The Children’s Movement of Florida announced receiving a $1 million grant from the Helios Education Foundation to accelerate a groundbreaking initiative to improve access, quality, and affordability of early learning programs statewide over the next three years.
The initiative, Florida’s Early Learning Roadmap, is an actionable guide designed to reshape the future of early childhood education in Florida. The Roadmap grew out of community meetings led by The Movement over the past two years with parents, educators, policy leaders, and business owners across Florida. It addresses issues like workforce shortages, educator pay, and access to quality early learning opportunities.
“This grant will accelerate the pace at which Florida can improve early education,” said The Movement CEO Madeleine Thakur. “The recommendations we put forward are a recipe, not a menu — each one is crucial for meeting the needs of parents, children, and the people who educate them.”
This grant allows The Children’s Movement of Florida to:
- Promote legislative advocacy to secure policy and funding changes to increase access to early learning programs.
- Strengthen strategies to improve early educator pay and teacher support, critical to addressing workforce challenges.
- Expand outreach and engagement with parents, educators, and stakeholders to build a statewide coalition to solve persistent challenges.
“Helios Education Foundation is proud to support The Children’s Movement of Florida and its efforts to transform the state of early learning in Florida,” said Paul J. Luna, President and CEO of Helios Education Foundation. “Investing in early childhood education is crucial for the long-term success of our children and, the work of The Movement will have a positive, lasting impact in ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive beginning as early as pre-kindergarten.”
A diverse Advisory Board of 40 stakeholders guides The Roadmap’s implementation. Members represent constituencies involved in its creation, including Cari Miller, Chancellor of Early Learning at the Florida Department of Education; Dr. Herman Knopf, lead researcher at UF’s Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood; Maria Somera, a mother of three in Sarasota; Sasha Pack, an early childhood educator in Palm Coast; Kissha Ballard, owner of Kissha’s Little Ones Child Care, an Orlando family child care home; and Dr. Sharon Miller, executive director of King’s Kids Christian Academy in Tampa, among other educators, advocates, and community leaders.
The Movement announced the grant during its Built To Thrive virtual summit. Key speakers included Harvard Business School Professor Joseph Fuller, Florida Senate President-Designate Ben Albritton, and Florida House of Representatives Speaker-Designate Daniel Pérez.
The Children’s Movement of Florida is the state’s leading voice on early childhood: championing policies and investments for high-quality early learning opportunities, health care access, and parent support.
