About the Nonprofit
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Sunrise Children’s Services, Inc (formerly United Cerebral Palsy of Tampa Bay, Inc/UCP) was organized 69 years ago with the mission the mission “to guide and assist families and individuals with any disability or other barriers to achieve their full potential resulting in community inclusion and independence.” Sunrise Children’s Services (SCS) Early Childhood Education Preschool Program was founded 30 years ago to provide services to families with typically developing children, children with developmental disabilities and those children “at-risk” for developmental delays. This program was created during a time when most families were becoming dual income families and there were limited childcare options for children with disabilities. SCS provides preschool programming focused on a child’s cognitive, language, physical, social, and emotional development. Their students learn and play side-by-side in an inclusive, all-abilities learning environment. The program is open to any student, regardless of disability or delayed development. SCS’s programs serve children with developmental delays or disabilities, ages six weeks through five years of age who are from low- and moderate-income families. Seventy-seven percent of the children served have additional risk factors of poverty and 65% of our students are from single parent homes. Our focus is on serving the whole family and not just focusing on the individual child. We are the only provider of true inclusionary early education in the Tampa Bay area.
The foundation for our children’s lives — and our entire community — depends on their experiences during early childhood. Good experiences lead to better academic outcomes, employment opportunities, earning potential and health. There is a wealth of evidence supporting the lifelong positive impacts of early, high quality educational services for all children, especially the vulnerable population that we serve. Sunrise Children’s Services knows that education starts at birth. About 90% of all brain development occurs before age 5, making early childhood education programs essential. Studies show that early childhood education results in higher IQs, boosts future academic and economic achievement, and improves health in adulthood. Likewise, children who are ready for kindergarten and can read proficiently in third grade are more likely to graduate from high school. Conversely, high school dropouts earn $300,000 less during their lifetime and are 63 times more likely to be incarcerated.
Our programming focuses on early intervention as we ultimately strive to have our students enter Kindergarten ready to learn and reading on grade level by third grade. Today, half of our children in Hillsborough County are not prepared for kindergarten. Together, we must rewrite the statistics to realize the full human and economic potential of our kids and our community.
Ninety-seven percent of our students receive subsidized childcare. These dollars do not cover the cost of providing our high-quality, nationally accredited services. Therefore, it is imperative that we continue our steadfast focus on fundraising and grant writing, as well as nurturing, establishing, and maintaining relationships with public and private foundations, charitable organizations, and individuals.
