Programs

Freedom Schools

Read-A-Loud Guest Local 10 News Anchor Glenna Milberg

To remain on the cutting edge of providing relevant programming that meets the needs of our community, we launched the first CDF FReedom School in South Florida in 2009. TACOLCY CDF Freedom Schools is a highly interactive literacy model that provides summer and after school enrichment through a model curriculum that supports children and families around five essential components: high quality academic enrichment, parent and family involvement, social action and civic engagement, intergenerational servant leadership development, and nutrition, health and mental health, and provides access to community leaders who come each day to serve as Read-A-Loud guests. 

After the success of the initial year, TACOLCY led the charge to expand Freedom Schools across South Florida. In year two, we formed the South Florida Freedom School Collaborative growing from one site to eight sites to eleven proposed sites for summer 2011. Despite our success, the rapid expansion of the SFFSC exceeded our expectations. 

Last summer Read-A-Loud guests included: Donna Shalala, University of Miami, Trina Robinson of NBC 6,  and Glenna Milberg of Local 10, among others. Both parents and scholars have raved about the personal successes of the model. One parent indicated how her child refused to complete reading material given at the ending of the year but after three weeks of Freedom School he was reading everything at home, plus the books from the summer.

If you are interested in becoming a Read-A-Loud guest or want to know more about Freedom Schools, contact Jacqueline Clenance at jclenance@tacolcy.org.