Early learning CEO Fred Hicks seeks collaboration to solve long-standing problems - Tampa Bay Business Journal (2024)

If Fred Hicks wasn't born for his new job, then he was made for it.

As a kid, the newly-named CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County would come home from school and his dad would tell him to read parts of his homework aloud. On Sunday mornings, his task was to read an article from the newspaper.

"I fell in love with the notion of not only is education critical, it's the way out of any situation — no matter what zip code you're born in," Hicks said. "I found out early a lot of people were going off to college. Some were not. If I wanted to go to college, I needed to make good grades."

Hicks grew up as the third of five children in a tight-knit but poor household near Miami. He'd try to take some of his reduced-price lunch back home, having seen that his mom was only packing an apple for her own lunch.

Years later as a father, he was seeking to educate his own young children when life threw a curveball his way. He learned through a screening at an Early Learning Coalition of Broward County that his son was on the autism spectrum. Now age 19, Hicks' son has acclimated well.

Through those experiences, Hicks began to dream of becoming CEO at an early learning coalition. With that now realized, he calls on area leaders to take seriously the challenges and inequities of early learning — a long-standing issue made worse by the pandemic.

Historically, less than 50% of students are ready for kindergarten in Hillsborough County. That has long-term effects on the quality of the area's workforce across all sectors of the economy.

How have you begun your tenure? One of the things that I said during my interview is: I grew up as that kid and I know what tools those kids need to succeed. I want the opportunity to give the same tools to everyone. And I think I can. In my first 27 days, I've hit the ground running. I know that we've had some stories run in the paper where there were some issues at the Early Learning Coalition that for the most part, I can't speak to directly because of legal advice. (The former manager of policy and compliance filed an allegation of racial discrimination in the summer; former CEO Gordon Gillette announced his retirement in August). But I can say that we have zero tolerance for any bias. And I think all the extra energy we might spend on that type of conversation distracts from what we should be focused on. Children will be tested in three phases to determine, Are you ready for school? Historically, Hillsborough has been below the 50% mark. My goal is to increase that tremendously by working stronger and closer with all of our early care and education professionals.

What are the challenges? Teachers leave the profession for multiple reasons but primarily for lack of recognition and low wages. If they're making 13 bucks an hour, they might potentially go elsewhere and start at 15 or 16. The Early Learning Coalition has incentive programs and American Rescue Plan Act dollars to give to our early care education owners and directors so they can pay more for their teachers to keep them in the industry and incentivize them to continue. We have other programs that help the teachers. If they get a certification, they get a small check. Today, over 1,200 checks are being emailed out to teachers. But ARPA is only temporary. When this runs out, what's my long-term sustainability plan? I need those numbers. What happens to the children when that runs out? Are all of those professionals who are waiting and receiving those checks going to flee to other industries? We can't afford that. Businesses can't afford that.

What are some solutions? I need 10 minutes from our parents to reinforce what teachers are doing on a Saturday. Take away the devices, put them down and work with your child and reinforce it. Then another 10 minutes on Sunday. If I get 10 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I'm winning. Because I know that if you could do 10 minutes with a child, it will quickly turn into 15, maybe 20. I've also asked my internal development team to develop a summit. I want to host a huge summit where I bring all of the early care and education and child-interested experts to the table. I want Healthy Start, Children's Board, Early Learning Coalition, the school district, juvenile justice, the county, and the mayors. I want everyone in the room so I can get their ear. And I want their executive directors and the chairs of their boards in one space to focus on the key priorities for children. Mid-day, I want that same group to potentially meet with donors to help fund some of the projects that we identify.

What do you think is misunderstood or under-appreciated about the dynamic between schooling and the parents and the time at home? The misunderstanding is that parents don't care. They do. Parents are extremely busy. They're trying to figure out how they make ends meet. And because they're busy, they are distracted from what would otherwise be the focus of educating their child. Because that is a huge misunderstanding, I think it's easier than we think to say to the parents, 'Hey, give it a try. Give me 10 minutes on Saturday.' The other misunderstanding is that our early care professionals are not babysitting. They are so involved in helping that child learn. I would ask every person out there: take a trip to your child's early care education facility with permission. Watch your child learn something. It will amaze you.

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