PACE Private School
Tampa

PACE provides unique programs and a diverse environment to address the many different learning needs of its students.

PACE Private School was established in 1984 in the small town of Oldsmar in the Tampa Bay area. PACE, which stands
for Parents Alternative to Children’s Education, was started by a group of devoted parents, many of whom had worked in the public school system and wanted to play a greater role in their children’s education. Some of the parents had been certified teachers, while others were prominent business owners and professionals. It was the policy at that time that any parent who had a child enrolled in the school would dedicate one full day each week at the school either by instructing students, cleaning, performing maintenance, yard work or other necessary functions. Some of these parents held positions of oversight for more than 12 years.

In 2000, when the original founders had seen their children graduate and go on to pursue careers, PACE was somewhat transformed when Lucy Mulligan took ownership of the school. Lucy Mulligan, whose own grandson was a student of the school, was approached by several of the former owners, who were aware of her experience in the public school system and asked her to extend her homebased business of tutoring to include the PACE students. Mrs. Mulligan and her daughter, Wendy Vargas, decided they were up for the challenge.

At that time there only 12 students enrolled in the school. It was relocated from Oldsmar to Tampa, where all of the students at that time resided. PACE grew over the years and at one point had an enrollment of 75 students. PACE currently serves students from Kindergarten through 12th grade, including 11 Step Up For Students scholarship recipients. Last year, the school had 11 graduates, two of whom are now attending classes at University of South Florida, one is in culinary school, one is in a local college, one is taking vocational courses in nursing, and three have gone on to pursue careers in the ministry.

PACE offers basic curriculum along with electives such as wood shop, home economics, childcare and development, early childhood education, art, health and beauty, and literature. In March the students are given the Stanford Achievement Test. Additionally, various placement tests are administered throughout the year to ensure that all students are either receiving the assistance they need or are adequately challenged. Students are advanced so that they continue to move up in grade according to ability, not age.

Approximately 70 percent of the students at the school are Hispanic. A majority of students are bilingual, speaking Spanish, Korean and American Sign Language (ASL). Students in Kindergarten, first and second grade are taught the basics of Spanish, while those in third through eighth grade are taught sign language. Some students have gone on to become ASL translators after graduation.

Tuition at PACE is $4,500 annually for all students except for Kindergarten, first and second grade which is $3,750. Tuition includes the cost of all books, workbooks, art supplies
and any supplies for electives at the high school level.

Miami Union Academy
North Miami

Miami Union Academy successfully graduates 98 percent of its students and 90 percent continue on to higher education. The school currently serves more than 300 students, 105 of whom are receiving Step Up For Students Scholarships.

Nestled in the diverse community of North Miami, Miami Union Academy is a school rich with history and tradition and has a reputation of excellence. A local institution for 90 years, Miami Union is making a significant difference in the South Florida community by giving hundreds of students the opportunity to achieve academic success.

Miami Union was founded in 1917 by the Bethany Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Despite facing many challenges during its growth, the school has become a driving force behind the development of the community and its youth. In 1987, the school reached its goal of serving all children from early childhood education through 12th grade.

The original structure of Miami Union stands today – representing the history of its founders and the gateway to a promising future for its students. The school boasts an amazing 98 percent graduation rate, and 90 percent of the graduates go onto pursue higher education at a college institution. Miami Union accomplishes this while charging an average tuition rate of less than $4,000 per year. Another interesting fact about the school is that 75 percent of its students are Haitian. The school has provided the educational foundation for thousands of students, including many who have gone on to serve our communities and state. One example is Rep. Ronald A. Brisé, the state representative for District 108 in Miami. A strong supporter of the Step Up For Students program and Miami Union, Rep. Brisé also serves on Miami Union’s board of directors. To read about the personal success story of another one of Miami Union’s graduates, Melody Cherfils, please refer the Student Spotlights section of this report.

Miami Union currently serves over 300 students, 105 of whom are Step Up For Students scholarship recipients. The school’s annual tuition rates are $2,775 for Kindergarten; $2,880 for grades 1-6; $3,180 for seventh grade; $3,270 for eighth grade; $3,920 for grades 9-11; and $4,060 for 12th grade. Miami Union administers the following standardized achievement
tests: IOWA Test of Basic Skills, PSAT, Plan and Explorer.

Esprit de Corps Center for Learning
Jacksonvile

EDC is a school where learning is a joy, excellence is the norm and superiority is the
goal. The school offers outstanding academic programs that provide its students with the skills and knowledge to become active, productive members of society.

Esprit de Corps (EDC) was founded in 2001 by Dr. Jeanette C. Holmes-Vann. A public school teacher for 21 years and a pastor for 34 years, Dr. Holmes-Vann has a passion for the advancement of children and a commitment
to her community. Her devotion to education inspired her to start a school that would provide Jacksonville’s youth with a quality education in a safe and nurturing learning environment and give them the skills necessary to reach their fullest potential.

A subsidiary of Hope Chapel Ministries, Inc., EDC initially opened its doors with 47 students in grades Kindergarten through seventh. Today, the school serves 125 students in grades K4 through 12. EDC is located on a 51-acre thoroughfare surrounded by Hope Chapel Ministries’ Sanctuary, a two-story multipurpose sports complex, music and theatre storage building as well as a daycare facility.

Dr. Holmes-Vann currently serves as the superintendent of the school and is recognized as the first woman superintendent of a K4-12 grade school in Jacksonville.

As its motto states, EDC is a school where learning is a joy, excellence is the norm and superiority is the goal. Using an A Beka curriculum designed to challenge students to reach their full potential, the school offers outstanding academic programs that provide its students with the skills and knowledge to become active, productive members of society.

Students at the school are also actively involved in community volunteerism and extracurricular activities, including basketball, track and field, Cadets, choral and instrumental music, yearbook and educational travel. EDC offers dual enrollment with Florida Community College at Jacksonville, as well as classes through the Florida Virtual School. Along with the A-Beka curriculum, EDC administers the Stanford 10 Achievement Test to evaluate student success.

Student achievement is demonstrated through the high number of EDC students that make the honor roll each semester and through local championships won such as middle and high school Brain Brawl competitions. EDC
held its first commencement exercises in the spring of 2007 for its first graduating class, which consisted of five young men who all went on to college. Two of these young men were recipients of the Step Up For Students
Scholarship.

EDC has partnered with Step Up For Students since its inception. For the first year that scholarships were offered, 18 EDC students received scholarships. Currently EDC has 58 Step Up For Students scholarship recipients. The cost of tuition is $4,260, which include lunch and the use of books.

Heritage Preparatory School
Orlando

Heritage Preparatory School has been serving Orlando-area families since 1969, when Dr. Bob Ware founded the school to provide a preparatory school education in a Christian environment. During the past 37 years, Heritage Prep has earned a superior reputation for high academic achievement, community involvement, and graduating students with purpose, vision and high moral character. Heritage not only teaches students how to earn a living – it teaches them how to live a successful life. Heritage Preparatory School, a ministry of Tabernacle Baptist Church, opened in 1969 with enrollment of only 12 pre-school children. Today, the school serves nearly 300 students in pre-school through 12th grade, Heritage Prep is unique in that it is a Christian prep school. Students must demonstrate an ability to succeed in college prep studies. Courses are offered at an honors level, as determined by state standards, and many students choose to dual enroll in a nearby college.

Heritage Prep encourages all students to pave paths for a successful future. In addition to using an advanced college prep curriculum to prepare students for further academic studies, all Heritage Prep students take college entrance examinations and prepare with testing such as the Stanford 10, PLAN, PSAT, ASVAB and EXPLORE. Every student must successfully complete every requisite course to qualify for the Bright Futures Scholarship and must also actively serve the community with documented hours. While enrolled at Heritage Prep, students must be willing to abide by a strict dress code, conduct and morality. Heritage Prep administrators and teachers believe these school guidelines and rules protect the students and ensure the opportunity for success. Heritage Prep strives to ensure the success of its students and offers tutoring for those who need additional help. In addition to the core curriculum, students are given the opportunities to develop other talents outside of the classroom. The school offers a full array of sports, including football, baseball, softball, volleyball, golf, basketball and cheerleading. Each sport focuses on students achieving success on and off the playing field. The school also offers classes in art, music, Spanish and yearbook, as well as other student organizations, such as student government and honor society. Heritage Prep currently serves 275 students, 115 of which are Step Up For Students scholarship recipients. The annual cost of tuition at Heritage Prep is $4,700 per student, plus the cost of books, which ranges from $225 to $350 per year.

New Jerusalem Christian Academy - School Spotlight
Miami

In August 2003, New Jerusalem Christian Academy opened its doors to the families of Miami-Dade County. Elder Kenneth Duke, Pastor of New Jerusalem Primitive Baptist Church, founded the school to meet the needs of the “whole child” – spiritual, educational, social, cultural and physical. Sister Pauline Benton-Darling, a veteran educator, was chosen to serve as the executive administrator of New Jerusalem’s on-site educational programs. When she joined New Jerusalem, Pauline Benton-Darling had 20 years of experience in the public school system, including teaching Pre-K, second, fourth and fifth grades, and serving as a media specialist/librarian. Her education background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Human Resources and a Master of Science in Elementary Education. She was also a doctoral student at Nova Southeastern University majoring in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Human Resource Development. Ms. Benton-Darling was eager to serve her church and the community through New Jerusalem Christian Academy. The first year the school was opened, it served grades Kindergarten through fourth grade, and had only eight students. Over the past four years, as more families learned about the educational programs available at New Jerusalem, the school has expanded tremendously. Now in its fourth year of existence, the school serves children in Kindergarten through sixth grade and has 166 students enrolled for the 2006-2007 school year. New Jerusalem uses the A Beka curriculum and annually administers the Stanford 10 Achievement Test to evaluate the students. Many of New Jerusalem’s students have tested well above their grade level, including a fourth-grader who tested at a seventh-grade level, a second-grader who tested at a fifth-grade reading level and several fifth-graders whose test scores are at the sixth-grade level. In addition to the Christian academy, the school also offers daycare, School-Out and After School Care programs and a summer camp program to give children additional educational activities outside of the classroom. The School- Out and After School Care programs are designed to provide a safe learning environment for children ages 5 through 14. The School-Out Program is a full-day program that is in operation on the days that public schools are closed, and the After School Care Program is available for children at the end of the regular school day on a daily basis. The summer camp program began during the summer of 2001 and serves children ages 5 through 14. The program provides a full day of structured activities that are aligned with the school’s vision to meet the needs of the “whole child.” After school, students are also given the opportunity to embrace their artistic abilities through a hip-hop dance class, and explore future careers by participating in the micro-society – a program in which students learn how to do different jobs, such as how to run a bank or work at the post office. The annual cost of tuition at New Jerusalem is $3,500 plus the cost of books. Of the 166 students enrolled at New Jerusalem Christian Academy for 2006-2007, 70 are Step Up For Students scholarship recipients.

Lake City Christian Academy
Lake City

While most schools serving Step Up For Students children are in low-income areas of major cities, there are exceptions. Lake City Christian Academy (LCCA) is located in the small area of Lake City, where the population count is less than 10,000. Built on an old horse ranch in the rural parts of the city, LCCA provides unique programs for the individual educational needs of each child it serves. Founded in 1991, LCCA began with a student body of only 25 children and has grown to now serve 215 students in Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. LCCA has participated in the Step Up For Students Scholarship Program since its inception and currently serves 38 Step Up For Students scholarship students. LCCA serves a diverse group of children, all with different backgrounds and abilities. Many of the school’s children are physically, mentally or emotionally challenged, while others are economically challenged. Many of these children fall into both categories. By offering a range of programs, LCCA strives to meet the educational needs of all children and create an environment where their self-esteem will grow. The school gives students the ability to excel through athletics and develop their creativity through LCCA’s art, music and drama programs. However, perhaps the school’s most unique offering is through its one-of-a-kind equestrian programs. LCCA has a 14-stall barn, round pen and arena. During the equestrian class, students learn how to ride and properly care for the horses. Through research, LCCA has also found a way to meet the needs of some children through therapeutic horseback riding activities. The term “therapeutic riding” encompasses a variety of equine activities in which children with special needs participate. A horse’s walk is rhythmic and repetitive, encouraging movement responses in riders that are similar to the human movement patterns of walking. The bond that comes from interaction with the horse motivates riders. For some children, riding a horse gives them a chance to have mastery over something significant, when they often have little opportunity for control in their lives. Many of the school’s emotionally handicapped students are at risk to drop out of school and become involved in activities that could destroy their lives. Participating in the program gives them a sense of responsibility and a work ethic, and creates a bond between the horse and the student. LCCA also offers reading, speech and occupational therapy and Title I programs for children who need additional help, as well as gifted programs for students in third through sixth grade. Students can also learn how to cook, shop and perform various other functional living techniques through the basic life skills class. LCCA is developing additional programs to add to the curriculum, such as on-the-job training for extremely challenged students, agriculture and 4-H programs. LCCA teaches the A Beka curriculum and uses the Stanford 10 Achievement Test, PSAT and ACT for measuring the academic achievement of its students. Students are also encouraged to participate in the dual-enrollment programs at the local community college. Students entering the 11th grade who have maintained a 3.0 are required to take the college entrance exam at Lake City Community College. The cost of tuition at LCCA is $3,500 per student.

La Progresiva
Presbyterian School Miami

La Progresiva Presbyterian School in Miami has a long academic history dating back to 1900. The school’s unique heritage and cultural background has enabled it to become a foundation for academic excellence for students in grades Pre-K through 12.

La Progresiva was founded in the city of Cardenas, Cuba, in 1900 by a North American missionary, Dr. Robert I. Wharton. Over the years, the school developed into one of the most prestigious schools in Cuba. When communists took over Cuba in 1961, the government took control of the buildings and the properties of the school and shut it down. However, the spirit and ideals of the school remained alive. Through the efforts of the First Hispanic Presbyterian Church and the Association of Alumni of La Progresiva, La Progresiva was re-established in the city of Miami 10 years later.

Today, La Progresiva reaches out to the children in the community to assist them in development for their future. La Progresiva fosters academic, moral, emotional and spiritual grown, and each student is treated uniquely in an approach to developing responsible citizens.

La Progresiva currently serves 300 students, all of who share in the vast heritage of the school. Of the total student population, 105 are Step Up For Students scholarship recipients. Additionally, 90 percent of the students are Hispanic, with the remaining ten percent equally split between Black and White students. Tuition is $3,890 for elementary school students and $4,100 for high school students.

With more than 100 years of history, the school endears a philosophy based on its deep-rooted culture – “Once you are part La Progresiva, you will always be part of La Progresiva.”

Potter’s House
Christian Academy Jacksonville

The Potter’s House Christian Academy (PHCA) in Jacksonville is the educational institution of choice for more than 600 students, of which nearly 300 are Step Up For Students scholarship recipients. Although the school has become a household name within its community over the past nine years, it came from humble beginnings.

PHCA is an extension of The Potter’s House Christian Fellowship (PHCF). The fellowship, founded in 1988 by Bishop Vaughn McLaughlin, expanded from a single church facility to seven acres of land on the former site of a used car dealership, a 41,000 square foot center that once housed a Southern Bell phone company facility, and a 300,000 square foot mall complex. The acquired property and subsequent building renovation projects paved the way for the opening of PHCA in 1996.

Since then, PHCA has continued to add one additional grade level each year. The end of the 2004-2005 school year marked the graduation of PHCA’s first class of seniors.

Tuition is $3,500 for kindergartners, $3,575 for first through sixth graders and $3,625 for seventh through twelfth graders. These fees include free lunch and book fees.

Now in its ninth year of service, PHCA has strengthened its academic program by incorporating other curriculums with the A Beka curriculum and offering PHCA staff continuing education programs. The school has added a variety of athletic programs and extracurricular activities to enhance students’ physical and personal growth. PHCA staff and administration consider their role to be an extension of their students’ home life; their primary goal is to assist parents in educating their children.

In addition to PHCA, The Potter’s House Christian Fellowship has more than 15 ministries and community outreach programs, including ministry programs for prison inmates and releases, hospital and nursing home patients, and youth. Additionally, PHCF developed the “Big Brothers Ministry,” in which men of diverse cultural, social, educational and professional backgrounds serve as mentors for young men without fathers. The program helps build self-esteem, aids in successful development and provides alternatives to submitting to negative peer pressure through sporting events, social activities and trips.

Yvonne C. Reed
Christian School St. Petersburg

Housed on a campus shared with Bethel Metropolitan Baptist Church in south St. Petersburg, Yvonne C. Reed Christian School serves children in kindergarten through fifth grade. The school currently has 43 Step Up For Students scholarship recipients.

With a curriculum that focuses on a quality early education, character building and spiritual growth, students benefit from small classes and individual attention.

In January 2005, the Yvonne C. Reed Christian School in St. Petersburg earned an award from the Florida African American Education Alliance for its outstanding school choice program.

Yvonne Reed-Clayton is the school’s founder, principal and kindergarten teacher. Mrs. Clayton is a St. Petersburg resident with more than 44 years of experience in education. She was a public school teacher in Pinellas County for 34 years and an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University.

She has a Bachelor of Science and a master’s degree from Florida A&M University and has completed advanced studies at the University of South Florida, Florida State University, and Jacksonville University.

As she approached retirement as a public school teacher, Mrs. Clayton was encouraged to start her own community school. Instead of retiring, she began a small community school with only eight students, before establishing her own Yvonne C. Reed Christian School in 1998. She founded the school specifically for African-American boys, who she found were mislabeled as special needs children in the Pinellas public school system. Yvonne C. Reed Christian School now provides 121 students, both male and female, with the tools necessary for a successful future. Tuition is $3,625 for kindergartners and $3,725 for first through fifth grades.

Yvonne C. Reed Christian School provides the foundation for success, and the proof is in the product. Students at Yvonne C. Reed Christian School look forward to bright futures thanks to the Step Up For Students scholarship.

Innovation Schools of Excellence
Tallahassee

Located in Tallahassee, Innovation Schools of Excellence promotes academic excellence for its students through spiritual, social, emotional, physical, intellectual and character development. Eighty-five percent of the school’s 400 students qualify for the National School Lunch Program, subsidized childcare or the Step Up For Students Scholarship Program.

Innovation has a vast history of struggles and triumphs on its pathway to becoming an institution of educational excellence.

Innovation Schools of Excellence was first organized under the name of Innovation Child Development Center in 1994, starting out with only eight children and three staff members. For the next four years, Innovation’s enrollment increased significantly and the school grew. To meet the school’s growing needs, a new director and more administrators joined the staff.

Between 1998 and 2000, Innovation added a pre-kindergarten program for three- and four-year-olds and the facility was also remodeled to enhance the learning environment and licensed to hold a larger quantity of students.

By 2003, the school expanded its services to include grades 2-6, a social services division and a special needs program, offering specialists in speech, language, occupational and physical therapy. In 2004, Innovation opened its second location, the House of Praise, designated especially for four-year-old students. Innovation now serves more than 400 students who learn, create and grow at this “safe haven” and “venue for the arts.” Tuition is $3,850 plus the cost of books.

Tragically, on September 5, 2005, a fire destroyed the school at 333 Ausley Road. However, leaders of the school are determined to continue their service to the community in alternate settings until a permanent site is found. The school is now housed in five different locations, with a separate administrative site. Despite the tragedy, excellence continues to be the standard for Innovation Schools of Excellence.