BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BROWARD COUNTY LAUNCHES SMART HORIZONS CAREER ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL TO HELP LOCAL PARENTS

​Clubs will offer high school diploma and job certificate program to the parents of the children they serve, creating a pathway to greater futures.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County has announced that they will offer Smart Horizons Career Online High School (SHCOHS) to parents of the children enrolled in their various programs. SHCOHS will be provided free of charge in an effort to help parents earn an accredited high school diploma and improve their immediate and long-term employment outlook, while enhancing family stability.

Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County serves over 12,500 youth ages 6 to 18 each year. Youth services and programs focus on everything from education, social recreation, health and physical education, to leadership and citizenship development, cultural enrichment, and personal adjustment with one-on-one counseling.

“This program encompasses what Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County is trying to do—serve the family as a whole,” said Chris Gentile, the Co-CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. “Having the ability to provide these resources for our Club parents not only creates a brighter future for them, but a brighter future for our youth.”

Also based in Broward County, SHCOHS offers competency-based, workforce-aligned high school education for adults and older youths. The nationally accredited program blends flexible online delivery with extensive student support services and individual academic coaching.

“Smart Horizons Career Online High School shows what Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County is doing for the community,” said Tom Godart, Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County Board Member. “This program can break the cycle and create many opportunities for the families we serve.”

It is estimated that approximately 215,000 adults in Broward County lack a high school diploma, with more than 240,000 people living in poverty.1 Data show that high school graduates earn $250,000 more over the course of a lifetime,2 contributing an additional $957,600 to their local economy.3

In addition to a high school diploma, as part of the program parents will earn a workforce training certificate in fast-growing fields like home care services, food services, or commercial driving, or in career pathways such as retail customer service, security, child care, or office management.

“We are pleased to be partnering with this local non-profit in an effort to break the cycle of poverty in our community,” said Dr. Howard Liebman, the Superintendent of Schools for the SHCOHS district. “Earning a high school diploma builds a critical pathway to brighter futures, opening doors to employment opportunities or further educational attainment.”

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County is a nonprofit 501(C)(3) private agency. Founded in 1965, the mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County (BGCBC) is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens. BGCBC’s goal is to provide world-class Club experiences that ensure success is within reach of every child who walks through the doors. They rely on funding raised by the Board of Directors, special events, general donations, corporate sponsors, foundation support, endowments along with various federal and local government grants related to services for at at-risk youth.
For more information please contact 954-537-1010 or visit www.bgcbc.org.

About Smart Horizons Career Online Education
Founded in 2009, Smart Horizons Career Online Education (SHCOE) is a private, Cognia-accredited online school district. SHCOE offers online high school diploma programs designed to reengage adults and older youth in the educational system and prepare them for the workplace or postsecondary education. The high school program includes a vocational certificate in career pathways such as Home Care Professional, Child Care, Office Management, Security Professional, Commercial Driving, Retail Customer Service, Food and Hospitality, Hospitality and Leisure, and General Career Preparation. To date, more than 11,000 students have graduated from the SHCOE district. For more information, visit shcoe.org.

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Sources: 
1 U.S. Census Bureau, Quick Facts, Broward County, Florida, https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/browardcountyflorida/PST045216.

2 Alliance for Excellent Education, The Graduation Effect: Every Student’s Potential to Influence a Community, a State, and the Nation, November 2017, http://impact.all4ed.org/.

3 2020 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Current Population Survey, www.bls.gov/emp/chart-unemployment-earnings-education.htm.