Thank you to everyone who donated and helped make GWYL 2021 a huge success.
OUR MISSION
To provide safe, quality, affordable education and care for children and parents from low-income working families and to prepare the children for kindergarten, ready to read and ready to learn!
The 96 students enrolled at Fun Time come from low-income working families. Your donation helps to bridge the gap between the parent’s sliding-scale payment and the unfunded $8,200 cost this year of educating and caring for each student.
Our students benefit from the breadth of services provided—dental care, home-style cooked meals, swim lessons, violin lessons, art, theater and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math). Our exceptional staff and our 40 volunteer tutors give generously of their time to help our wonderful kids.
Location
102 12th Street N
Naples, Florida 34102
Office Hours
M-F: 7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Weekends: Closed
Phone & Email
239-261-8284
Make sure to select Fun Time Early Childhood Academy as your recipient and get shopping!
Introducing Marsha McDonough, Interim Executive Director
As we conduct a national search for a new Executive Director, we welcome interim ED Marsha McDonough. Marsha is no stranger to Fun Time Academy as she was a member of its Board of Directors years ago when we were located in trailers! We are delighted to have her back, albeit temporarily, as she is a veteran educator with over 40 years’ experience teaching and managing school systems in her home state of Massachusetts, as well as additional educational forays in Dubai and Eastern Europe for the U.S. State Department.
Marsha splits her time between her home on Cape Cod (for quality time with grandchildren) and Naples and is a longtime member of Greater Naples Leadership. When the need arose for someone to temporarily fill the Executive Director position, she was contacted and accepted the challenge. As an early supporter of Fun Time through her GNL contacts, she was a natural choice. Students and teachers alike are delighted to have her there as she receives an enthusiastic “Good morning!” at her daily classroom visits.
“I love to greet the kids each day,” she acknowledges, “Seeing these beautiful children has lifted my spirits. It is a gift to be here and do this. I didn’t think I was the right match, but the minute I walked in the door, I knew it was a perfect fit.”
During her time at the school, Marsha will also be working on building improvements, including plans for a new library to be named in honor of late Fun Time supporter Peter Manion. By her estimation, however, the Fun Time program itself couldn’t be better.
“In my opinion, we provide the very best academic and social programs in the area. I want to keep that ship afloat.”
Research Shows the Importance and Paradox of Early Childhood Care and Education
~Tina Kauh & Krista Scott, Senior Program Officers, Robert Woods Johnson Foundation,10/8/20
“Our nation’s health depends on the health of our children and the early childhood care and education (ECCE) providers that nurture them. As America recovers from the pandemic and reopens the economy, rebuilding our ECCE system in a way that prioritizes equity and well–being is critical. We cannot reopen and recover without a stable and affordable child care system.” Read more . . .
Fun Time Early Childhood Academy is part of the solution to this problem. We provide the highest–quality education environment, for a full–day, five days/week. Financial support from individual giving, grants, and limited state aid allows us to bridge the wide gap between the cost of the education and what our working parents can afford. We’re doing this in the heart of Naples, despite the decreasing supply of early childhood education opportunities throughout the US.#FunTimeStrong#FunTimeAcademy
Students Enrolled
Children graduated
Committed Board & Staff
Years Caring For Children
Get In Touch
Location: 102 12th Street N, Naples, FL 34102
Telephone: (239) 261-8284
Email: moreinfo@FunTimeAcademy.org
School Hours: M-F: 6:30 am - 5:30 pm
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE 1.800.435.7352 WITHIN THE STATE OR AT www.800helpfla.com. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. FUN TIME EARLY CHILDHOOD ACADEMY SOLICITATION REGISTRATION NUMBER IS CH4543
