The Florida Alliance of Children’s Councils and Trusts serves as Florida’s state network lead for the Campaign for Grade Level Reading. In the fall of 2013, FACCT was approached by national campaign to serve alongside other states in an effort to elevate local Grade Level Reading campaigns across the nation. As the lead organization, FACCT works closely with local, state and national experts on ways to support local initiatives and develop strategies to expand the work.
Local Florida campaigns are established in Brevard County, Broward County, Delray Beach, Gainesville, Hillsborough County, Indian River County, Jacksonville, Manatee County, Martin County, Miami-Dade County, Orlando/Orange County, Palm Beach County, Pinellas County, Sarasota County, St. Lucie County, Suncoast (Manatee & Sarasota) and Tallahassee. Through the collective impact of the national campaign, local campaigns, business leaders, and funders, our statewide movement will help promote school readiness, combat chronic absenteeism, improve summer learning and engage parents as their children’s first teachers.
Through generous funding provided by the Helios Education Foundation (2015-2021), the Florida GLR Campaign is focused on developing infrastructure to sustain GLR efforts statewide through networks anchored in the tenants of the Campaign for Grade Level Reading (School Readiness, Summer Learning & Attendance):
1) Network of Community Leaders—a learning community to share best practices, focus on outcomes, and align efforts. The work and associated outcomes will be used as demonstration efforts of what can and should be accomplished statewide;
2) Early Childhood Policy Thought Leaders—working from analysis on current state investments, child development research, proven system development strategies, and community efforts early childhood experts have develop a platform for systemic change that is focused on improved child and family outcomes;
3) Florida Business Leaders Alliance—in partnership with the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the business sector will work to increase the prominence, funding, and understanding of critical early childhood initiatives; and
By anchoring this work in the Grade Level Reading framework, we will organize existing efforts and expand the work to improve coordination and alignment of work and make significant progress on grade level reading outcomes for children. Although each Florida GLR community is as unique as the community it serves, the shared vision for all Florida’s children to read proficiently by third grade is the priority for all. Please join us in our collective effort to bring attention to the importance of grade level reading!
For more information on Florida’s Grade Level Reading Campaign, visit www.FloridaGLR.net, or contact Jenn Faber, Director of Grade Level Reading at jfaber@floridacsc.org or 239-432-0051.
