HOPE Toledo Shares Important Organizational Update and Progress
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Rev. John C. Jones
CEO & President
john@hope-toledo.org
419-509-4057
Jessica Hover
jhover@thinkcommunica.com
419-308-4174
HOPE Toledo Shares Important Organizational Update and Progress
Releases Annual Report with Key Milestones for Both Pre-K and Promise
along with a New Report from Ohio ReadyNation
Toledo, Ohio, April 10, 2024 — Today, Rev. John C. Jones, President and CEO of HOPE Toledo, provided an update on the organization’s work and progress – for both HOPE Toledo Pre-K and HOPE Toledo Promise with the 2023 Annual Report. Additionally, Amanda Goldsmith, Vice President of Client & Community Relations, PNC Bank, shares the grave results of the ReadyNation report on the state of child care in Ohio and the need for programs like HOPE Toledo.
Key updates and data points shared were:
HOPE Pre-K
289 children received high-quality early childhood education through the HOPE Toledo providers
Approximately 30.2% of children from HOPE Toledo Pre-K classrooms were in the demonstrating category (highest possible level) of KRA after the 2022-2023 school year
$2,500,000 was leveraged to our Pre-K children through HOPE Toledo’s own funding or funding we helped source, i.e., Publicly Funded Child Care [PFCC]
More than 700 points of contact with teachers and schools, including visits, events, emails and calls related to parent and family engagement
21 preschool providers received over 270 coaching visits amounting to more than 1,110 contact hours
Professional Development (PD)
Cumulative PD offered to HOPE Toledo Pre-K educators exceeding 350 hours, which includes monthly Conscious Discipline meetings, teacher coaching and a “Summer Symposium”
Approximately $10,000 was given to our preschool programs and teachers through classroom materials and equipment, books, and gifts, which is separate from the ongoing support provided for families to afford attendance
More than 500 points of contact with families to connect them with providers, resources and other support
More than 20,000 hours of culturally competent, high-quality curriculum delivered by our partner providers
HOPE Promise
11 graduates, two of which are parent scholars, completed a postsecondary program, bringing the total number to 20
License/Certification - nine Scholars (two are parents)
Degrees - two Scholars (one is a parent)
Over 200 parent and student scholars are enrolled in postsecondary education through HOPE Toledo
24 participating institutions provide postsecondary opportunities in conjunction with HOPE Toledo
Overall persistence rate is 56% from our first two cohorts
Jesup W. Scott High School 70% increase in high school graduates enrolling in a postsecondary educational program
$1,900,000 leveraged to our Promise Scholars through HOPE Toledo’s own funding or funding we helped source, i.e., Pell Grant, in School Aid
“HOPE Toledo exists to support and ensure high-quality education from birth to career. We are confident these positive results signal solutions to the pressing need for our children, students and families to be able to access high-quality education and we are certain this can be attained with the necessary resources and investment,” said John C. Jones, President and CEO of HOPE Toledo.
“ReadyNation’s new study found that Ohio’s infant-toddler child care crisis now costs the nation $122 billion in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue every year,” said Amanda Goldsmith, Vice President of Client & Community Relations, PNC Bank. “And here in Ohio, the lack of sufficient child care for young children is estimated to cost $3.8 billion a year. For twenty years PNC Bank has prioritized support for early care and education in our communities because issues like the lack of high-quality, affordable child care is one of the leading workforce barriers and overcoming these types of barriers is key to building a strong community.”
Also speaking on behalf of HOPE Toledo’s impact were:
Cynthia Rees, State Director, ReadyNation Ohio
Wade Kapszukiewicz, Mayor, City of Toledo
Lucas County Commissioners
Matt Geha, Superintendent, Springfield Local Schools
Camille Harris,Owner & Director, All 4 Kids, LLC and HOPE Toledo Pre-K Provider
Wakeso Peterson, Jr., HOPE Toledo Promise Scholar
Many of the HOPE Toledo Pre-K Partner Providers, along with several pre-K students and HOPE Toledo Promise Scholars were also in attendance.
About HOPE Toledo
HOPE Toledo is a 501(c) 3 organization and encompasses HOPE Toledo Pre-K and HOPE Toledo Promise. The mission of HOPE Toledo is to work with the Toledo community to support and ensure high-quality educational experiences for all of our youth, from preschool to postsecondary and trade school, with the goal of helping to create generational economic change for the betterment of our families and our community. Currently, 36% of the people in the TPS district are living below the poverty line and more than 70% of kids in Lucas County enter kindergarten without the skills needed to learn.
This cradle-to-career approach will better serve our children and, in the long run, help our region progress toward a stronger, more educated workforce. To that end, HOPE Toledo is working with the Toledo community, through public/private partnerships and in tandem with Toledo Public Schools Washington Local Schools, other school districts, as well as a broad range of community based agencies, to develop a plan to deliver high-quality educational experiences for all of our youth. For more information or to donate, visit hope-toledo.org.
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