The Teen Counsel College prep program comprehensive program is for those high students from 9th-12th grade who’d like to get a head start on their journey to higher learning. The program will include SAT/ACT test prep, tutoring and academic advisory, and Leadership training. There will also be a holistic approach to understanding the culture of on and off campus life from social to financial. Students attending the program will get the opportunity to visit local colleges, speak to professionals who are involved in the student’s field of interest, and immerse themselves in creative projects centered around key components for college preparation. Community Service and recommendation letters will be provided to those students who complete the course.

Families Assistance with Suspension and Termination

F.A.S.T., an acronym for Families Assistance with Suspensions and Terminations, is a component of our Care Coordination service and works with approximately 125 children and families every year. This program is designed as an alternative to outdoor suspension for elementary, middle and high school students.

The goal of the F.A.S.T. Program is to provide youth with the skills, knowledge and understanding to be progressive individuals in society. Through our partnership with the Miami Dade County School Board and the Student Success Centers (S.S.C.) Program and Initiative – set forth by Miami Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho – we provide students exhibiting behavioral issues with a safe place to address their problems through counseling sessions. This safe place affords students the ability to continue and complete their school work, ensuring they not fall behind in class while allowing them to be marked present for school during their time at the Student Success Center – all this with the hopes of guaranteeing each student’s success.

Our F.A.S.T. Program counseling uses the Making Excellent Choices curriculum, endorsed by The Children's Trust, to aid youth at risk for chronic truancy. F.A.S.T. addresses the issues that may be responsible for the disruptive behaviors of the students. Through these counseling sessions F.A.S.T. focuses on topics including:

• Conflict Resolution;
• Decision Making;
• Anger Management;
• Truancy;
• Drug, Alcohol and Gang Violence;
• Peer Pressure;
• and Goal Setting

F.A.S.T. consists of multiple avenues to help students get focused and on track.

Day Treatment Exercises – Addresses the behavior issue(s) expressed by the school and/or parents and includes character building education.

Individual Counseling and Group Counseling – Addresses underlining issues and promotes positive peer solutions students may be facing daily, while in school.

30-, 60-, and 90-Day Follow-Ups – Keeps track of progress at 30-, 60- and 90-day intervals to make sure the student is still following the advised path to success.

Students who participate in the F.A.S.T. Program, on average, show an 85-90 percent reduction in behavioral issues in school and at home.

Our F.A.S.T. Program is offered Monday through Friday, 8am – 3pm at 500 Role Models and follows the Miami Dade County Public Schools calendar.

TACOLCY’s well-rounded Out-of-School and Summer Enrichment Programs service children ages 5 – 14. Held in the Betty Washington Enrichment Center on our park, these programs include literacy, health and nutrition, physical fitness and youth empowerment activities.

Literacy. We use AfterSchool KidzLit, a reading enrichment program designed specifically for use in out-of-school settings – though it is also successful in the classroom. Instructors use a five-part process in which children hear engaging books read aloud—or read independently—and make connections to their own lives.

Healthy Eating and Physical Fitness. According to our partner, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, about 1 in 3 kids is overweight or obese. We are committed to creating a positive and health-promoting out-of-school environment in order for youth to have the opportunity to achieve personal, academic, developmental, and social success. Our physical fitness activities model TACOLCY’s stellar Sports program methods; promoting fun and enjoyment, while increasing participants’ self-esteem and decreasing their level of stress.

Character Building. Character is Key… Community efforts at teaching our students self-confidence and to have respect for one another are the cornerstones of our character building activities. With the help of partners like City of Miami Model NET Office, the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida, TACOLCY’s Out-of-School and Summer Enrichment Programs work to develop gratitude, responsibility, fairness, caring and positive decision making within our children’s young minds.

Homework Assistance. Our goal is to make sure the children in our Out-of-School Program achieve success while in school. Homework assistance is a core curriculum minimum at TACOLCY.

Our Out-of-School and Summer Enrichment Programs encourage student motivation to read; generate positive attitudes toward learning; and connect the needs of youth and families to community resources. Our partnerships include faith-based institutions, local schools, colleges and universities as well as other community organizations.

TACOLCY's Sports program is one of our stellar programs. TACOLCY has a huge Sports program, which consist of football, cheerleading, basketball, track & field, and soccer and engages more than 400 youth and volunteers annually.

There is a growing concern about the future of today's youth. Concerns stem from an increase in adolescent problem behaviors, drug use, delinquency, coupled with changing social forces (both parents working or, in many cases, single parent homes, mostly the mother) to youth unsupervised time at home alone.

During the past two years, special emphasis has been placed on fitness and nutrition, healthy eating and healthy lifestyle. Youth today spend most of their free time texting, playing games on their computer or some other electronic device, or watching television, which has, unfortunately, led to an increase in childhood obesity. Today, nearly 1 in 3 children in America are overweight or obese. Youth participating in sports activities is an avenue to combat obesity.

Our sports program is used as the catalyst to positively impact the youth in our community. Sports programs offer youth opportunities to experience challenge, fun and enjoyment, while increasing their self-esteem and decreasing their level of stress. Sports activities teach discipline, team work, encourage social and cultural awareness, and serves as an alternative to risky behavior that is so prevalent among the young population in the Liberty City area.

Many of our volunteer coaches participated in our Sports program as adolescents and are now giving back to the community.

Our athletic development programs:

• Football
• Cheerleading
• Basketball
• Track & Field
• Soccer
• Baseball