Take Stock in Children of Monroe County announced this month that it has enrolled 84 additional students in its mentorship-plus-scholarship program, bringing total active participation to 382 students across 14 Keys schools. The program serves 176 students in the Lower Keys, 74 in the Middle Keys and 132 in the Upper Keys, targeting children in grades six through ten for long-term support that pairs one-on-one mentoring with college-cost scholarships.

Program leaders highlighted a near 70 percent rate of degree or credential completion among scholarship recipients, a key metric signaling the program’s success at converting early intervention into postsecondary attainment. The scholarships are provided through the Florida Prepaid plan and can cover as much as 120 tuition credits plus local fees at state universities and colleges; students are also permitted to apply awards toward technical certificates. For families in Monroe County, that level of coverage can substantially reduce the upfront cost of higher education and limit reliance on loans.

The program’s expansion arrives amid renewed appeals for volunteer mentors, an essential nonfinancial component of the Take Stock model. Mentors provide sustained guidance, academic monitoring and encouragement—services program administrators say correlate with the higher completion rate among participants. With 84 new students entering at critical middle- and early-high-school ages, the need for adult volunteers in the community will increase to maintain the program’s recommended mentor-to-student ratios.

Local implications extend beyond individual students. By improving degree and credential completion and making technical certificates accessible, the initiative supports workforce development in Monroe County’s key sectors, from hospitality and maritime trades to public services. Scholarship-backed pathways to state colleges and technical programs can help retain local talent and reduce barriers that often push graduates to leave the Keys for education or employment.

The expansion also carries fiscal and social benefits: families face lower education costs, students enter the labor market with recognized credentials, and the county potentially benefits from a more skilled, credentialed workforce. However, sustaining and scaling those outcomes depends on continued community involvement. The program’s leaders have emphasized that financial support and volunteer mentors are both necessary to maintain the nearly 70 percent completion performance and to ensure incoming cohorts receive consistent guidance.

As Take Stock’s cohort grows, Monroe County residents who can spare time or resources have an opportunity to directly influence local educational and economic prospects by volunteering as mentors or supporting scholarship fundraising efforts.