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"Fun Time Academy's mission is to provide safe, quality, affordable education and care for children and parents from low-income working families and to prepare the children for kindergarten, ready to read and ready to learn!"
IthasbeenoverayearsinceourExecutiveDirector,JessicaCampbell,beganatFunTimeAcademy,andonbehalf oftheBoardofDirectors,theentirestaffandourstudents,wearepleasedtoreportthatthequalityofeducation forourstudentstobereadytoreadandreadytolearnforkindergartenisashighasever.Jessicahasworked tirelesslyoverthepastyeartocontinuetobuildanimpressivestaffandtostrengthenourprograms,servicesand administrativeprocesses.Attentiontoteacherandstaffretentionhasbeenakeyinitiative,andwecontinueto monitortrendsinthisarea.Further,strongemphasishasbeenplacedonincreasedparentinvolvement, professionaldevelopmentandstaffqualifications,childcenteredlearningenvironments,andpositiveclassroom interactions.
OneofthehighlightsoftheyearwasthepreparationfortheonsiteevaluationfromtheNationalAccreditation CommissionforEarlyCareandEducationProgram.Wearethrilledtoannouncethatweobtainedfullaccreditation forthenextfouryears!OtherhighlightsincludethereceiptofaFiveStarRatingfromtheEarlyLearningCoalition ofSouthwestFlorida,aFourStarCharityRatingfromCharityNavigator,TopRatedGreatNonprofitanda Platinum-LevelTransparencyRatingfromGuideStar.
Anotherinitiativethisyearwasensuringthatqualityteachingistakingplacetoimprovestudentoutcomes.Thanks totheEarlyLearningCoalitionofSouthwestFlorida,FunTimeAcademyinvitedCLASSobserverstoevaluatehow ourteachersareinteractingwithourstudents.Theverypositivestudentimprovementresultsaresummarizedin thisreport.
Afocusedgrowthinitiativeisunderwayforincreasingthenumberofstudentswhomweareabletoserve.We expectsomeexcitingnewsinthenextseveralmonths!
Overthepastyear,wehavealsoworkedhardtosignificantlyincreaseourgrantapplications,andoursuccessin receivinghighergrantawardshasbeenwonderfultosee.Forexample,agrantwasobtainedfromtheEarly LearningCoalitionusingfundsfromtheAmericanRescuePlanAct(ARPA)thatwasdirectedtowardworkforce developmentandretention.Also,wewanttothankourAnnualEventCommitteeforplanningandexecutingan incredibleSafariGalainFebruary.Thiswasourmostsuccessfulfundraiserinour61-yearhistory.
Lastly,wewouldliketothankallourgenerousdonors!Andwelookforwardtowelcomingnewsupportersinthe nextyear.Yourcontinuoussupport,includingfromourCornerstonesupportersidentifiedinthisreport,allowsus tocontinuetofundthegapbetweenwhatstateandlimitedparentfeescanprovideandtheactualcostto educateourchildrenwiththehighestqualityteaching,curriculumandadministrativesupport.
Withdeepappreciation,
Ezekiel started at Fun Time when he was just two years old with Ms. Carmen and Ms. Raquel. At first, he struggled in many areas, including personal care, language skills, and transitioning to new activities. He often had difficulty using the bathroom independently, feeding himself, and communicating his needs when he was upset or uncomfortable in a situation. Due to his struggles with communication, he frequently became angry or would cry. He lacked social-emotional skills, which also affected his friendships in class. Ezekiel’s frustrations led him to close himself off, and he often refused to participate in group or individual activities. At home, mom and dad reported the same behaviors.
As a result, the teachers knew that they needed to create a strong partnership with his parents in order to alleviate his frustrations. By using techniques from our social-emotional curriculum, Conscious Discipline, and other known techniques, Ezekiel has made tremendous progress towards kindergarten readiness in both the communicative and social-emotional domains. Ezekiel is now using the bathroom independently, participates in all individual and group activities with his friends, and is speaking in complete sentences to express himself. He even celebrated his fifth birthday and enjoyed his classmates and friends singing Happy Birthday to him loud and proud!
In addition to communication and social-emotional skills, Ezekiel made great progress in academics. On his first assessment of the year, he scored below average on three out of four domains, including phonological awareness, oral language/vocabulary, and math. On his second assessment of the year, Ezekiel met and was even exceeding expectations in all four domains.
We are so proud of him!
Each month we strive to build and encourage relationships among staff, families and children by hosting a Family Involvement Event. These events promote socialization among parents, parent and child, and parent and staff as everyone plays academic games and completes multi-sensory activities. Each year the Family Engagement Coordinator surveys the parents on areas of interest and need and works to provide further resources that families can access in the community. Refreshments are served, prizes are given and fun is had by all!
Reading to children contributes to the growth of their verbal skills while giving them the opportunity to bond with a caring adult. Our children love interacting with our volunteers, who read stories, help with completing academic activities and even head outside to our garden with them. If you are interested in volunteering, call us!
Want to learn more about Fun Time and see our friendly, nurturing environment firsthand? You can view learning in action for each age group, hear about our curriculum, see our beautiful campus and get answers to any questions you have. Call the school at 239-261-8284 to schedule a tour.
The Fun Time Academy (FTA) Legacy Society recognizes supporters who have a passion for the education of children and want to ensure that their love of quality pre-kindergarten education lives on for generations to come. A pre-planned legacy gift is one of the best routes for leaving a long-term impact at Fun Time Academy. Legacy giving provides a level of support that amplifies our ability to fulfill our mission of educating children from low-income working families in the future. All members of the Fun Time Academy Legacy Society share a dedication to investing in education for years to come.
Being a Fun Time Academy Legacy Society member involves no dues, obligations or solicitations. It does allow us to thank you and recognize you for your lasting generosity.
Working with our partner agencies continues to give depth and quality to our programming.
Arthrex
Books for Collier Kids
Champions for Learning
Christ Child Society of Naples
Collier Community Foundation
Early Learning Coalition of SWFL
Future Ready Collier
Golisano Children's Museum of Naples
Naples Lions Club
Literacy Volunteers of Collier County
Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF)
Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation
River Park Community Center
Safe and Healthy Children's Coalition
Tamiami Hyundai
UF Family Nutrition Program
United Arts Council
United Way of Collier and the Keys