03/06/2008
from staff
More than 500 people gathered at the University of North Florida’s University Center to recognize Ed Burr as this year’s Children’s Champion for Episcopal Children’s Services (ECS).
For the past three years, ECS — the largest not-for-profit child services organization in Northeast Florida for children age five and younger — has honored an individual who has been judged to have a profound impact on the lives of Jacksonville children. Past recipients include Mayor John Peyton and Jaguars owner Delores Barr Weaver.
“Ed Burr turned an unspeakable personal tragedy into hope for thousands of children he had never met,” said Deborah Gianoulis, ECS Foundation board chair and longtime Ch. 4 news anchor. “Ed created the Monique Burr Foundation to create a safe and secure world for abused and neglected children and to prevent abuse through education and intervention.”
Burr established the Monique Burr Foundation in 1996 in memory of his wife, who died in a car accident the same year. Today, the Foundation impacts the lives of 20,000 children annually in Florida and South Georgia and has chapters in Jacksonville, Palm Coast and in Tampa and Ft. Myers.
Prior to presenting the award to Burr, ECS Executive Director Connie Stophel revealed statistics that underscore the importance of early learning programs.
“There’s a window of opportunity when children are born. It’s when the brain develops at a rapid pace and early learning experiences, stimulating activities and a nurturing environment can make all the difference in a child’s ability to grow to their full potential,” she said. “Ninety percent of brain development occurs before age five, yet one-third of America’s preschool children enter school unprepared to learn. It is imperative to level the playing field for children before kindergarten.”
Since 1966, ECS has established partnerships and collaborations that now extend to eight counties in North Florida and serve 16,500 young children annually. The organization operates 10 Head Start centers and two Early Head Start centers in five counties. While all ECS centers meet the five-star rating developed by the Jacksonville Early Learning Partnership, Gianoulis said the most pressing need for ECS is to improve teacher quality and pay.
“Unfortunately, Florida ranks at the very bottom in preschool teacher qualifications, requiring a mere 45 hours of instruction beyond a GED,” said Gianoulis.
ECS intends to create the ECS Campus for Teaching and Training, which will establish a model school, training center and headquarters in a central location accessible to the eight counties the organization currently serves. The search for the ideal location is under way.
