Take Stock In Children Gets $5 Million Grant

Education has become a top priority in Florida with a wave of federal funding that will make its way to Take Stock in Children, a statewide non-profit organization with a 15 year history of working in partnership with over 800 public schools to help low-income and at-risk teenagers break the cycle of poverty by providing a post-secondary education. The organization will receive a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand its solid foundation of providing scholarships, mentors and hope for children throughout Broward, Monroe and Highlands counties.

Take Stock in Children is one of 49 innovative programs recently selected out of 1,698 applicants nationwide seeking federal education grants. School districts, universities and nonprofit organizations from across the country attempted to earn a share of the $650 million in stimulus funds. The money will come from a U.S. Department of Education program known as Investing in Innovation (i3).

With the $5 million grant, Take Stock in Children plans to launch its FLIGHT program (Facilitating Long-Term Improvements in Graduation and Higher Education for Tomorrow). FLIGHT is designed to improve academic and behavioral student outcomes, increase post-secondary matriculation and reduce college remediation. The program also aims to enhance utilization of student data to identify high-need students and implement timely interventions to increase their academic success.

The Investing in Innovation federal program is designed to serve as a catalyst for education advancement by providing small, seed-money grants to promising new ideas and to provide more funding to programs such as Take Stock in Children with a successful track record. Take Stock in Children received the grant because of its proven ability to help close the achievement gap and increase high school and college graduation rates. In Broward County, the organization is currently serving 400 students in over 40 schools with over 400 mentors.

“This national recognition is a tremendous milestone in the history of this organization and is exactly what we need to significantly expand our program as we break the cycle of poverty through higher education,” said Richard Berkowitz, Board Chair of Take Stock in Children. “With this grant, we intend to improve college and high school graduation rates even further, while improving overall student achievement.”

Students enrolled with Take Stock in Children are identified in middle and high school, and then sign a contract pledging to remain drug and crime free, as well as maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 or greater. All students that fulfill these obligations and successfully complete the Take Stock in Children program receive full scholarships to a state college or university upon graduation. The organization is the largest non-profit purchaser of Florida Prepaid Foundation Scholarships.

An emphasis on student accountability and specific measurable outcomes distinguishes Take Stock in Children from any other statewide mentoring program. Grade point averages increase with the length of time a student spends in the program, proving that Take Stock in Children’s method works.

Clearly addressing the high school drop-out crisis and college attainment, Take Stock in Children continues to report an unparalleled high school graduation rate of 92 percent, with 81 percent enrolling in college. Those numbers are 61 percent higher and 189 percent higher (respectively) than the Florida state averages for at-risk students. Take Stock in Children currently serves nearly 8,000 low-income and minority students in grades 6-12 annually throughout 60 counties in Florida.

Berkowitz added, “Without a doubt, this grant will allow Take Stock in Children to expand greatly and we are confident that it will also help us to attract more supporters who share our belief in the power of education. Fulfilling the vision of President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, we stand committed to exposing more students to our innovative model of education achievement as we know it will result in better communities and a better America.”

To learn more about benefiting from Take Stock in Children or becoming a mentor or supporter in Broward County, please call 754-321-2578 or visit www.takestockinchildren.org.

About Take Stock in Children

Take Stock in Children is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization with a solid 15 year history of providing mentors, educational scholarships and hope for Florida’s low-income and at-risk youth. The organization has provided educational support and college scholarships for over 16,000 children in partnership with more than 800 public schools throughout 60 counties in Florida. It is the only scholarship mentoring program with the goal of breaking the cycle of poverty through education to attain a high school graduation rate of 92 percent in Florida. Take Stock in Children has grown to be the largest non-profit purchaser of Florida Prepaid Foundation Scholarships. To learn more about Take Stock in Children, please call 888-739-7411 or visit www.takestockinchildren.org.

Related posts:

1. Take Stock in Children gets $1 million matching donation
2. Twelve Florida Students Chosen as Finalists for Inaugural Fellowship
3. Broward Schools gets dropout prevention grant
4. Three Broward High Schools get grants to increase graduation rate
5. Give the Gift that Children Can’t Outgrow: A College Education

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