Mayor Donna Deegan and community leaders honored the newest graduating class of the Sulzbacher early learning center at the Sulzbacher Village Wednesday morning.
Seven students graduated Wednesday morning, with all the students having gone through the program from six weeks old to five years of age.
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“The ultimate goal of the early learning center is not just to prepare these kids for Kindergarten, but prepare them for life,” explained Soarve O’Neal, director for the Sulzbacher Early Learning & School Program.
“By giving them social skills, by giving them back their voice to say ‘hey, do you see me? I have something to say.’ We want them to be productive citizens with a voice.”
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Jamie Lewis’s five year old daughter, Emmy, was one of the seven to graduate, and told Action News Jax the program has made a world of difference in her little girl’s life already.
“This program has definitely prepared her for life in general, because in life you’re gonna experience new things,” Lewis explained. “So this program has definitely honed in on those fearful feelings and just not sure, but they’ve nurtured them and so yeah, they’re ready.”
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With the hope now - that the program put those children on the right path in their early years, especially knowing that a child’s reading level by third grade is a strong predictor of future success.
“It is very important to grab them now. Teach them that books are not our enemies, but that books are our friends. It is cool to be smart,” O’Neal explained.
“That way it ensures that they are going to study, they are gonna take pride in getting what they need to know by third grade.”
Sulzbacher leaders are now focused on the next group of students looking into expanding their horizons before they enter the school system.
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