NORTHWEST TALLAHASSEE, FL — A Leon County Schools program is giving Pre-Kindergarten teachers extra support in the classroom — and educators say it's already making a difference for students.
The Leon County Schools Ambassador Program pairs Pre-K teachers with educators from Teaching Strategies, an outside organization that provides support and tactics to teachers to help students prepare for kindergarten. The goal is to boost student learning gains and close developmental gaps before children ever set foot in a kindergarten classroom.
Chelsea McClendon, a teacher at Astoria Elementary, said the program has made a meaningful impact on her classroom environment.
"This program provided a lot of support. They check in with me, we have meetings, they ask me anything that I need. It has been very good with supporting me and also with my environment," McClendon said.
McClendon said the coaching goes beyond general encouragement and includes specific, practical guidance.
"So they tell me things that should be on the walls, or things that should be taken down. To help promote learning with the children. They also help with implementing instruction," McClendon said.
Brooke Brunner, Early Education Director of Leon County Schools, said early intervention is at the heart of the program's mission.
"What we know is early intervention provides an opportunity to close gaps before kids enter kindergarten. And so if kids enter kindergarten and a gap already exists, then we're playing the catch-up game as they navigate through their educational journey. We want to get ahead of that," Brunner said.
Brunner said the program also allows the district to collect data to track student progress.
"Daily, we are collecting evidence that shows students are on target for meeting the milestones provided through our early learning standards," Brunner said.
Brunner said the Ambassador Program is currently active at 4 Leon County Schools — Astoria, Apalachee, Killearn Lakes, and Chaires Elementary. Brunner said the district plans to expand the program to 4 more schools next academic year.
This story has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram and X.
