Guadalupe Center

The Early Childhood Education Program is nationally accredited by two agencies and is a Gold Seal Program in the State of Florida. The program currently serves 375 children from 6 weeks through age 5. The ECE program operates year round, five days per week from 7 AM until 5:30 PM. To monitor the success of the program, track student improvements and identify developmental delays, Guadalupe Center conducts regular evaluations. Research based evaluation instruments are used including Teaching Strategies Gold (aligned with the Creative Curriculum), the Ages and Stages Questionnaire and the Office of Early Learning AP1, AP2 and AP3 evaluations. Teaching Strategies Gold Assessments measure growth in the areas of social, emotional, physical, language, cognitive, literacy and mathematics. Guadalupe Centers program provides developmentally appropriate learning activities that incorporate language, literacy, math, science, technology, motor skills and art into the students day. This helps prepare the students for success in school. Breakfast, lunch and snack as well as school supplies are provided for all students. In addition, a once-weekly two-hour Smart Start offers more than 25 parents and children with a program aimed at facilitating in-home learning.

The Tutor Corps Program uses a unique work-study model for 117 Immokalee High School students. The program continues through college, serving 145 college students in schools across the country. The program hires high school students to work in the after-school program. The employment offers students structure, work experience and training. Additionally, students receive intensive college prep and are paired with a mentor from the community. Students can accrue up to $4,000 per year in college scholarship funding. For the past 15 years, 100% of students enrolled in the Tutor Corps Program graduate high school and more than 93% complete a 4-year college degree.

The After School Tutoring Program provides educational support for up to 840 elementary students from kindergarten through second grade in all five Immokalee elementary schools. The goal of the program is to provide academic support and enrichment to ensure students are performing on grade level when they enter third grade. Students are pre and post-tested using school district approved assessment instruments. In the summer, a full-day program is offered to help alleviate summer learning loss that can occur when students are out of school for an extended time.