RCMA, an organization in Immokalee that provides child care, education, and other support for children, has been named a quarterfinalist for the Yass prize for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless Education.
Juana Brown, Director of Charter Schools for RCMA, explained the heart of the competition:
“The prize is established to work with organizations who, despite all the adversity during covid, defied the odds and were able to provide what they call ‘best-in-class’ experience.”
RCMA serves mostly children of farmworkers, many of them migrant farmworkers, in their 65 child development centers and two k-8 charter schools, according to Brown.
They plan to open a third charter school—Mulberry Community Academy in Polk County—for the 2023-2024 school year. Their winnings will help support that as well as other expansion in their network.
The timing was perfect, Brown says, coming just in the wake of Hurricane Ian. The organization will go on to compete for the $1 million grand prize in December.
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