Executive Director, Early Learning Coalition of Duval
Mission
To create a coordinated and integrated system for school readiness services to better prepare children for entry into kindergarten, with an emphasis on pre-literacy skills for children at risk.
Serving Jacksonville
Jacksonville-based, established in 2000.
Those served
Serving only Duval County. To date:
• Child care resource and referral – 31,739 families.
• Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) for 4-year-old children – 9,600 children.
• School readiness for children (subsidy) – 12,947 children birth to 8.
• Developmental screening for children – 5,259 children.
• Professional development for child care teachers – 1,119 teachers.
• Family child care homes – 1,679 children.
• Navy Exceptional Family Member Program – 60 families, 128 children.
Biggest challenge
Funding for school readiness services and for VPK to ensure providers offer a high-quality early-learning program. We currently have more than 6,000 working families on a waiting list for financial assistance to help pay for child care. Motivating and incenting child care providers to move toward offering higher quality early-learning programs, especially in this economic climate.
Biggest satisfaction
Watching children excited to start pre-K and seeing the wonder in their eyes as they explore things and how excited and proud they are to learn letters, sounds and words and beginning to read. Additionally, to see how far the child care community has come from providing “custodial care” to early learning care.
Hometown
Columbus, Ohio
First experience with community service
High school volunteering with at-risk children at a summer camp program.
Your job before the Early Learning Coalition of Duval
Big Brothers Big Sisters, and before that a Duval County Public Schools teacher.
Contact information
www.choosequalitychildcare.org
[email protected]
208-2040