Vance Aloupis: Looking for better salary base for early childhood educators

Vance A. Aloupis had an interest in children’s education since he was still in Law School. After over a year of working for a litigation firm, he realized education was his passion and he connected with The Children’s Movement in June 2010. Twelve years later, he serves as the chief executive officer of the nonpartisan nonprofit advocating for early childhood education on issues specific to the first five years in children’s lives.

Back in 2012, Mr. Aloupis was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to serve on the Governor’s Commission on Community Service, known as Volunteer Florida, overseeing the AmeriCorps programs across the state.

In 2018 he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives and subsequently reelected. He has served in the Early Learning & Elementary Education Subcommittee, the Children, Families & Seniors Subcommittee, and the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, among others.

During his time as a public servant, he advocated for early childhood education and led the creation of the Division of Early Learning within the Department of Education, comparable to K-12. “It is now seen as part of that larger continuum,” he said. Also, a chancellor of early learning was named, similar to the K-12 system or the State College System.

“We saw a significant investment of dollars in Pre-K. Just this past year, we saw a major shift in the way subsidized childcare is funded, which I believe will make an enormous difference,” he said. “We are now looking at the cost of care and the quality of care and what it actually cost to provide quality care and changed that formula,” he explained.

Mr. Aloupis is also proud of creating legislation with a progress monitoring tool from Pre-K through grade eight, which allows teachers to identify struggling readers as early as possible.

Although Mr. Aloupis decided not to run again for office to spend more time with his family, he will continue to advocate for the education of children in Florida, addressing pressing issues such as an increased need for additional funding and workforce challenges.

Mr. Aloupis spoke with Miami Today reporter Gabriela Henriquez Stoikow.

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