Alliance between school and youth center to bridge a gap in childcare

For many working parents, the math doesn’t add up: An eight- to 10-hour workday extends well beyond a seven-hour school day. A new local partnership aims to close that gap with before- and after-school care for Miami students.

In the fall of 2025, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold conducted a survey across the Globe-Miami community to identify the area’s most pressing issues and channel mine support and investments toward community identified priorities. Six priorities emerged from the survey responses: housing, education, infrastructure, community services, economy, and environment. 

Childcare was not identified as a stand-alone priority in the published survey results, but the need had been evident for some time. During a February 2024 community forum, First Things First identified the Gila Region as a “childcare desert.” Dr. Richard Ramos, superintendent of Miami Unified School District, said conversations about the need continued as community leaders reviewed survey findings and discussed ways to support local families.

Ramos attends Freeport-McMoRan’s quarterly meetings and serves on the Cobre Valley Youth Club (CVYC) board. He said talks began last year around one central question: “How do we partner together before school starts and after school to engage the community and support parents with someone to watch their kids?” 

Those discussions led to the Miami Activity Center, or MAC, a before- and after-school program scheduled to open Jan. 4, 2027, in designated classrooms at Lee Kornegay Intermediate School.

The program will operate from 6-8 a.m. and 3-6 p.m. Two dedicated staff members will supervise as many as 30 children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Initially, MAC will only be open to students enrolled in Miami Unified School District.

Registration is expected to cost $100 per month for mornings, $150 per month for afternoons or $250 for both sessions. Scholarships will be available based on financial need.

Transportation will not be available when the program begins, although Ramos said it could be considered once MAC is more established. “We need to make sure the program can stand on its own,” he said.

If enrollment reaches the 30-student limit, MAC will start a waiting list. Ramos said the partners may add staff as demand grows. “We’re going to have the opportunity to expand,” he said. “This is so new and innovative.” 

A memorandum of understanding is being developed between the school district and the Cobre Valley Youth Club. The youth club will provide one employee, while the district will hire a paraprofessional for the second position. Combined salaries are expected to total about $30,000. A paraprofessional currently earns about $18,000 annually at MUSD.

The district and youth club will initially cover the wages, but the long-term goal is for registration fees to support staffing, supplies, snacks and activities. Once the agreement is finalized, the application process can begin. Ramos said that is expected by November.

Carmen Casillas, board president for CVYC, said the club already has a trained staff member in mind for MAC, with another employee available on call. She said all club staff receive training and hold fingerprint clearance cards. 

MAC will provide homework help, snacks, STEM learning and other educational activities. Students in Miami Junior Senior High School's early childhood development program also will assist, giving eighth- through 12th-graders hands-on experience and service hours. Casillas said they also may be able to earn school credit for their work with MAC.

“It is not childcare. We look at it as youth development,” said Casillas.

The CVYC’s main hub is on Hagen Road in Globe just below the Community Center, and the Club also acquired the Knights of Columbus building on Ash Street. Plans for that location include events and a performing arts center, with a winter symphony slated for later this year. 

The youth club tried to establish a Miami location last year, Casillas said, but could not find suitable space. Miami Unified has now offered classrooms for the program.

"I think it's going to be an amazing, amazing venture," she said. "And I look forward to working together with Dr. Ramos on this project."

Looking Ahead

The partners hope to expand MAC into a full-day activity center during the summer, with anticipated hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Summer registration rates have not been set, although discounts are planned for school district employees.

Summer participants also would be able to join activities offered through the Cobre Valley Youth Club. "We'll have the opportunity to go to all the things that CVYC participates in - swimming, field trips to the theater, and dancing with the Elite Dance Academy," Ramos said.

MAC also is partnering with Gila Community College for research and to explore potential licensing opportunities for students. Ramos noted that Freeport-McMoRan recognizes the need and offers community investment grants and other funding opportunities.

Ramos said the Town of Miami remains involved, and the City of Globe has been invited to discuss possible resources and support. "The partnerships are so critical," he said. "We cannot do any of this on our own."

Casillas said the partnership could also strengthen ties between Globe and Miami. 

"The community is saying this is what we need," she said. "We'll have time to work out the kinks before the summer program. The MAC kids will have every opportunity the CVYC kids have."

The program's teaching rubric, attendance records, parent surveys and staff evaluations will help measure its success. Ramos also invited parents to serve as a guiding coalition, helping shape the program around families' needs and spread the word throughout the community.

The long-term vision reaches beyond school-age programming. "Ultimately, we want to be a preferred early-childhood program to support the community with their childcare needs," Ramos said. "Eventually, I would like to say zero to 12 years of age."

More immediately, Ramos said, the goal is to give local children a welcoming place before and after school. "I just want to make sure that the community knows that our goal is for our children to have a love for our school community, to be active and engaged, and to have a place to feel safe," he said.