The Colquitt County Educational Foundation started taking shape in late 2019 when founding Board member Tim Powers felt burdened by some tough statistics. He learned that 85% of the school curriculum after 3rd grade is based on reading comprehension. To succeed, upper elementary students (and beyond) can no longer stay in the “learning to read” phase — they must enter the “reading to learn” stage in order to keep up in every subject area.

The reality that many of Colquitt County’s children were falling behind due to early elementary reading deficiencies sparked Tim to gather other folks in the local community that care and begin searching for solutions.

After a year of researching, evaluating, planning, and garnering massive community support, the Colquitt County Education Foundation was chartered in late 2020 with the initial goal of beginning a literacy mentoring program for children in grades K-3 by Fall 2021.

FY24 | Grant Plan