Approach, Management, and Evaluation Plan
GOTR has been serving girls in 3rd-8th grade in a 10-week, after-school program for over 20 years. We serve approximately 1,700 -2000 girls per year. The GOTR program is designed to help offset the insufficient physical education activities available in the neighborhoods served by the targeted schools. Many of the neighborhoods served by us lack quality, affordable after- school programs and activities for elementary and middle school age students, especially for Black and Latina girls. We recognize that girls of color face significant challenges accessing youth health programs and our program helps to close that gap in critical physical and healthy lifestyle education for young girls.
We are fully conversant in monthly reporting due to our rigorous reporting standards from DCYF in San Francisco that requires monthly documentation of every invoice/expense, girls’ attendance and much more. We also enjoy a grant from Kaiser Permanente which also requires rigorous reporting and measurement of outcomes along with final reports at the end of each grant cycle, (as do most of our grants).
We measure pre & post program impact via surveys to parents, coaches, girls, and longer term impact with our alumni. Qualitative data is used to inform coach training, as well as quantitative data to compare results season over season. Every team coach is required to fill out the attendance app to track attendance, laps, engagement and 5K participation.
We measure increases in:
- Attitudes toward regular exercise and improved physical endurance in the program, by demonstrating that physical activity is fun
- Self-esteem, confidence, and impact of healthy decision making - Awareness about their community needs and getting involved to be a positive part of the solution - Understanding of relationship between exercise and nutrition
As San Pablo continues to focus on developing, diversifying and stabilizing its community, Girls on the Run also focuses on providing those same goals so that families are assured of a safe environment for their girls to thrive. All our girls will be from the San Pablo area, as well as all the coaches that we recruit will also be San Pablo residents. The program culminates with girls positively impacting their communities through a service project and completing a celebratory, non -competitive 5K event. Ultimately, girls’ empowerment is the central, compelling benefit for girls who participate in our program.
We aim to ensure that every girl, no matter her activity level, ethnicity, race, or economic status, benefits from our program. We focu s on social and emotional education that arms our future leaders with confidence to continue on through school, college and into the workforce. We strive to establish life-long healthy lifestyles; we encourage self- confidence and promote supportive social bonds; and at a critical age where girls often look to each other and the women in their lives for inspiration and guidance, we offer a space for them to feel courageous, aspire to achieve their most ambitious goals, and develop themselves into the leaders they want to see in the world.
Project Experience
Girls on the Run utilizes an academically-evaluated curriculum, encompassing healthy lifestyle education and exercise, designed specifically for girls in grades 3-8. Our program has been tested year over year and continues to evolve as norms evolve. We have successfully served multiple girls in Contra Costa Schools from Antioch, Pittsburg, Clayton, Pleasant Hill, Richmond and San Pablo including (not an in clusive list):
Highlands, Chavez, Richmond College Prep, Caliber Beta Academy, Aspire Richmond Technology, Making Waves Academy, Murphy, Shore Acres, Willow Cove, Parkside, Marina Vista, Heights Elementary, Morello Park, Hidden Valley, Meadow Homes, El Dorado Middle School, Silverwood, and Lincoln Elementary.
We organize two seasons each academic year – fall and spring. During the 10-week season, a team of 14 to 15 girls (3 rd-5th grade or 6 th-8th) meets with 3 volunteer coaches , 2/x a week for 90-minute sessions.
Each practice consists of a structured lesson tha t includes community building, warm -up activity, stretching, running game, and a cool down time to process and fill in their journals. All activities take place at her school site or a community park nearby during after- school hours. Sessions engage in non - competitive running and activities that promote good health, such as nutrition, making healthy choices, media awareness regarding body image, and self- esteem. Finally, she participates in the 5K even t along with her running buddy, family, & friends.
“THANK YOU for being champions and supporters of our work at Lincoln. Saturday was a beautiful event, thanks in large part to ALL your team has given us throughout the year.
GOTR truly was one of the highlights in such a tough year. We are SO excited to continue with our partnership in the Fall.
Thanks so much for believing in our girls and our Lincoln Team,” Taylor – Principal, Lincoln Elementary, Richmond
GOTR emphasizes flexibility, affordability, bil ingual Spanish availability, to reduce any barriers to entry.
No girl is turned away for lack o f their family’s ability to pay. GOTR’s lon g-standing partnership with Unified School Districts allows us to serve all communities who will benefit from our inclusive program:
we invite all youth who identify as a girl to participate in our program. We also collaborate with community and neighborhood organizations such as YMCA after -school programs, Community Youth Centers, and Boys and Girls Clubs, to provide our program to girls at their service locations.
GOTR partners with the Unified School District elementary and middle school program s to deliver programs across West Contra Costa (and the other Bay Area Counties) . We designate a member of the school community to be our on -site Program (Site) Liaison. Through our ongoing relationships with our schools, we have been able to maintain and grow our program – frequently expanding the number of teams at schools. Our Site Liaisons are passionate volunteers, responsible for the logistics that ensure the successful implementation of our programs. They are our evangelists at getting the word out to parents about the program and recruiting the teams on their site. They serve as a communication link between GOTRBA staff, coaches, site administrators, parents and participants.
Scope of Services
This project is targeting 75 girls in 3rd - 8th grade high-need sites within the San Pablo community. These participants represent girls from underserved communities that Girls on the Run of the Bay Area is hoping to reach, as these girls have limited access to after school programming due to barriers such as socio - economic factors and limited volunteer support. Furthermore, girls from low -income backgrounds are more susceptible to adverse health outcomes such as social-emotional problems and poor physical health which are all issues addressed by the physical activity -based, positive youth development programming that Girls on the Run of the Bay Area provides.
Client Type # of
unduplicated
clients
# of
Unduplicated
clients – San
Pablo
Projected Number of
Avg. Dosage Hrs. per
client
Brief Description
of Proposed
Schedule
3 – 5th Grade 45 45 30 hours Girls on the Run
Program: 3
schools, 2/wk, 90
mins per session,
Community
Service Project,
5K.
Usually weekdays
after school
6 – 8th Grade 30 30 30 hours Heart & Sole
Program: 2
schools. 2/wk, 90
mins per session,
Community
Service Project,
5K.
Usually weekdays
after school
Adults 15 15 30 hours 3 coaches per
team, 2/wk., 90
mins per session,
Community
Impact Project, 5K
The Girls on the Run Financial Assistance Initiative intends to increase the number of girls impacted by its intentionally designed programming by 1) providing program scholarships to girls in need of financial support; 2) offering the program at approxima tely 5 high need sites; 3) addressing barriers to girl participation, school recruitment and retention.
It costs us over $425 per girl to run our program for two seasons, and provide two full scale 5K's. We have requested funding for 75 young girls in the San Pablo area to provide them an impactful experience that will last a lifetime. There will be three coaches per team to mentor and motivate these young people, spending at least 90 minutes per session in small teams for ten weeks (per season). The program includes the Community Impact Project that girls will design and produce. And the seaso n end 5K in Quarry Lakes/Spring and Golden Gate Park/ Fall. This is a celebratory spectacle and provides the girls an unparalleled sense of accomplishment. The GOTR 5K often serves as a conduit for inspiring family, friends, and communities to begin a journey towards health.
We will work closely with each school to ensure we tie in with their after- school goals. Most often we work with the Beacon Director or the After School Administrator once the Principal has connected us to these administrators. We find our mission is closely aligned with the schools where we serve as Girls on the Run uses running and other physical activities as a platform for te aching life skills and promoting positive social, emotional, and holistic health outcomes for girls in grades 3 -8. The curriculum includes lessons developmentally appropriate for 8- to 13-year-old girls.
Where possible we work closely with the schools to recruit teachers as coaches. We find the teaches enjoy being with their students after -school and get to know them in a different, more relaxed environment.
Before the season, volunteer coaches participate in a National Coach Training Program. This training prepares them to build relationships with girls, create a positive, inclusive supportive environment (including how to provide an inclusive experience for girls with disabilities), support individual improvement, create trauma- sensitive spaces, and deli ver the intentional curriculum as intended. The program’s 10-week curriculum includes lessons that specifically target girls’ improvements in social - emotional learning. Through the program, girls learn critical life skills and behaviors such as how to manage emotions, help others, make intentional decisions, and resolve conflict that they can use at home, at school, and with friends long after the program’s conclusion. Social-emotional learning has been shown to provide short- and long-term benefits to children such as positive social behavior, less emotional stress, fewer behavioral problems, and academic success.
All girls are provided with a mask, hand sanitizer, a personal cinch sack, a journal, crayons, a water bottle and a T-shirt. If girls cannot afford a suitable pair of running shoes, they will receive a free, new pair mid- season. The coaches all receive a hat and t -shirt for easy identification. They also are given a coach bag with supplies including cones, pool noodles and many fun items to ensure the girls have fun while they engage and exercise. Girls who cannot afford a pair of running shoes are provided a free new pair at the beginning of the season.
Girls on the Run is an exemplary positive youth development program for girls with compelling evidence of program impact. It is the program’s research -based curriculum, core values, trained coaches, and a commitment to serve all girls that sets it apart. Our core values are the pillars of our program and lay the groundwork for now and into adulthood:
- Recognize our power & responsibility to be international in our decision -making; Embrace our differences and find strengths in our connectedness; Express joy, optimism and gratitude through our words, thoughts and actions; Lead with an open heart and as sume positive intent; Nurture our physical, emotional and spiritual health; Stand up for ourselves and others.
We were recently included as a top research -based program in a Social- Emotional Learning Guide at Harvard University. It was also commended by the National Afterschool Association (NAA) as one of the most influential after- school programs in Health & Wellness and, in 2019, recognized as a featured Bright Spot organization in the U.S. Health and Human Services' National Youth Sports Strategy.
Additionally, in 2020, Girls on the Run has had the privilege of being selected to serve as a U.S. National Youth Sports Strategy Champion.
With our Harvard approved approach of combining physical activity with social-emotional lessons, we can support girl’s holistically. We focus on nurturing their physical, social, and emotional health, because when we live balanced lives, we are able to activate our limitless potential.
In summary, no other organized sports or afterschool program successfully integrates GOTR’s innovative combination of confidence building, leadership development , and healthy lifestyle education with a dedicated focus on holistically serving young girls.