The Children’s Movement of Florida

Who We Are

We are a non-partisan grassroots movement of Floridians insisting on increased investment in the first five years of all our children. The Movement is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that does not use state funds.

What We Are Working On

• Improving Florida’s voluntary pre-K program.
• Implementing high-quality parent skill-building programs.
• Securing health insurance for all children.
• Ensuring screening and treatment for all children who may have special needs.
• Providing high-quality mentoring programs.

Why We Care

• Expanding early learning initiatives would provide benefits to society of roughly $8.60 for every $1 spent, about half of which comes from increased earnings for children when they grow up, according to a recent analysis by the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.
• Florida spends only $2,437 per year on a pre-K student, but spends more than $69,000 per year to incarcerate a juvenile.
• Only 4% of Florida’s education budget — and 1% of the state’s overall budget — is spent on programs that benefit children in the early childhood years.
• The state’s prekindergarten program – a program that serves more than 170,000 4 year olds – meets just 3 of 10 nationally recommended standards and ranks 39th among 41 states in per pupil funding.
• A fifth of our public high school students do not graduate, and almost half of 10th grade public school students in Florida cannot read at grade level.
• Florida ranks near the bottom in terms of providing our children with access to quality health care, with more than 366,000 children currently uninsured.

The Movement’s 2020 Goals

We want all children in Florida to have access to high quality early education and health care. We want their parents to have access to parenting support that helps them be their best.

Ensure that every child in Florida has access to insurance to receive quality health care.

Address the thousands of children who are eligible for the state-subsidized School Readiness program, but are on the waiting list because it doesn’t have enough funding.

Expand Help Me Grow, a free parent resource program to address children’s development and behavioral needs, to all 67 counties.

How You Can Help

Educating our business, civic and political leaders – and all Floridians – about the importance of making all children our state’s highest priority.

Encouraging increased investment of our state’s public resources in the well-being and future of our children.

To get involved, click here.