Families, Parks and Recreation

Mayor's Children and Education Initiative

PKZ Programs

Modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zone, Parramore Kidz Zone employs creative outreach to engage a critical mass of Parramore’s children and linking them to positive opportunities, including pre-kindergarten education, parenting education, health care, mentoring, tutoring, and constructive activities when school is out.  

Afterschool, Summer, and Tutoring – Six Homework Roomz have been established throughout the community, where school-aged youth receive free tutoring, access to computers, the internet, and snacks.  Page 15, a non-profit organization committed to providing supplemental reading and writing education, operates the Homework Room at the Orlando Downtown Recreational Complex.  In addition, specialized reading programs, including Read to Win and UCF Reading Camp, are funded at multiple neighborhood sites.  Through intensive door-to-door outreach, hundreds of children have been enrolled in these programs during afterschool and summer hours.

Pre-Kindergarten Programs – Through partnerships with Community Coordinated Care for Children, Inc. (4C), Healthy Families Orange, Orange County Head Start, the Orange County Public Library and Hurst Chapel AME Church, Parramore infants, toddlers and preschoolers are able to attend pre-kindergarten programs, parenting workshops (with their caregivers), and storytelling programs.  In partnership with the Orange County Early Learning Coalition, 10 childcare centers attended by Parramore children receive training, technical assistance, and resources to improve the quality of care.

Positive Teen Programs – Youth groups targeting 11-21 year olds meet regularly in the neighborhood, including H.A.R.D. (Having a Real Dream), T.O.P. (Teenz of Parramore), PowerTeens, P.U.R.P.L.E. (Powerful Urban Really Passionate Ladies Excelling) and Life Skillz.  Powerteens is a youth group for girls ages 11-16, offering guest speakers, educational and cultural field trips and peer and mentor support to help teen girls make positive life choices.  The Teenz Shack is a facility at the Orlando Downtown Recreation Complex where teens can safely spend out-of-school time, complete with a photography lab, laptops and videogames.   A new branch of Orlando After-School All-Stars opened, and UCF began offering Digital U, a year-round program teaching Parramore youth the art of digital storytelling, video-making, and sound production using the latest computer technology. Youth employment programs have also been established in Parramore, including a summer jobs program, Y.E.S. (Youth Enrichment Services) operated by Workforce Central Florida, and the PKZ Employment Program operated by the Community Service Center of Central Florida, Inc.

Healthcare – In partnership with Orlando Health’s Teen Xpress, a mobile medical unit has been deployed monthly to Parramore, offering comprehensive free healthcare services to teenagers.  In The Zone Community Pediatrics program with Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children is a medical education program is designed to bring pediatric residents to the community to teach them to recognize and understand the numerous community factors that can impact a child’s physical health. The Teen Pregnancy Prevention program presents health-related and nutritional information, products, and services that will provide an understanding of the process of growth and development and an awareness of personal responsibility for life-long health habits.

Disconnected Youth – The City of Orlando's Youth Intervention and Prevention Coordinator works to link youth ages 16-24 with positive educational and recreational opportunities through programs such as the Blacktop Basketball league, Teen Nights, college tours, and job training and placement programs.

Athletic Programs – Over 500 Parramore youth of all ages have participated in a variety of leagues and teams created by PKZ, including basketball, flag football, tackle football, soccer, and Double Dutch. These programs are offered by PKZ or such partners as the Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association, Bethune-Cookman University, Max Starkes NFL Youth Football Camp, and Orlando Police Department.

Cultural Arts Programs – PKZ has partnered with Artist Everett Spruill to offer P.L.A.Y. (Parramore League of Artistic Youth) for aspiring youth artists from Parramore.  In addition, the Mad Cow Theater offers scholarships to Parramore youth to attend Summer Teen Workshops.

Mentoring – Mentorz Program connects youth with positive adult volunteers offering support and advice.

Emergency Economic Assistance – PKZ offers emergency economic assistance to Parramore families who are facing imminent eviction, electrical shut-offs, car breakdown, or emergent needs for food, clothing, health emergencies and other basic needs.

Neighborhood Events and Youth Experiences – PKZ has enhanced neighborhood cohesion by organizing numerous neighborhood events, and has also offered youth the opportunity to travel outside their neighborhood on educational and cultural trips.  Examples include the PKZ Christmas Store (where parents purchase toys at reduced rates), Back to School Jamz (where children receive free school supplies), Pedaling for Pride (an annual Parramore bike ride), PKZ Law Day (where youth participated in a mock trial at the Orange County Courthouse and toured the 33rd Street jail), and educational and cultural trips to New York City and to Washington D.C. to witness President Barack Obama's inauguration.  

Children's Champions – As part of PKZ, a network of volunteer Parramore residents serve as grassroots "Children's Champions" to support and guide the City in its efforts to improve conditions for neighborhood children.  With support and assistance from PKZ, Children's Champions host neighborhood meetings, get feedback from neighbors about project services, disseminate information about child well-being and children's programs, and work with PKZ to plan programs and activities.

If interested in further information about Parramore Kidz Zone, please contact Brenda March at (407) 246-4295 or brenda.march@cityoforlando.net.