Cynthia Smith combined her 18 years of experience in education, which covered everything from accounting and bookkeeping to teaching and administration, to open Minds of the Future Academy.
She established the private STEM school in Jacksonville’s Eastside neighborhood in 2019.
Smith, the president and CEO, began with about 45 students from kindergarten through second grade and has gradually expanded the academy’s reach.
Minds of the Future is now at capacity with 150 students, who range from pre-K to this year’s first high school seniors.
A STEM curriculum emphasizes science, technology, engineering and math. The focus is hands-on, problem-based learning.
Smith, 42, said she saw an imbalance in educational opportunities for students while she worked in Duval County Public Schools.
“For me, that was my drive,” she said. “I wanted to create a school where all students can come and parents don’t have to feel like they have to have a lottery to get in (to the better ones),” she said.
“I am a proponent for all children. I believe all children deserve to be part of programs to help them excel, academically and socially – and to prepare them for college and career readiness. I want to lead with STEM because STEM is leading our nation.”
She took the first step toward becoming an entrepreneur and opening her own school in 2016.
Smith, who had worked in the public school system for 15 years, learned a day care center was for sale in the Spring Park neighborhood in South Jacksonville.
She contacted the real estate agent and told him she was interested, but didn’t have the capital.
He put her in touch with the owner of Burrell’s Child Care and Learning Center, who agreed to lease her the property with an option to buy.
Smith spent most of her savings on improving the condition of the building’s interior, which did not meet her standards. She hired new staff and established the center as more of a learning academy than a day care, she said.
“It brought in more students than I could have imagined.”
In 2018, nearing her third year with the school, Smith prepared to ask the bank for a loan to buy the building.
Instead, she learned a lesson in “the challenges of entrepreneurship.”
The owner accepted an offer from the adjacent tree service company to buy the property to expand its business. Though the new owners told Smith she could stay in the building, they were increasing the rent and planning to take over the playground space.
By then, she had a lease on a property on North Main Street on the Eastside that she planned to open as a private school.
Smith had not expected to close the school in Spring Park because she felt it had “a huge impact in the Spring Park community.”
With no playground for 150 children, however, she needed to move immediately.
With the Eastside property available to her, she had an option.
Smith officially opened Minds of the Future Academy a year after relocating.
The school is at 3819 N. Main St., at North Main and East 29th streets, and faces Andrew Jackson High School to the west.
The academy generates most of its revenue through corporate partnerships and sponsorships. It held its third annual Black-Tie Gala, a key fundraiser, in February at WJCT Studios.
Smith receives about $8,000 from the state of Florida annually for each student through its expanded voucher program. It costs about $15,000 to educate each student at Minds of the Future, Smith said.
All students are on income-based scholarships.
She does not require parents to make up the difference. She does require them to be in a partnership with the school by providing 30 community service hours during the school year.
“If you donate your time, that could help maximize the programs and the potential that we have here,” she said.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the owners of a day care center at North Main and 29th streets, immediately north of the academy, came to Smith and asked whether she wanted to lease the building and absorb the 78 students.
She agreed.
Smith improved the property and hired new staff, the same as she did when she was at the Spring Park center.
"And that is how I ended up back in the day care world.”
With the Minds of the Future Academy building at capacity, she hopes to find a new location in the area soon to allow for growth.
Smith knows the Eastside community well. She grew up there.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology in 2004 and a master’s in mental health counseling in 2007 from the University of North Florida.
She received a doctorate in Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in 2018.
Smith began work as a substance abuse counselor at age 21. She began exploring other options when she realized it wasn’t the right career for her.
She joined Duval County Public Schools as an account clerk in 2002, becoming a bookkeeper in 2003, a teacher in 2005 and as an administrator in 2011.
She worked in Title I schools, where a high percentage of students are from low-income families, and in schools that were not.
“I had no idea that ultimately, I would need every one of those positions as an entrepreneur,” Smith said.