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The two-year investment will expand the nonprofit’s efforts to address South Florida’s teacher shortage and strengthen the local education workforce.
Achieve Miami, a nonprofit dedicated to equalizing educational opportunities for students throughout Miami-Dade County, proudly announces a two-year, $500,000 grant from the Helios Education Foundation to support its Teacher Accelerator Program (TAP), a groundbreaking initiative addressing the region’s critical teacher shortage.
Launched in 2023, TAP recruits, prepares, and mentors aspiring educators – including college students and career changers – equipping them with the skills, training and mentorship needed to succeed as a teacher in Miami-Dade. The program offers a one-semester course followed by a six-week paid internship, creating a clear and accessible path to certification and becoming a full-time teacher in a public, private or charter school.
Since its launch, TAP has recruited and trained over 200 educators. Currently, with support from Helios Education Foundation, TAP has an additional cohort of 200 enthusiastic participants who are ready to enter TAP’s summer training. TAP is currently offered at the University of Miami, Florida International University, and Miami Dade College with plans to expand to additional universities later this year.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Helios Education Foundation, as they have been integral to the planning, implementation, and the success of our Teacher Accelerator Program,” said Leslie Miller Saiontz, founder of Achieve Miami. “This additional investment will allow us to expand our reach, strengthen our model, and grow our pipeline of teaching talent in South Florida.”
The Helios grant will help expand TAP’s capacity and deepen its community partnerships while supporting a more data-informed, scalable workforce development model – ensuring even more qualified educators enter local classrooms. This contribution builds on Helios’ longstanding commitment to strengthening the education pipeline in Florida. Through this investment, Helios is deepening its five-year partnership with Achieve Miami to support students and address the region’s critical teacher shortage.
“Every student deserves a great teacher, and the Teacher Accelerator Program is providing a powerful solution to the teacher shortage in South Florida,” added Paul J. Luna, President and CEO of Helios Education Foundation. “We’re proud to partner with Achieve Miami to support this initiative and ensure more students have access to high-quality educators that can encourage their future growth and success.”
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ABOUT ACHIEVE MIAMI
Achieve Miami is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to fostering a transformational education ecosystem in Miami. Since its founding in 2015, the organization has supported over 10,000 K-12 students, bolstered programming for 60+ local schools, and engaged thousands of volunteers. Together with partners from the public and private sector, Achieve Miami designs and manages programs that bring together members from various parts of the community to extend learning opportunities for students, teachers, and community leaders. Learn more at www.achievemiami.org.
ABOUT THE TEACHER ACCELERATOR PROGRAM
Teacher Accelerator Program (TAP) is a non-profit organization creating a pipeline of talent for the teaching profession through recruiting, preparing, and mentoring aspiring educators. TAP’s comprehensive and streamlined program equips college students and career changers with the skills, knowledge, and certification necessary to excel in the classroom. TAP addresses the nationwide teacher shortage crisis by providing a built-in path to teaching, inspiring a new generation of educators.
TAP participants take a one-semester course, followed by a six-week paid summer internship, earn a certificate to teach, and begin instructing in a Miami-Dade County public, private, or charter school classroom. TAP is an initiative of Achieve Miami, supported by Teach for America Miami-Dade, and is offered by the University of Miami, Florida International University and Miami-Dade College. Learn more at www.teacheraccelerator.org.
ABOUT HELIOS EDUCATION FOUNDATION
Helios Education Foundation exists to support postsecondary attainment for all students, with a focus on low-income and historically underrepresented communities, in Arizona and Florida. For more than 20 years, and driven by our fundamental beliefs of community, equity, investment, and partnership, Helios has invested more than $350 million in partnerships and initiatives focused on improving third-grade reading, college-going, and postsecondary attainment in the two states we serve. Learn more at helios.org.
