In recognition of its work involving youth, parents and family members in building supportive communities, the 4-H Kids Club of Leelanau County, a national 4-H Program of Distinction, has received the 4-H Families Count: Family Strengthening Award from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

With the award comes $15,000 from the AECF, which will be put back into the program.

“First, it’s hats off to all the families that have been involved in the program, particularly the parents and adults serving on the advisory board. They made decisions on how the program operates and they’re all volunteers,” said Michigan State University extension 4-H youth development educator Barb Duvall.

The 4-H Kids Club is an integral part of a wider community effort to bolster and strengthen families and is open to all elementary school-age children in Leelanau County. The Leelanau County Family Coordinating Council provides a menu of support services, including home visiting, family mentoring, family advocacy, developmental screening, baby and food pantries, scholarships for childcare, mental health services and play therapy.

The club helps parents stay employed, provides job training for teens, strengthens students’ social and academic skills and gives disadvantaged children the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities.

The program also provides the consistent environment needed for students with disabilities to be successful, as behavior plans and educational strategies -- part of the students’ school day -- are continued after school.

“Beyond watching to make sure the youth are safe, we’re helping the participants build skills,” Duvall said. “We intentionally set up an atmosphere so the after-school program becomes another learning environment. The youngsters are learning to make friends, productively use their time, peacefully resolve conflicts, and improve their fine and gross motor skills and more. Students also have time and support to do their homework if they wish.”

The AECF believes that children do well when their families do well, and that families do better when they live in a supportive community. Through their partnership with the National 4-H Council, they are able to reward 4-H programs that improve outcomes for disadvantaged families, especially in rural areas, by fostering the social networks, economic opportunities, services and support families need to be successful.

“The Kids Club is a fee-based program. About one-fourth of our families qualify for aid from the Department of Human Services, so that pays for their cost, but there are many other families who need after-school care but are just above the DHS financial guidelines,” Duvall said. “We’re using the award to provide partial and full scholarships for these families. We want kids to have consistent caregivers, so this money will help kids in this program whose families really need supervised care but can’t afford to pay.”

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