Faculty and alumni from the College of Education have partnered with FAMU and the Children’s Defense Fund to sponsor the North Florida Freedom Schools. Research shows that when K-8 students from low-income households leave school for the summer, they are at-risk of a reading gap. With many single and working parents, low-income students can have fewer opportunities to exercise their reading “muscles”, and when they arrive back to campus in the fall, teachers report many are behind reading level.

To intervene in Leon and Gadsden counties, the North Florida Freedom Schools will operate two schools of fifty students each this summer. One hundred children from low-income households will receive six weeks of reading fun and education, as well as healthy meals to nurture both mind and body, all at no cost to them. Evidence from the HOPE Freedom School in Quincy, FL demonstrated an average reading level increase of seven months, thanks to their summer program. Instead of letting these students slip backward, Freedom Schools actually provide an opportunity for low-income students to excel.

To join FSU, FAMU, and the Children’s Defense Fund in support of this project, please consider a donation of $285 today to sponsor one child through the program. Gifts of all sizes are needed and appreciated. Thank you for your consideration.