Thrive Educational Response Group

Shoutout to our students!

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21, many children lacked access to adequate educational resources, such as laptops, cell phones, and home Wi-Fi. This hindered their ability to learn grade-level material. As a result, many of these students, still in school, are now struggling to meet reading and math proficiency standards and graduation requirements.
Many factors can lead students to fail and not meet graduation standards. For example, one student couldn’t graduate because her mother missed an 11th-grade parent-teacher conference. Other issues include enrolling in the wrong courses, failing to email a teacher about an absence during a test, excessive absences due to uniform or lunch money problems, needing special education support, or lacking help to understand their senior year math class.
Thrive assists at-risk students in Broward County, FL, and The Bahamas in earning high school diplomas by focusing on S.T.E.M. careers, trades, and college opportunities. Our services include tutoring, college prep, workforce training, SAT/ACT test prep, community service opportunities, financial literacy courses, special education advocacy, and other educational support. These services, often too costly for families to afford, are essential for guiding students toward graduation and success.
Dr. Karen Smith, an educator with over 25 years of experience, founded the non-profit organization Thrive to help bright students who were failing to graduate. With her team, she developed innovative strategies to address this issue. Thrive provides comprehensive, individualized support to at-risk students in Florida and The Bahamas, ensuring no child is left behind.
Look at the faces of the students we helped. They have shown remarkable strength and tenacity as they worked towards their goals. Many have received acceptance letters to their chosen colleges, scholarships, American Academy of Ballet (NY) certification through our Dance Apprentice program, and admission to The College Academy at Broward College. They have also earned top awards at their graduation ceremonies. With love, mentoring, tutoring, academic advising, resume building, financial literacy, and other educational services, these students have achieved amazing things. They have set goals for graduation, careers, and further studies to gain workforce skills.
Thrive offers a unique small setting that provides students with essential one-on-one support. Whether students need help understanding graduation requirements, enrolling in the right courses, accessing services, or requesting special education accommodations, Thrive supports their growth and progress towards graduation. We mentor students by connecting them with professionals, offering tutoring and homework help, and conducting frequent accountability check-ins to ensure academic tasks are completed accurately and reliably.
Thrive connects students with a community of entrepreneurs and businesses, enhancing their skills, confidence, and awareness, and setting them on a path to success. Seniors can apply for scholarships of up to $1,000 for their tertiary studies. Our graduates have successfully transitioned to careers and received college scholarships. Thrive creates opportunities, fostering a can-do attitude and overcoming mediocrity. We also offer a workforce training program for high school seniors and recent graduates, qualifying them as water plant operator trainees with a starting salary of $40,000. After one year, they become eligible for State of Florida Certification.