Early Learning Corps began supporting Florida preschoolers in 2015 with just 20 tutors in a handful of schools. Over the years, we have grown to dozens of schools and well over 100 tutors this year alone, changing the lives of thousands of students along the way. As we reflect on the incredible work our tutors have already accomplished across Florida, we are excited to announce that Early Learning Corps is expanding to two new areas: Jacksonville and Tampa Bay!
The expansion is underway now and came about with the help of a generous appropriation from the state. In a recent ceremony, State Senator Alexis Calatayud officially made the investment in Florida’s youngest learners with a check for $500,000. The new funding means that Early Learning Corps will now have tutors serving at schools in all four of Florida’s largest metro areas: Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa Bay, and Jacksonville.
In addition to their size, the new communities were also chosen because of their ongoing need for educational support. In Manatee County, on the south side of Tampa Bay, only half of preschoolers showed that they were academically ready for kindergarten by knowing the alphabet and understanding letter-sound relationships. For Duval County, home to Jacksonville, that figure drops to under 46%. By bringing more Early Learning Tutors into classrooms across the state, educational leaders hope to boost students’ early reading skills and set them up for greater academic success in elementary school.
In the ten years since Early Learning Tutors began serving in Florida, they have helped more than 11,000 preschoolers in the state. Tutors work directly in preschool classrooms, providing academic support and encouragement through research-based activities, games, and songs. Best of all these techniques work: Early Learning Corps students significantly outperform their peers in early literacy outcomes. The new appropriation from the state government will ensure that our tutors will help more students than ever build foundational learning skills.
Beyond expanding the program’s reach to new locations, the investment will also deepen existing school partnerships and help develop the already-robust career pathway for early childhood educators. Our education programs have always been a great career steppingstone for future teachers, social workers, and paraprofessionals. Not long ago we sat down with Sparkle, a former tutor in the Miami area, whose time in Early Learning Corps was pivotal to her becoming a kindergarten teacher in her hometown.
“Early Learning Corps was really the foundation of everything,” says Sparkle. “There was no other way for me to get classroom experience like that… Now I’m here! I have my own classroom!”
Thanks to the new funding, more tutors like Sparkle will be able to use their AmeriCorps service as a first step toward their careers in education. It’s not just an investment in the success of Florida’s students, but teachers too.
We are so thankful for all our partners around the state for making this appropriation a reality and supporting early childhood education. It would not have been possible without state officials, the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee, Duval County Public Schools, and the University of South Florida School of Education. Thanks to their contributions, Early Learning Corps will be able to reach more students than ever in the coming years!
Want to serve your community and help local students achieve more? Early Learning Corps is still looking for tutors both in Florida and across the country! Go to join.readingandmath.org to learn more and find openings new you.