The Best of the Freedom to Rise Podcast: Early Learning

Freedom to Rise

In our region, the average annual cost of childcare for a toddler is greater than the annual cost of tuition for a University of South Florida student. Only 50% of the students in our five-county footprint enter Kindergarten ready to learn. And on average, early learning educators earn $5,000 below the living wage for our area. These are just some of the indications that we're grappling with a childcare crisis in our community and nationally. To address the crisis, United Way Suncoast will stage an Early Learning Crisis virtual presentation at 10 a.m. on Dec. 6. The hour-long event will officially introduce our organization's Early Learning Dashboard, and it'll give three panelists the opportunity to discuss the intricacies of the crisis, the steps that are being taken to address specific issues and why everyone in the community should care. You can visit our website, unitedwaysuncoast.org, to find the link and register to attend.
As a preview for the presentation, we've produced a special Freedom To Rise podcast highlighting some of the key interviews we've conducted with stakeholders over the last . On this episode, you'll hear from Florida Early Learning Chancellor Matthew Mears, Manatee Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Jacki Dezelski, Children's Movement CEO and former state representative Vance Aloupis and Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas CEO Lindsay Carson.