Early Learning Leadership Florida
Florida's Tomorrow Starts Today.
Without access to high-quality early learning, many children begin life missing the building blocks that unlock workforce readiness and lifelong success.
Florida’s future workforce and prosperity depends on more awareness and better outcomes in early learning and literacy today.
How Are We Doing? See Kindergarten Readiness and 3rd-Grade Reading In Your Leadership Florida Region.
Why It Matters
75% of children who enter kindergarten “not ready” never catch up to their peers
Early learning investments deliver a $13 return for every $1 invested — strengthening workforce readiness, public safety, and economic prosperity
Children who cannot read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school
Every high school drop out costs society $260,000 over their lifetime
10 Ways to Raise Awareness and Lead on Early Learning & Literacy Outcomes
- Connect with Local Business and Community Leaders to Raise Awareness: Share why early learning and literacy should be a top priority and how your community is ready to lead.
- Elevate Early Learning Locally: Include early learning in your local chamber, education, and economic development conversations. Use Florida Scorecard data and county-level Metrics That Matter sheets to track and share your region’s progress.
- Explore Promising Practices: Visit the FL Chamber Foundation’s Business Alliance for Early Learning website for proven programs that boost early learning and literacy.
- Bring the Data to Life: Invite Makayla to present the Florida Gap Map, the Florida Scorecard, and the new Florida Talent Center Education Data Hub early learning “metrics that matter.”
- Invest in Book Bucks: Help build healthy attendance and ready habits through Book Bucks to get books into the hands of young children and incentivize literacy progress. Use the QR code for more info.
- Adopt a Classroom through Reading: Align company volunteer hours with “science of reading-based” reading efforts at schools in need—use the Florida Gap Map to identify low-performing schools.
- Join Us at Learners to Earners: Attend the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Learners to Earners Workforce Summit and connect cradle to career education and workforce challenges to solutions.
- Stay Plugged In: Subscribe to the Free Florida Business Alliance for Early Learning Project monthly newsletter for updates, tools, and engagement opportunities.
- Engage Local Media: Leverage the Florida Business Alliance for Early Learning Project’s drafted op-eds or offer commentary on why early learning and literacy matter. Use your voice to elevate awareness.
- Commission a Local Landscape Analysis & Get Your Roadmap: Support a region-specific Early Learning & Literacy Landscape Analysis and Roadmap to guide investments where they’re needed most.
Get Involved
Reach out to learn more about getting involved with the Florida Business Alliance for Early Learning’s efforts to improve early learning outcomes for all Florida children.