Gainesville Empowerment Zone Family Learning Center practices among the best in Alachua County

Press release from Gainesville for All

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Four-year-olds in the VPK program at the Gainesville Empowerment Zone Family Learning Center (GEZFLC) are benefiting from some of the best classroom practices in Alachua County, based on recent assessments conducted by the Early Learning Coalition (ELC) of Alachua County.

Schuran Cartwright, GEZFLC director, said the center, which opened last August, received an assessment score of 5.53, which is the high end of the mid-range, just short of a score of 6, the lower end of the “excellent” category. The ELC assessment scores range from 1.2 to 7 and are based on direct observations of teacher and child interactions. The scores are weighted by the presence of specific dimensions such as effective teaching practices.

“We’re thrilled to have gotten such a high score in our very first assessment,” Cartright said. “This represents a credit to our staff and all of the people who believe in our mission. ”

Of more than 70 VPK programs in the county, the GEZFLC was one of just 17 to score in the mid-to-high range.

James F. Lawrence, President and CEO of Gainesville for All, the center’s sponsor, was equally pleased about the assessment score. He said the score showed the GEZFLC was making solid progress toward its long-range goal of helping to close the academic achievement gap in the county by focusing on low-income young families with children ages six weeks old to four years old.

“As we gain traction toward our mission, we’re also making inroads toward our short-term goal of producing kindergarten-ready children and families,” Lawrence said. “We’re providing the foundation for a lifetime of learning.”

The GEZFLC is located on the campus of Metcalfe Elementary School, 1250 NE 18th Ave., Bldg 11.