Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
November 10, 2025
DeSantis Foundation Grants $365K to Boost Early Learning in Delray Beach
TLDR
- The $365,000 DeSantis Foundation grant gives Achievement Centers a strategic advantage in sustaining and expanding their nationally accredited Early Learning Program for underserved children.
- The grant supports Achievement Centers' Early Learning Program serving 109 children through 2,485 annual service hours across six developmental domains with 22 credentialed educators and low teacher ratios.
- This funding helps break cycles of poverty by providing kindergarten readiness and essential services to underserved families, creating better educational outcomes for future generations.
- Achievement Centers serves over 760 children annually while providing 47,000 meals through their Early Learning Program that prepares young learners for academic success.
Impact - Why it Matters
This investment matters because early childhood education directly shapes lifelong outcomes for vulnerable children and strengthens entire communities. Research consistently shows that quality early learning programs like Achievement Centers' ELP significantly improve high school graduation rates, reduce future social service costs, and break cycles of poverty. For families earning just $24,592 annually, this program provides not just education but essential childcare that enables parents to work while ensuring their children develop critical cognitive and social skills. The grant's timing is particularly crucial as economic pressures continue to strain low-income households, making sustained educational support vital for preventing achievement gaps before they begin and building a more equitable foundation for future community prosperity.
Summary
The Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation has made a transformative $365,000 grant to the Achievement Centers for Children & Families, specifically targeting their nationally accredited Early Learning Program in southern Palm Beach County. This substantial investment represents a powerful commitment to early childhood education for underserved families, with the funding directly supporting a program that serves up to 109 children ages 1 to 5 at the Nancy K. Hurd campus in Delray Beach. The grant comes at a critical time for an organization serving a community where average household income sits at just $24,592, making this educational lifeline essential for working single-parent households and children at risk of falling through systemic gaps.
According to Stephanie Seibel, CEO of the Achievement Centers, this support "lifts a tremendous burden" from the organization, allowing them to continue delivering full-day, year-round care while expanding services to meet evolving community needs. The Early Learning Program delivers more than 2,485 service hours annually through a curriculum focused on six essential developmental domains, employs 22 full-time credentialed educators, maintains low teacher-to-child ratios, and provides over 47,000 meals annually. The program's comprehensive approach ensures children are kindergarten-ready, setting the foundation for lifelong academic and social success while creating ripple effects across the organization's afterschool programs, teen initiatives, and family support services.
The impact extends beyond immediate educational benefits, as the DeSantis Foundation's gift represents "more than just funding" according to Seibel - it's a vote of confidence in the mission and future of the community's youngest learners. For more information about this vital organization serving over 760 local children and families across three Delray Beach locations, visit achievementcentersFL.org to learn how early childhood education investments create lasting community transformation through sustained support and program innovation.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by Citybiz. Read the original source here, DeSantis Foundation Grants $365K to Boost Early Learning in Delray Beach
