Why We are Here
Golden Gate city has been identified by the 2006 NCEF (Naples Children and Education Foundation of the Naples Winter Wine Festival) “Study on Child Well-Being in Collier County” as the highest pocket of need in all of Collier County (outside Immokalee). This four-square-mile community is home to many of the poorest and most under-served children in our county. Language barriers, poverty, crime, hunger and over-crowded living conditions plague these children's chances for healthy development.
Unique Features: A unique advantage of Grace Place is its location in the heart of the neighborhood. Children and adults are able to walk or bike to the site to participate in programs. |
Neighborhood outreach is facilitated by location and approachability. The addition of two community playgrounds on site has enhanced the strength of connection to the community. Another advantage of Grace Place is its faith-based orientation. While Grace Place is non-sectarian and non-discriminatory, at the heart of all we do is an understanding of hospitality for the stranger, service to our neighbor, and the practice of grace for all. |
Data used to determine rationale and why it is not a duplication of services:
Grace Place serves students from all of the Golden Gate/Terrace Primary, Intermediate and Middle Schools. Collier County Public Schools reports that for these schools:
Kindergarten Readiness indicators for these children are also alarming.
Over 50% of children entering kindergarten at Golden Gate Primary School, screened with the Florida School Readiness Uniform Screening System (SRUSS) and/or the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy (DIBELS), were rated “not ready for kindergarten”.
For those children who begin kindergarten at-risk of failure, their future academic success is in great jeopardy. Without remedial intervention in the early elementary years and continuing support in the middle school years, children progressively fall further behind with reading achievement scores steadily deteriorating from 3rd to 10th grade and a high school drop-out rate that is tragic.
Grace Place serves students from all of the Golden Gate/Terrace Primary, Intermediate and Middle Schools. Collier County Public Schools reports that for these schools:
- Over 89% of the students are Economically Needy and qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch based upon the Federal Poverty Threshold. These working-poor families live in substandard and overcrowded households which contribute to deprivations that lead to learning deficits for children. Parents who are often working two minimum-wage, evening and night-time jobs, by necessity leave children unsupervised and at-risk.
- Over 80% of the students at Golden Gate Primary and Intermediate and 67% of the students from Golden Gate Middle come from Non-English homes.
- Over 88% of these students are from minority households, predominately Hispanic and Haitian. Most of these are first-generation immigrants on the lowest rung of the social and economic ladder. It is most alarming that 97% of Haitian students and 91% of Hispanic students are retained at least one grade level.
Kindergarten Readiness indicators for these children are also alarming.
Over 50% of children entering kindergarten at Golden Gate Primary School, screened with the Florida School Readiness Uniform Screening System (SRUSS) and/or the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy (DIBELS), were rated “not ready for kindergarten”.
For those children who begin kindergarten at-risk of failure, their future academic success is in great jeopardy. Without remedial intervention in the early elementary years and continuing support in the middle school years, children progressively fall further behind with reading achievement scores steadily deteriorating from 3rd to 10th grade and a high school drop-out rate that is tragic.