Century Group Seeks Over $1 Million From Escambia Children’s Trust For Early Learning Program

October 4, 2026

A Century-based youth organization is seeking over $1 million from the Escambia Children’s Trust to expand early childhood learning and family readiness services in northern Escambia County.

The proposal from Extra Mile Club Str8 Up will be before the Escambia Children’s Trust Program Committee during its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 6. The Extra Mile Club Str8 Up has operated the Soul Train Club in the Century Business Center since April 2025.

Extra Mile Club Str8 Up submitted an application for its proposed “Soul Train Little Learners & Family Readiness Hub,” requesting $349,650 annually, for a three-year total funding request of $1,048,950. The organization reported an overall current organizational operating budget of $27,000.

The initiative is designed as a hybrid rural early-childhood readiness and family-support program serving children ages birth through 6 and their caregivers in Century and North Escambia. It aims to serve 70 unduplicated children each year through a coordinated hub and mobile delivery model. Under the plan, approximately 25 children would receive direct, in-person services at a dedicated Century hub, while 45 children would be reached through structured mobile and hybrid outreach.

According to the proposal abstract, the primary direct-service emphasis focuses on children ages 2 to 6, utilizing the Creative Curriculum framework alongside the R.E.R.S. Little Feelings Lab for social-emotional learning and resilience building. The program also includes developmental monitoring, kindergarten transition assistance, and caregiver education focused on home literacy routines and community resource navigation. Organizers stated the hub and mobile strategy aims to remove rural barriers related to distance, scheduling, and transportation.

Following the review session by the Bright Beginnings Grant Committee on September 29, the application received a final score of 84.86 out of a possible 105 points.

The grant evaluation rubric establishes a base score of up to 100 points across organizational capacity, program design, sustainability, budget justification, and required documentation uploads. An additional five bonus points were available for proposals specifically providing services to residents in designated geographic areas: Century, Warrington/Navy Point, Beulah, or Ensley/Ferry Pass. Extra Mile Club Str8 Up qualified for those five geographic bonus points based on its targeted service area in Century.

The Children’s Trust previously funded the Pensacola non-profit Urban Development Center for “YouthFirst Century” to serve 750 youth ages 11-18 over a three-year period at a total cost of $1.2 million. The program, which was in no way associated with Deterville or Extra Mile Club Str8 Up, failed to meet goals and was defended.

These are all the applications under review Tuesday, with total 3-year budget requests listed:

  • Adult & Child Mental Health Care (Bright Beginnings Developmental Pediatrics Clinic) – Total request: $1,500,000 — Pediatric developmental and behavioral clinic providing assessments, care coordination, and specialized therapy triage for ages 0–5; countywide (Escambia County).
  • ARC Gateway – Pearl Nelson Center (Help Me Grow Developmental Intervention) – Total request: $1,499,948.16 — In-home and childcare-based developmental intervention and caregiver coaching for children birth through 5 with emerging delays; service area not specifically designated.
  • A Top Notch Christian Academy (Pathway to Kindergarten Readiness) – Total request: $1,142,436.80 — Early literacy, developmental screenings, and L.I.T. Family Night parent-child engagement for 80 children ages 0–6; countywide (Escambia County).
  • Escambia County Department of Neighborhood & Human Services (Growing Together) – Total request: $1,500,000 — Community center-based literacy coaching, parent workshops, and developmental screenings for Pre-K and kindergarten transitions; Escambia County community centers.
  • Escambia County Healthy Start Coalition (G.R.O.W. Doula Program) – Total request: $374,223.87 — Non-medical prenatal, labor, and postpartum doula physical and emotional support for expectant mothers; service area not specifically designated.
  • Extra Mile Club Str8 Up (Soul Train Little Learners & Family Readiness Hub) – Total request: $1,048,950 — Rural early learning, literacy, and developmental hub paired with mobile outreach serving 70 children; Century and North Escambia County.
  • Inner Armor Hope (Move. Breathe. Grow.) – Total request: $1,500,000 — Early childhood developmental basketball curriculum combining physical movement, motor skill building, and measured breathing exercises; service area not specifically designated.
  • Nemours Children’s Health (NICU Developmental Follow-Up Clinic) – Total request: $713,329.74 — Specialized follow-up clinic providing medical monitoring, social services, and early literacy for 150 high-risk infants leaving the NICU; Pearl Nelson Child Development Center in Pensacola.
  • ReadyKids! (ReadingPals Expansion) – Total request: $1,389,000 — One-on-one volunteer literacy mentoring and hands-on STEM enrichment expanded into Title I Pre-K and kindergarten classrooms; high-need Title I classrooms.
  • Studer Community Institute (Building Brains: A Foundation for All) – Total request: $1,380,839 — In-hospital prenatal outreach, Basics text messaging, and AI/digital parenting tools paired with high-need coaching; countywide.
  • Whiz Kids Academy (Whiz Kidz 2: Future Ready!) – Total request: $600,000 — Full-day early childhood care, family resources, and kindergarten readiness instruction for 40 children; 31 Mason Lane in Pensacola.
  • Young Achievers Preschool (READY Together) – Total request: $660,000 — Half-day early learning, individualized child success plans, and STEAM enrichment for ages 2 through kindergarten entry; service area not specifically designated.

Pictured: Pastor Evelyn Deterville’s Extra Mile Club St8 Up nonprofit official opened the “Soul Train Club of Century” youth resource center in April 2025.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under TOP STORIES