South Florida State College recently issued the following announcement.
South Florida State College’s (SFSC) Take Stock in Children (TSIC) program has garnered the Take Stock Luminary Award and Gold Level of Excellence. This is the ninth
consecutive year the local TSIC program has received the Gold Level.
The Excellence Award and service honor were announced at the annual Take Stock Leadership Conference. Local TSIC programs that provide college readiness and mentoring
supports to middle and high school students vie for the awards each year.
To earn the Gold Level recognition, local TSIC programs must meet or exceed 10 key performance indicators on the state organization’s Balanced Scorecard. The Balanced
Scorecard is an internal measure of a TSIC program’s performance and adherence to the requirements of the Florida Department of Education. TSIC must meet these rigorous
criteria that include a data reporting system that measures student readiness, the number of students recruited, mentor matching rates, and mentor contacts. Luminary Awards are
presented to local TSIC programs that exceed the state organization’s targeted goals.
“The main thing that has motivated me since I’ve sat in this seat is to maintain or exceed the level of achievement our local Take Stock program has attained over the years,” said
Ben Carter, TSIC student services coordinator. “Those awards have been an annual achievement for us. We want to maintain that standard of performance. The bar is high. It
reflects that our Take Stock students are receiving the mentoring and college success content that are required, and those are two of the parameters of reaching the Luminary and
Gold Level for the program.”
The SFSC Foundation is the lead agency for TSIC in DeSoto, Hardee, and Highlands counties. TSIC serves students who are at-risk for dropping out of school. Students are
matched with a mentor, receive in-school support, and college readiness services provided by TSIC college success coaches. Upon high school graduation, students earn a
college tuition scholarship. Currently, SFSC’s TSIC program has 98 students, including 34 graduating seniors.
TSIC mentors meet with their assigned students each week during the school year, offering encouragement, advice, and a sympathetic ear. A TSIC college success coach provides
support and guidance to the mentor and the mentee.
Donations toward TSIC scholarships are accepted throughout the year and mentors are always being recruited for students. Anyone interested in donating toward TSIC
scholarships should contact the SFSC Foundation at 863-453-3133 or foundation@southflorida.edu. To become a volunteer mentor, contact Ben Carter at 863-784-7221 or
Original source can be found here.
