Take Stock in Children is helping hundreds of students in Monroe County, Florida, prepare for successful futures through mentorship, college scholarships and career guidance.
Chuck Licis-Masson, executive director of the Monroe County Education Foundation, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the program.
“It’s a very unique program,” Licis-Masson said. “It is a mentorship scholarship program in the state of Florida.”
Take Stock in Children has 42 affiliates serving students throughout Florida’s 67 counties. The Monroe County program currently serves approximately 400 students.
Students entering the program must be in grades six through 10, maintain at least a 2.0 grade-point average, demonstrate good attendance and behavior, and commit to meeting with a volunteer mentor once a week.
Licis-Masson said the mentoring component is what makes the program especially effective.
“That’s really the special sauce, if you will, of our program, is the mentoring component,” he said.
Volunteer mentors are recruited throughout the Florida Keys, from Key Largo to Key West. They commit to meeting with a student for 30 to 45 minutes once a week during the school year, on school grounds.
Licis-Masson emphasized that mentors serve a different role than tutors or financial providers.
“That mentor is not a tutor. That mentor is not an Uber driver or an ATM machine,” he said. “That mentor is really someone who helps the student learn self-advocacy skills, learns how to navigate middle school and high school, get ready for college and career.”
The organization also employs four college readiness coaches throughout the county who work with students and mentors.
Through the Monroe County Education Foundation, the program purchases Florida Prepaid scholarships for participating students. The scholarships are awarded when students graduate from high school, with the state matching the foundation’s fundraising contributions by 50%.
The scholarships cover tuition and local fees. The program also offers two-year dormitory plans to help students who need housing while attending eligible state universities and colleges.
Licis-Masson said the program has produced impressive results. All students in the program graduate from high school, and approximately 98% go directly on to college or university. Others may enter the military or defer their scholarships.
Looking at graduating classes through 2021, the organization reports that 74% of its students have earned a degree. Another approximately 10% have continued their education to earn master’s degrees, and some former students have gone on to earn PhDs.
“We’re working with students who are probably, they don’t think they’re going to go to college,” Licis-Masson said. “When they come into the program in middle school and high school, college is not necessarily a possibility for them because of their economic situation.”
The program provides students with both financial assistance and personal support to help them succeed.
“We give them that scholarship, the support to be successful, and they enter college and they earn that degree, and then they keep going and they earn a master’s and a PhD, and that’s what’s really exciting,” he said.
The organization also recognizes that a traditional four-year college degree isn’t the right path for everyone.
Licis-Masson said students receive assistance pursuing career and technical education opportunities, including training in marine mechanics, automotive mechanics, diesel engine repair and heavy crane operation. Other career paths include nursing, cosmetology, barbering and electrical line work.
“We always talk about college and earning a degree, and that’s important,” he said. “But we also have students who are interested in working with their hands and they want to do something different, and so we help them with that.”
The organization takes students on college tours to institutions including Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University and Miami Dade College, as well as career and technical schools.
Licis-Masson said the tours help students understand the range of opportunities available beyond their immediate surroundings.
“We help them on their pathway, what their passions are, and we help them succeed and find a career in their passion, too, so they can be happy and successful,” he said.
Summer opportunities are another important part of the program. Licis-Masson credited the late John Padget, who helped establish Take Stock in Children in the Florida Keys, with recognizing the importance of keeping students engaged during summer breaks.
Padget supported international cultural immersion programs that allow students to spend three to four weeks overseas in Asia, South America, Europe and Africa. Students can also participate in two-week summer programs at universities including Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Georgetown, Georgia Tech and Duke.
The programs expose students to subjects such as science, technology, emergency management, nursing and entrepreneurship.
Licis-Masson said the goal is to broaden students’ perspectives and show them opportunities they might not otherwise consider.
“It’s about broadening our students’ horizons to see that there’s more to the world than the Florida Keys, and also Florida, that there are other institutions and opportunities out there,” he said.
The organization depends heavily on community support to maintain and expand its services.
Eight Rotary clubs throughout Monroe County support the program, along with organizations including Ocean Reef, Ocean Reef Community Foundation and the Keys Children’s Foundation.
The program currently serves 134 students in the Upper Keys, where enrollment continues to grow.
With approximately 400 students in the program and another 250 to 300 attending college, the foundation must continually raise money to purchase scholarships and ensure every student has access to a mentor.
Licis-Masson said fundraising often begins a year or two before students enter the program to ensure the organization can meet future scholarship commitments.
He described the prepaid scholarships as an investment that protects students against rising education costs by locking in tuition and local fees. The organization also purchases dormitory plans because housing expenses have become a significant challenge for students leaving the Keys to attend college.
“That’s why we’re doing two-year dormitory plans, because housing has skyrocketed,” he said. “Dormitory costs are huge and more than double tuition.”
He said having students live on campus also helps them become more involved in college life and increases their chances of succeeding.
” I want them on campus where they are accessible to their classes, accessible to the clubs, and to the vibe and the climate of that college,” Licis-Masson said.
Donations can be made through cash, checks or stock transfers. Licis-Masson encouraged residents to consider supporting the organization as part of their year-end charitable giving.
“Your contribution will be matched by the state of Florida, and it goes towards the scholarships we purchase for our students,” he said.
However, he emphasized that financial support is only one way community members can make a difference. Volunteer mentors are needed throughout the Florida Keys, with a commitment of approximately 30 to 45 minutes once a week during the school year.
Licis-Masson said he was particularly moved by recent student contract-signing ceremonies, where community members came forward to become mentors. Among them was Monroe County Mayor Michelle Lincoln.
He said the program provides a meaningful opportunity for community members to become directly involved in students’ education and success.
“Take Stock is a community program. It brings the community to the kids into the schools,” he said.
He added that mentors frequently tell him they feel they receive as much from the experience as the students do.
Students, however, have made their own feelings about the program clear.
Licis-Masson said students are sometimes asked a hypothetical question: If they had to choose between keeping their scholarship or keeping their mentor, which would they choose?
“They would say, hands down, I would choose the mentor, and I would give up the scholarship because that’s how meaningful it is to them,” he said.
More information about Take Stock in Children, including scholarship support and volunteer mentoring opportunities, is available through the Monroe County Education Foundation at MonroeCountyEdFound.com.
Those interested in donating or becoming a mentor can also call 305-293-1546.