Chuck Licis-Masson, Program Coordinator for Take Stock in Children and the Executive Director of the Monroe County Education Foundation, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the program.
School has started in our area and so has the Take Stock in Children program.
Licis-Masson said, “Yesterday was a great first day of school. I was over at Key West High School. The school zones are in effect, and traffic is a little bit heavier as we settle into our new routines, as students and teachers go to school, and yesterday was a bit busy around Key West High School, as well as Marathon, I’m sure, and Coral Shores, because the seniors have a big entrance on the first day of school, and the parents are there, and they have a big party for the kids at 7:15 to 7:30, bright and early in the morning with the DJ going and music. So it was a bit crazy, but I think things are going to settle down. We had a great first day yesterday. Our Take Stock in Children program, we graduated 81 students last May, so we are down 81. We always start with a deficit in terms of our numbers. So we have students in grades seven through 12 now who have matriculated it up. And all of our students went to school yesterday, which is an excellent sign that our students are on the right path towards their high school education and going into college.”
What is expected of the Take Stock in Children participants?
Licis-Masson said, “I like to describe Take Stock in Children as a mentorship program with a scholarship opportunity and it’s unique to the state of Florida. This does not exist in any other state outside of Florida, and we just celebrated 30 years of Take Stock in Children in the state of Florida. We are about 26 years into it, here in Monroe County, there are 45 different programs throughout the state of Florida, and what we do is we receive funding from Tallahassee from the state government to help fund the program through the state office, and those funds then help fund the salaries for our coaches. I have five coaches throughout the Keys, and those college readiness coaches work with our students one on one, as well as in group workshop settings to prepare them for college. Then we also have to recruit mentors. A mentor meets with our students one day a week for about 30 to 45 minutes during the school year and during the school day. So if you visit any school campus in middle school or high school during lunch, you may see adults with kids sitting around the benches and the tables in the courtyards and such. Those are our mentors, mentoring our students and having a conversation about school and about life and getting ready for college and future goals, and helping learn self advocacy skills, all the things that we need our students to acquire to be successful. That’s what we see in our campuses.”
How does a student become eligible for this program?
Licis-Masson explained, “It is income based as well as academic so it is an income based scholarship program. There are income guidelines. Our scholarships we purchase are Florida Prepaid scholarships. Those are two plus two scholarships. So it’s 60 hours of college credit, 60 hours of university credit. And we also have two years of dormitory that we cover as well for some students. Those scholarships are state funded, 50% of that is state funded. The other 50% are funded by local organizations, civic organizations, Rotary Clubs, the Women’s Club, you name it, as well as individuals. We have to abide by income guidelines. So a family of four, to give you a rough estimate, a family of four cannot earn more than $77,500 last year, during the last income tax year, and we have to have that child listed as dependent on the taxes. If they satisfy that, then we also look at the student’s academic background, and that student has to have a 2.0 grade point average as Bs and Cs, good attendance and good behavior, and most importantly, a willingness to be a part of the program, a willingness to meet with a mentor every week, and a willingness to work with our coaches, and a desire to go beyond high school and enter either a college or a career technical educational institute to earn a career certificate.”
The student needs to be in sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth grade and in good standing to be eligible for a scholarship.
Licis-Masson added, “And any school in Monroe County, including St Mary’s Basilica School, we look at our students there as well, in grades six through nine.”
What if a student moves out of the district or into the district?
Licis-Masson said, “We have occasionally, every year, students will move out of Monroe County, they’re in our program, and the parents move up to, say, Orlando or to North Florida or to another county, they can take the scholarship with them, the opportunity. They have to register with the Take Stock program in that county and be enrolled in a school where services are provided by Take Stock in Children and when that student satisfies all of the requirements of the contract with us in that other county, that we can activate that scholarship. So, yes, they still are a Monroe County student in our eyes as a foundation, even though there are in Orange County or Duval County or one of the other counties.”
What is the process to apply?
Licis-Masson said, “As I said, 80 students last year, 81 actually graduated. So you think about it, yesterday was a big day for a lot of our students here in the county going back to school. But can you imagine those 81 students, many of them first generation college bound students, walking on campus for the first time in Orlando at UCF or Tampa USF or Gainesville, University of Florida, and experiencing that freshman year, the jitters and the excitement of being in college. So we’re going to track those kids. We track them every semester to make sure they’re on the right path, and we’re excited for them, but in my mind, we have 81 spots to fill, and our application process is open. My coaches are going to be visiting English classrooms and other classrooms next week in the schools, handing out information to the students to take home to parents. We’ll also put some ads in the newspaper as well, and do what I’m doing today, talking to your listeners on the radio about this opportunity, and they can find out more information on our website. All the information is there.”
Have there been any cutbacks?
Licis-Masson said, “There is not a concern about cutbacks to this program. The state legislature is behind us, 100%. They see this as an opportunity for improving education and improving graduation rates and increasing our workforce and the future workforce in Florida. So they’re adamant that they’ll maintain funding with us. And so far, we haven’t seen any or heard any rumors of funding cuts. So we are fully funded. The state office is fully funded this year. We received what we had asked for in the budget. It was not cut. And the Florida Prepaid College Foundation, likewise, they continue that 50% state match. So every dollar that we earn the state matches, Florida Prepaid College Foundation will match towards the purchase of the scholarships for our students. We plan to raise about $600,000 to $800,000. We typically raise about $800,000 each year. So we know it’s times are going to be tough and our nonprofits, I respect all of our nonprofits throughout the county. We all do great work, and we all have our niches and needs and serve our communities, but with the recent cuts in in funding some of those nonprofits, they are going to be working very hard in the community to raise some funds. So it’s going to be rather competitive in the fundraising landscape moving forward. And I recognize that, but hopefully we can hold on to Take Stock in Children. In my mind, it’s the best investment out there, because it’s state matched, you double your investment. If you give me $1,000 it’s automatically $2,000 towards a purchase scholarship. We control the scholarships. We have them assigned to a student, and we track that scholarship. The student doesn’t receive any cash. It is a tuition based scholarship through Florida, prepaid and any credits not used because the student might have AP credits or dual enrollment credits and they don’t need the full 120 credits from their scholarship, I can reinvest those credits or assign them to another student who might need a few more extra credits because they were in an advanced degree program that took five years instead of four years, for example. So in my mind, it’s the best investment, and it’s inflation proof. Wherever the tuition may go in the future, when we purchase a scholarship for a student, it locks in the tuition, it guarantees the payment of the tuition, and 10 years down the road, it’ll guarantee that tuition, regardless of where that may be. So it is purely inflation proof as well.”
The fundraising can be daunting.
Licis-Masson said, “It is, but we have a supportive community. Our Rotary Clubs throughout the Keys, from Upper Keys Rotary, Key Largo Rotary, Marathon, all the way through the Lower Keys and in Key West are very supportive. Ocean Reef is an amazing community. They are very supportive as well with their grant process. Women’s Club had their first name scholar last year, the Key West Women’s Club, and they’re adamant that they’re going to with their Bougie Tea Party they’ll have later this year, they’re going to raise funds for that as well, so hopefully they’ll have another one and then Run for Rhonda, is a new organization honoring a mentor who passed tragically in an auto accident several years ago, and she was a great mentor for Take Stock and her friends organized in a 5K event on May 5, and that’s been going on for two years now. They’re a $25,000 name scholar donor as well. Then some individuals have a charitable trust. We’re thankful to our individuals as well as organizations that support our program.”
The real need, though, is mentors.
Licis-Masson explained, “I have to have a mentor for every student who comes into the program. So we have to have two things, the scholarship ready for them that is active when that student graduates. So I have to have an available scholarship for a student, but most importantly, I have to have a mentor. I have to have a mentor who’s ready to go to meet with that student one day a week when that student comes into the program. It’s a bit of a process. We have an application process online and you can learn about being a mentor. The application is online, and then we have to also go through an application process through the school district, so they have a background check, and they are approved to volunteer, to come onto campus and meet with the student. We go through a training process as well with the coaches so they understand the Take Stock program, and they’re trained on how to navigate certain questions and work with students and then we support the mentor each week as well. Our coaches are there on campus to help our mentors. So if anyone’s interested in helping a student, I think it’s the best 30 minutes you can spend a week, talking to a sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th grade student and seeing what their world is like and what their view of the world is through their eyes and their eternal optimism. It really impacts you. I think our mentors tend to, I always talk to my mentors about how do you like it? Is this something that you want to continue doing? Would you recommend? And they said I feel guilty, because our mentors feel like they are getting more out of the process and the programs, than they think they’re giving to the student. And I said, well, not really. I said you being there, talking with your student and just being that other adult in their life, is not a parent, not a teacher, not an authoritarian, but someone who is an advocate and a confidant, is so important for that students growth and as they gain confidence moving forward to college and a career. So I’m asking for mentors to step up and it’s not a huge commitment, and is going to be, I think, the best 30 minutes of your week during the school year. A quick shout out to our teachers and to the school staff, all of everyone who made yesterday possible and the school year possible, from the cleaning staff through the bus drivers to the maintenance workers to make sure that the air conditioners are working and that the desks are all ready to go, and that the classrooms are set up, and the teachers who are prepared to the administrators and making sure that there’s their schools are staffed and ready to welcome our students. We’re a Grade A district again, thanks to the efforts of Superintendent Axford, she did a phenomenal job. We’ll miss her dearly, but I want to congratulate also Superintendent Ed Tierney. He is focused on continuing the great things that Superintendent Axford did, and taking our district to the next level and making sure that our schools are A rated schools in our county. He’s super focused on students as well as supporting our faculty and staff. So thanks to all those teachers and everyone involved in the school district. Hats off to them. To me, a strong school district creates a strong community, and it is the future of our community, our students. So the more we invest in in our students, in our schools, the stronger our community will be in the future.”
For more information, click here: https://monroecountyedfound.com/about-take-stock