote mutual understanding, respect and communication with teens of all cultures and backgrounds and encourages leadership and volunteerism through the organization of special events for the community. YAC Members organize annual events such as the Senior Citizen Ball, Youth Leadership Morgan Hill, various fundraisers and a regional YAC Attack Youth Conference and social. This past year, YAC had 23 active members. Teens organized the 10^th annual Senior Citizen Ball, which was a sold out event with over 200 seniors and 50 youth volunteers in attendance. In July 2015, YAC also completed the implementation of another successful Youth Leadership Morgan Hill, with 31 teens graduating from the program.

Recreation Preschool

The Community Services Department offers a play-based preschool in a safe and nurturing environment. Preschool teachers introduce different materials and hands-on learning opportunities through art, music, language, reading and math readiness, and motor-skill activities. Oral language development is encouraged through circle time activities and the social skills of cooperating within a group, listening, and solving problems are emphasized. This program helps participants to develop social and basic academic skills to prepare them for school. Three different program options are available. The Little Learners program (ages 3-4) provides a fun and enriching experience. This two day per week program emphasizes developing social and play skills through activities such as games, songs, finger plays, stories and art. The Kinder Learners program (ages 4-5) develops social interaction skills through creative learning experiences. In this three day per week program, language development, pre-reading, science, math, art games, music, motor skills, drama and free play are emphasized to prepare the children for kindergarten. An Afternoon Preschool is also available for children ages 3-5. In addition, a Preschool Summer Camp is also available and is offered three days per week for four weeks. These programs served an average of 48 students per month during the 2014-15 school year. There are currently 52 students enrolled for the 2015-16 school year, with spots still available.

Morgan Hill Summer Day Camp

Our traditional day camp offers fun, safe, and well supervised camp activities for youth ages 5-10. This high-energy camp includes interactive games, sports, exploratory art, water games, music, camp singing, team-building activities, and science projects. Every Tuesday camp is held at the Aquatics Center where the campers get to enjoy a day of swimming. In addition, on Thursdays campers go on a field trip or have a special event and other fun activities. Each week is excitingly different, with themes ranging from “Sports Extravaganza” to “Finding your Spark.” This summer, the camp has had a weekly attendance of 20 youth.

Youth Recreation Classes

The Community Services Department offers a myriad of skill building recreation classes throughout the year. The Department contracts with other youth serving organizations to offer the majority of these classes that range from activities such as youth sports, art, dance, and Lego robotics. The table below outlines the classes offered during FY 2014-15 and their enrollment numbers.

Class Name	# of Annual Enrollments
Advanced Tennis Competition	30
All Sorts of Sports Camps	8
American Heart Association CPR and AED	15
American Heart Association First Aid	5
American Heart Association Friends and Family CPR	9
Beginning Tennis Competition	14
Beginning Tennis Lessons	71
Break-Dance Class	10
Dance Camp	9
Drawing Fun-damentals	18
Fundamentals of Tennis 5-8yrs	52
Fundamentals of Tennis 9-12yrs	34
Futsal Indoor Soccer	77
Hoop it up Basketball Program	27
Jazz/Hip Hop Dance	26
Jr. Sports Academy	6
Karate Kempo Beg	40
Karate Kempo Int/Adv	122
Karate Kempo-Teen/Adult	42
Karate Lil' Dragons	72
KidLead	28
Kids Love Soccer-PreSoccer	71
Kids Love Soccer-Soccer 1:Techniques & Teamwork	72
Kids Love Soccer-Soccer 2:Skillz & Scrimmages	72
Kids Love Soccer-Tots	72
Kids Love Soccer Camp 4.5-6yrs	12
Kids Love Soccer Camp 7-8yrs	7
Kids Love Soccer Camp 9-10yrs	2
LEGO® Fungineering	32
LEGO® Robotics	16
LEGO® Fungineering Camp	36
Mini-Hawk Sports	20
Mommy and Me Tap Classes	1
Mommy/Daddy & Me Soccer	35
Multi Sport Camp	9
Munchkin Sports	19
Parent & Child Golf	8
Pre-Ballet	36
Preschool Drawing	11
Skyhawks Basketball	48
Tiny Tot Tennis	31
USTA Tennis 5-7yrs	39
USTA Tennis 8-10yrs	104
Volleyball: Youth and Teen	22
Youth Ballet I&II	36
Youth Tap Classes	2
Youth Tennis League 8-12yrs	2
Total:	1530

Aquatics Programs

Swim Lessons

The Community Services Department offers a year round swim lesson program at both the CRC and the Aquatics Center. These classes teach participants valuable life and safety skills. The youth program is designed for children ages 6 months-12 years of age. Lessons are also available for teens and adults. FY 2014-15, the swim lessons program had 2,477 registrations. This summer has been busy for this popular program, with over 1,550 registrations so far.

Splash Aquatics Swim Team, Water Polo Club and Diving Club

Splash Aquatics is a recreational, year-round swim program that offers fun and fitness to children between the ages of 5 and 18. Each participant has the option of participating year-round or for the summer only. The focus of the program is to make swimming fun while also building the participants’ endurance and skills. Swim Team members have the opportunity to participate in numerous weekly workouts with certified coaches and other swimmers at their ability level. Swimmers have the option of participating in swim meets. During the summer, the team participates in the Valley Aquatic League. The Splash Water Polo program is designed to teach youth the game of Water Polo in a safe and fun environment. The program runs in conjunction with the Splash Swim Team, so participants are encouraged to participate in the two weekly water polo practices as well as one to three swim team workouts per week. The Splash Diving program is designed to teach youth the basic skills of diving in a safe and fun environment. There is an average of 150 club members year round.

Jr. Lifeguards

Now in its third year of operation, the Jr. Lifeguard program (ages 12-14) emphasizes teamwork, leadership, and aquatic safety, while introducing young people to aquatic recreation opportunities. The program is designed to provide quality water safety education while improving young people's physical conditioning, their understanding of pool facilities, and their respect for themselves, their parents, and their peers. Upon completion of the Junior Lifeguard Program, participants are encouraged to volunteer during Summer Recreational Swim at the Morgan Hill Aquatics Center. Further training is provided to volunteers. The training program is offered twice throughout the summer, and had18 youth graduate this season.

Youth Health Insurance

Per direction from the Council, the City of Morgan Hill has provided funding to Healthier Kids Foundation (HKF) for the past two fiscal years to decrease the number of uninsured youth in the community. Between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015, HKF identified 57 uninsured Morgan Hill children. Of those children, 74% (42 children) have successfully enrolled into a health coverage program. In addition, 14% (8 children) are still in process of applying for and enrolling into health coverage. While the City provided funding for a 0.33 FTE Outreach Specialist to focus on the Morgan Hill community, HKF provided additional staff to assist with building relationships among community based organizations and schools. HKF staff conducted community outreach to various entities, which resulted in identifying more uninsured Morgan Hill children and assisting them in obtaining health coverage. Outreach was performed at various low income housing communities, migrant education programs/meetings, after school programs, churches, health and resource fairs and businesses.

While working with the Morgan Hill community to identify uninsured children, HKF has been able to provide dental and vision screening services to Morgan Hill children. Between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015, HKF screened 2,498 Morgan Hill children for vision issues at 20 sites and 1,011 children for dental issues at 14 sites. Roughly, 11% of the children screened indicated a potential vision issue and 27% indicated one or more dental issues. HKF staff provides follow up to all of the parents of children whose screening results indicated an issue to assist children with accessing an exam and prescribed treatment, if needed. Moreover, HKF assists children with securing a dental and vision home and accessing regular preventive health services.

Youth Employment

Per direction from the Council, the City of Morgan Hill has provided funding to Teen Force to provide youth with employment opportunities in South County. Teen Force provides youth and young adults, ages 14-24, with employment opportunities, with a particular focus on helping low income youth, foster youth, and other at-risk youth populations. While providing services out of the Friendly Inn, Teen Force has had 115 youth apply for employment as of July 2015. Of these applicants, 29 were placed in jobs (including temporary work and direct hire), including 12 foster youth, 12 low income non-foster youth, and three who had other barriers to gaining employment. Teen Force has worked with 13 employers, including the City of Morgan Hill, City of Gilroy, Firato Janitorial, Rosy’s at the Beach, Goodwill, Discovery Counseling Center and the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce. As of June 2015, Teen Force youth had worked a total of 990 hours. Teen Force staff continues to conduct outreach to various schools, after school programs and other youth serving organizations.

El Toro Youth Center/Boys and Girls Club

The City of Morgan Hill continues to provide financial and facility support to the Boys and Girls Club of the Silicon Valley (BGCSV) to operate youth programs at the El Toro Clubhouse (formerly the El Toro Youth Center). In addition to funding from the City of Morgan Hill, BGCSV has secured funding for the El Toro Clubhouse from the following sources: The Office of Justice Programs, Santa Clara County Community Development Block Grant Program, Ross Stores, Rotary Club of Morgan Hill, Morgan Hill Community Foundation, Fry’s Electronics, and individual donors.

BGCSV served 72 youth at the Lori Escobar El Toro Clubhouse (“El Toro”) during the summer of 2014 and 77 youth during the 2014-2015 school year. In the year prior to BGCSV taking over the program from Catholic Charities, the El Toro Youth Center served 40 youth during the summer and 60 youth during the 2013-2014 school year.

For the summer of 2015, BGCSV offered a summer enrichment program between June 15 and July 31. Members participated in a variety of engaging activities that focused on preventing the loss of academic progress during the summer months, engagement in pro-social activities, increased resistance skills, healthy lifestyle habits and good character and leadership. New to the program this summer is Read-to-Succeed, a daily reading and reflective writing program.

Throughout the academic school year, programming is focused on the core areas of Education & Career Development; Character and Leadership; Health and Life Skills; Arts and Cultural Enrichment; and Sports, Fitness, and Recreation. This past school year included programs focusing on software, internet and media skill development; digital arts; science; literacy; business and economics skill development; life skills and leadership and fellowship; as well as many special events and field trips.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Involve

In line with the Council’s priority of supporting youth and ensuring that young people feel valued, all of the programs detailed above utilize the 41 Developmental Assets as a framework for youth development. As such, programs are developed and adjusted according to the needs, desires and priorities of the youth involved. Many of these programs engage youth to take on leadership roles to guide the direction of the program and lead their peers. Additionally, staff from the City and all partner organizations responsible for these programs, are actively involved with collaborative groups, such as Community Asset Builders (CAB) and the South County Youth Task Force, both of which provide a forums to obtain and provide feedback from representatives from other community resources.

ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS:

The Council may request that a more detailed report be presented on any of the above listed programs.

PRIOR CITY COUNCIL AND COMMISSION ACTIONS:

During the City Council Budget Workshop on May 29, 2015, the Council requested an update on current initiatives that contribute to the Council’s ongoing priority of supporting youth.

FISCAL AND RESOURCE IMPACT:

Expenses for the programs listed above are included in the adopted FY 2015-16 Budget and significant staff time is dedicated to serving our youth.