Since Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood took office and launched the Helping Families Initiative, local officials say truancy has fallen 50% and chronic absenteeism has dropped 58%, part of a broader trend of rising school attendance and performance across the county. The initiative’s central message, “every day counts,” doesn’t pause when the school bell stops ringing for summer, according to the DA’s office, which is encouraging parents to keep those gains going even while classes are out.
The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office, working alongside community leaders and educators, has been sharing resources to help parents stay engaged with their children through the summer months, with the goal of setting a positive tone heading into the next school year.
Free and Low-Cost Summer Programs
To help families make the most of the break, the office highlighted a range of free and low-cost programs available around Mobile County. The Mobile Public Library’s Summer Library Celebration includes a summer reading challenge and a full slate of programming, from live jazz performances to wildlife encounters. The Boys & Girls Club’s Summer Enrichment program runs in June and July, with a break from June 30 through July 4, at a cost of $225 per month.
Mobile Parks & Recreation offers its #MPRDKids Summer Camps for children ages 5 to 12 at a weekly fee of $25, with post-camp care also available. Mobile Baykeeper’s Youth Environmental Leadership Program gets kids outdoors and engaged in environmental stewardship, while the Mobile Museum of Art’s Summer Camp offers students ages 5 through 16 a lineup of opportunities to explore and create art. A broader Summer Camp Resource Guide is also available, compiling a wide range of additional summer options for families to consider.
Volunteer Opportunities for Young People
Beyond structured camps, the DA’s office also pointed to volunteer opportunities for young people through the City of Mobile, United Way of Southwest Alabama and USA Health Systems, giving kids experiences ranging from parks and recreation work to healthcare settings.
Smart Summer Tips: Because Every Day Counts
Alongside its list of programs, the DA’s office shared a set of safety-minded tips for parents and children alike. Parents are encouraged to know where their children are and who they are spending time with, both in person and online, and to be aware that crime — with youth as both victims and offenders — tends to rise during the summer months. Officials emphasized that positive memories don’t require expensive outings; quality time together, they note, is free and builds the kind of open communication that allows kids to come to parents with problems. The office also recommended that parents collect children’s phones at bedtime, citing risks associated with unsupervised nighttime internet use.
For kids, the office’s guidance centered on kindness and caution online — thinking before posting, since content shared online “could haunt you for life” — along with only interacting with people they know and declining friend requests from strangers. Children were also encouraged to talk to a trusted adult if something online feels “weird or scary,” and to spend time outdoors away from screens, since, as the campaign puts it, “summer only happens in real life.”
The Helping Families Initiative’s broader push reflects an effort by the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office to treat school attendance and child safety as year-round priorities rather than concerns confined to the academic calendar.