Page 54 - November2026LifeInNaples

How The Immokalee Foundation Is

Closing Southwest

Florida's Literacy Gap

Noemi Y. Perez, President and CEO and practice reading isn’t always possible, what we built. Last school year, we served
The Immokalee Foundation and it isn’t for lack of trying. What she 732 students across every elementary
needed wasn’t more effort but someone school in Immokalee, and 95% showed
few weeks else, a few afternoons a week, making the measurable gains in reading. Analeya
A time so she didn’t have to find it on her moved from a full grade level behind to a
ago, one of
our team
full grade level ahead in under a year.
own.
members sat down This is why we built Immokalee I’m proud of that number, but I think
with a seven-year-old Readers, a program that does one thing— of it less as a statistic than as 732 versions
named Analeya, in the reading—and does it well. As part of the of one sentence: a child discovering a
middle of reading a Naples Children Foundation's Out-of- book can take her somewhere. Reading
picture book about a School Time Initiative, we partner with unlocks everything else, math, science,
dragon-run taco stand. She sounded out Collier County Public Schools and the the confidence to raise a hand in class,
the words one at a time, stumbled, tried after-school programs of Guadalupe and eventually, a career. It’s the one thing
again, got it, then gave the book five stars. Center, Redlands Christian Migrant nothing else can replace.
Asked why she likes reading, she Association (RCMA), and the Boys Southwest Florida’s next nurses,
thought about it seriously, the way second & Girls Club of Collier County. Kids engineers, and teachers are sitting in
graders do: “Because it just goes into my come to us from those programs for our classrooms right now, sounding out
head, and I go everywhere.” one 50-minute session a day, three days words like “success.” Support Immokalee
Twelve words. I couldn’t make the case a week. A certified teacher and a high Readers, and help write how that
for literacy better myself. school tutor split each group in half, sentence ends.
Nationally, only three in ten fourth five students each, covering phonics, Visit immokaleefoundation.org for
graders read proficiently, a share vocabulary, comprehension, and language details on how you can support students
falling since 2019. In Collier County, development, the full set a struggling like Analeya.
a well-resourced district that includes reader needs. More than 50 of those
Immokalee, six in ten third graders meet tutors come through our Career Pathways About The Immokalee Foundation
grade level, which sounds better until program each year, many headed toward For almost 35 years, The Immokalee
you consider what the other four in ten careers in education themselves. Foundation has been preparing the next
represents. For our students, the gap often We keep the focus narrow on purpose. generation of leaders through a 100% focus
starts earlier and runs deeper. English Math has a workaround, a calculator. on education, career readiness, and workforce
isn’t the first language many grow up Reading doesn’t. A child who can’t read a development for students in Immokalee—
with, and in some homes, it isn’t spoken page has no shortcut, so that’s where we from kindergarten through postsecondary
at all. put our full attention. education.
Analeya’s mother, Alicia, is fluent in We didn’t invent this model. To learn more about The Immokalee
both English and Spanish, so language Researchers at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Foundation, become a mentor,
was never the obstacle for her daughters. and Stanford have spent years studying host an intern, take a tour, volunteer as a
Time is. She’s raising two girls on her what helps a child who has fallen career panel speaker or host,
own, and by the time she picks them behind catch up, and it comes down to donate, or include the Foundation in your
up from school, gets them fed, and gets the same ingredients every time: small will through legacy giving,
through Wednesday night church, it’s groups, trained instructors, a consistent please call 239-430-9122 or visit
nine o’clock. Finding a quiet hour to sit relationship, session after session. That’s immokaleefoundation.org.

54 www.LifeInNaples.net