Take Stock in Children

Take Stock in Children, Inc. is a Florida nonprofit founded in 1995 to address persistently high high school dropout rates among the state's most under-resourced youth. The organisation provides mentoring, college readiness services and college scholarships to low-income, academically qualified students, with the stated aim of breaking the cycle of poverty through post-secondary education.

Its work is delivered through a multi-year wraparound model. Students are matched with caring volunteer mentors through a Mentoring Program that operates in every county in Florida via 46 affiliate offices. Alongside mentoring, the organisation runs academically focused intervention services and a College Scholarship Program that funds students' post-secondary study.

Support continues after high school. The Take Stock in College and Career Program provides post-secondary retention services to scholars enrolled in college, with no drop-off of services between high school completion and college graduation. More than 7,000 scholars are supported annually, enrolled across 40 Florida public colleges and universities. The organisation's stated goal is postsecondary degree attainment for every scholar served.

With affiliate offices covering all 67 counties across Florida and a service delivery network dependent on volunteer mentors, Take Stock in Children operates as a statewide organisation. Its stated mission is to transform Florida one student at a time.