Miami families got a one-stop jump on the school year Saturday, as the 18th annual Children’s Trust Family Expo filled Southwest Miami-Dade with services, activities and plenty of reasons for kids to tolerate the phrase “back to school.” Thousands of parents and children turned out for the free event, which blended practical help with face painting, entertainment and prizes.
The expo returned to the Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition grounds and connected families with child care providers, health services and educational programs, according to WSVN 7News. This year’s event also added a college-readiness section for high school students and an interactive scavenger hunt.
New College Help Joined The Back-To-School Basics
The Children’s Trust said the expo brought together resources for after-school programs, tutoring, youth sports, STEM activities, health and wellness, special-needs services and family support. The goal was to put the kind of information parents often have to hunt down across multiple websites and offices in one place.
More than 100 booths, school-supply giveaways, live performances, arts and crafts, balloon artists and face painting were among the offerings highlighted by The Children’s Trust ahead of the event. The new scavenger hunt sent families around the exhibits collecting stickers, with completed guides eligible for prizes and a larger raffle.
The expo was held indoors at Arnold Hall from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., giving families an air-conditioned break from the South Florida heat while they compared programs and gathered supplies. The organization’s event information also listed transportation assistance through Uber vouchers, aimed at helping families who might otherwise have trouble getting there.
James Haj, president of The Children’s Trust, described the expo to WSVN 7News as a community-wide “one-stop” opportunity for parents looking for support. With the first school bells approaching, that may be the most useful raffle prize of all: fewer errands, more answers and a slightly less frantic start to August.
