Flance Early Learning Center is uniquely positioned to transform the early childhood experience in north St. Louis. It is our conviction that all children, no matter their geographic location or income level, deserve a quality education beginning in early childhood.
The Importance of Early Education
The research is clear - what happens to a child from birth to age six profoundly impacts that child’s ability to achieve a successful life. Since 2014, Flance has provided critical services, supporting parents who are working to improve their economic situation. Flance programming offers a “leg-up” to parents and their children as they enter a life-long journey of learning.
“The achievement gap opens in the earliest years, the period when children’s brains grow fastest. By age three, children of low-income families know only half the words of children in more advantaged families. By 18 months of age, toddlers from disadvantaged families are already several months behind more advantaged children in vocabulary and language proficiency."
www.ReadyNation.org, based on a 2012 study by Stanford University researchers
The Challenge
Under the best of circumstances, excellent teaching requires talented individuals who exhibit the personal qualities of patience, compassion, and kindness. Teachers who spend every day with young children from difficult circumstances must also be trained in trauma-informed and social-emotional teaching practices. Retaining quality educators has historically been a challenge in early childhood education, but the pandemic has exacerbated the issue as teachers and caregivers continue to leave the field. Private and public programs alike face unprecedented staffing shortages, and it is not hyperbolic to say that this situation presents a profound danger to the future of our city and our country.
THE FLANCE COMMITMENT: EDUCATOR TRAINING, RETENTION, AND ADVANCEMENT
The leadership at Flance is making a major investment in the people who have the most important job in the world – caring for and educating our children. In 2022, we introduced the The Heart Fund to support teacher advancement. Contributions to this fund will directly support the following initiatives:
❤️ Salary increases for teachers meeting certain benchmarks including seniority, work quality, commitment to professional development, and academic achievement.
❤️ Increased entry level salaries to attract the best-qualified candidates.
❤️ Training for new teachers and increased professional development for current teachers.
❤️ Establishing a stable of qualified substitutes so that full-time teachers can access trainings and/or have additional paid time off.
❤️ 401(k) plan match for teachers.
Flance Center’s commitment to educators will require an investment of $600,000 over three years. Our leadership has a plan to strategically implement each initiative in line with the responsible financial management that has been a hallmark of Flance’s operations.
STATE TAX CREDITS ARE AVAILABLE
Interested in supporting teachers and caregivers? We can offer state tax credits equal to 50% of contributions of $1,000 or more. For information on this program, click here.