VISION:

                   All children enter and begin school with the skills, knowledge, and dispositions they    
                   need to become successful readers and learners.

GOALS:

• Establish a network of high-performing, literacy-focused, and results-driven early learning centers to serve at-risk Pre-kindergarten children.
• Increase early literacy achievement of preschool children.
• Establish literacy and learning networks to share research-based practices and build teacher instructional expertise.
  

BACKGROUND:

The Early Literacy and Learning Model (ELLM) was introduced to Collier County's at-risk Pre-Kindergarten classrooms in 2004 by the Collier County Early Literacy Partnership for Educational Success (the Partnership). The founding partners were Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), Florida Institute of Education (FIE), and community partners that included the Naples Children and Education Foundation (NCEF) and the Collier County Public Schools (CCPS).

Three components comprise Collier County’s Early Literacy Initiative. 

• ELLM, an innovative early learning curriculum created and developed by FIE, is based on research and child development standards.  ELLM is described as a "standards-based early literacy curriculum and instructional support system designed to increase the early literacy achievement of at-risk preschool and kindergarten children.
• SEEDS (Skills-based Educational Experiences Delivery System), a companion program unique to Collier County and sponsored by the Stranahan Foundation, enriches ELLM through volunteer mentors and the use of specific materials and activities.
• WOW (Wings on Words), an English Language Learner initiative unique to Collier County, supports ELLM children who are learning English and early literacy skills concurrently.