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United Way Suncoast’s
BIG PLAN!
WORDS & PICTURES: Jessica Schubick
“How we invest in our children defines us as a society a nd a commu nity. We
are grateful for the way Ma natee Cou nty comes together in partnership,
without seeking individual credit, for the sake of our children.”
“The Big Plan” is a collaborative effort to ensure that
students in Manatee County can read on gradelevel
by the third grade. As the lead for the Suncoast
Campaign for Grade-Level Reading in Manatee County, United
Way Suncoast (UWS) is spearheading this community initiative
bringing together partners from Manatee County Government,
the School District of Manatee County, the Manatee Community
Foundation, the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County, and
The Patterson Foundation.
Targeting children ages 0-9
in their homes, early learning
centers, elementary schools,
and their neighborhoods,
“The Big Plan” partners with
ten Manatee County Title 1
elementary schools in three
speci f ic ne ighbo rh o od
attendance zones known as the
Central Corridor. These schools
include Ballard, Rogers Garden,
and Manatee in the Central
Region (downtown Bradenton);
Palm View, Blackburn, Palmetto,
and Tillman in the North Region
(north of the Manatee River); and
Daughtrey, Oneco, and Samoset
in the South Region (Oneco /
Samoset area).
The schools and neighborhoods
of focus include 3,427 students in
kindergarten, first, second, and
third grades. Of those, nearly
75% are not reading on gradelevel
and 77.6% of the families
are economically disadvantaged. According to the Campaign
for Grade-Level Reading, “This has significant and long-term
consequences not only for each of those children but also for their
communities and our nation as a whole. If left unchecked, this
issue will undermine efforts to end intergenerational poverty, close
the achievement gap, and reduce high school dropout rates.”
Bronwyn Beightol, Manatee Area President of United Way
Suncoast explains the impetus for the initiative: “For the past seven
years, United Way Suncoast’s
work has focused on community
level outcomes and bringing
partnerships together around
common goals and aspirations.
We spoke to more than 400
community members of all walks
of life – and we asked them
just one question: What is your
aspiration for your community?
Aside from safety, equitable
access to quality education was
the resounding answer.”
Beightol realized that the UWS
work with the Campaign for
Grade-Level Reading was
driving them closer to that
goal and helping to create
deepened partnerships with
pivotal community agencies, but
she still didn’t feel that United
Way was able to clearly define
their role in creating community
change around this issue. She
said that as an organization,
UWS kept paring back from