podcastED: Florida mom expresses gratitude for scholarship that benefits her daughter, contributes to her own success as tutor, advocate

On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Danyse Streets, a reading specialist who owns and operates Bridging the Reading Gap, a tutoring and special education advocacy company in Fleming Island, Florida, just south of Jacksonville. Her 12-year-old daughter, Kate, receives a Florida Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, which Streets uses to customize her education.

“I’m thankful that it opened doors for me that I wasn’t looking to have opened,” Streets said. “But through all that, I started this business. I’m teaching kids how to read. I’m advocating for families. I’m helping other families, get the scholarship, so they can do what’s best for their kids, and at the same time, still giving my child what she needs, educationally.”

Streets said Kate, who was later diagnosed with dyslexia, was in pre-kindergarten when she noticed her struggling with letter names and sounds that were coming easily to her classmates. Suspecting it was a maturity issue, Streets had Kate repeat pre-kindergarten, a practice often called “academic redshirting,” which allows children more time to develop and master skills.

Click here to listen to the podcast.