The work of The Children’s Trust could not be accomplished without hundreds of partners throughout the county, and none of them is more prominent than the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS). So many of The Trust’s initiatives and programs connect with the efforts of the school district that success for one invariably means success for the other. The connection between the two child-centric entities makes a recent acknowledgement by the school district's governing school board all the more special. 

At its February 15 meeting, The Miami-Dade County School Board issued a proclamation honoring The Children’s Trust on its 20th Anniversary. School and Trust Board Member Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall presented the proclamation to Trust Chairperson Kenneth Hoffman, Treasurer Mark Trowbridge and President and CEO James Haj, among others in attendance. 

“The name says it all. They trust us, we trust them,” said Bendross-Mindingall. “20 years ago, on Sept. 10, 2002, Miami-Dade voters approved the referendum to approve The Children’s Trust. On that day, we took a leap, a leap of faith, and the results have been nothing short of amazing. There should not be one person sitting in here that does not know the work of The Children’s Trust."

After the presentation, individual school board members took turns praising The Trust for its anniversary and accomplishments. 

Trust Board Chair Kenneth Hoffman also spoke at the meeting and praised the partnership between the two organizations, including collaboration on over two dozen programs. “Our partnership with M-DCPS is wide-ranging. We provide support to the health of students by funding half of the Miami-Dade Public School health clinics as well as financial support and training for mental health counselors,” Hoffman said. 

He also highlighted important partnerships like with the Summer Youth Internship Program (SYIP), the HERO Truancy Prevention program and Future Bound Miami, which provides college savings accounts for kindergartners, among others.  

The school board joins other local governments and entities, including Miami-Dade County, in recognizing the milestone for The Trust.

Watch the presentation here, and go to minute 42:50, when Bendross-Mindingall starts her presentation.