In 2021, 49% of children entering kindergarten in Leon County were not demonstrating kindergarten readiness skills on the Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS). One of the barriers to reading readiness is the lack of parental awareness of the importance of early literacy. As a result, there has
been a movement towards supporting brain development, monitoring social emotional well-being of children and their caregivers, and increasing literacy exposure for all babies born in Leon County.
In 2022, a collaborative partnership between Leon County Schools, FINACIOUS and Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition was formed in order to implement the Littles to Leaders Program with the intention of supporting every baby born into our community with outreach efforts, direct connections with new moms, literacy and brain-building bags full of resources, and a new specific to Tallahassee children’s book. Our goal is that every new parent in Leon County will be provided with an avenue of connection, resources, and support in our community from the start.
Client Demographics:
Little to Leaders is a free program for families of infants in Leon County. There are no income eligibility requirements for this program.