Triumph of teamwork

Teacher Nicole Lambert, left, and para-professional Terry Crawford, right, show a student’s drawing and writing in the Class of 2024-25’s book “Be The Star You Are” in the VPK classroom at Reddick-Collier Elementary School in Reddick on Sept. 19, 2025. Reddick-Collier Elementary VPK is the highest-rated public school program in the state of Florida, with the only score of 99. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2025.


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Posted September 23, 2025 | By Susan Smiley-Height, [email protected]

It has been said that teamwork makes the dream work. And nowhere in Marion County is that more evident than in the dynamic team of Reddick-Collier Elementary School teacher Nicole Lambert and paraprofessional Terry Crawford.

The two educators have been working together at Reddick-Collier in northwest Marion County for 21 years and sometimes even finish each other’s sentences. Crawford has been at the school for more than 30 years total and will be retiring at the end of the 2025-26 school year.

The duo’s hard work and dedication recently was rewarded as RCE earned the highest rating of any public school Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) provider in the state. With a score of 99, Reddick-Collier outperformed every other Florida public school program, with the next closest scoring 90%.

“While six private centers in Florida achieved perfect scores, Reddick-Collier stands alone at the top among all public schools statewide. This recognition comes as part of Florida’s new VPK Provider Performance Metrics and Designations, the first year of the statewide accountability system for early learning providers,” Kevin Christian, Marion County Public Schools director of public relations, stated in a news release.

RCE serves more than 350 students in pre-K to fifth grade. The recent recognition for the VPK class of 2024-25 came through the Teachstone program, which has a Classroom Assessment Scoring System, or CLASS.

According to its website, CLASS defines teaching quality through the lens of interactions, provides the ability to measure and improve the interactions that matter most for children’s outcomes and is a journey of continuous improvement that is data-driven.

“This is an assessment tool that Gov. Ron DeSantis put in place to replace how, years in the past, VPK was evaluated. I think it’s a better way to evaluate during the present time and it’s a big undertaking. They go into every single public and private school, so over 6,000,” Lambert explained.

“And the CLASS assessment isn’t just for VPK, it goes all the way up to the collegiate level. It’s a very high-quality evaluation system. Marion County has their own, so all VPK teachers have to do their formal evaluation, which is a specific rubric, but the CLASS one is very good. It’s intense,” she added.

“It’s what the state of Florida has chosen as one of their metrics, or one of their scoring points, to really to designate whether VPK programs across the state are making the growth that they should make, so they chose CLASS and Star Early Literacy,” shared Jennifer Beck, director of early learning for MCPS.

According to the Florida Department of Education, the Coordinated Screening and Progress Monitoring Program is the statewide, standardized program known as Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) Star Early Literacy. It is implemented in all VPK programs and used to assess student achievement of the performance standards established in early literacy and mathematics.

“Star Early Literacy, which is what these students are taking, is looking at student growth on one side and instruction and interaction on the other side. They put those together with other calculations. I think a couple of things that really benefited this program, they have great instruction and so their student achievement scores were high, but this classroom also had an outstanding CLASS score that helped give her quite a few points on performance metrics. And so, when you put them all together, that’s what created that high 99. I think we’ve got a great team here, and it helps when you have a team that this is not their first rodeo, either,” Beck offered.

“We are proud of the team that is here. We know that they do great work in this classroom and are a true representation of what goes on in all our VPK programs across Marion County public schools,” she added. “We have VPK programs in every elementary school, including the two newest, Ross Prairie and Winding Oaks.

A SHARED VISION

It’s not typical to work with the same person for so long, and you learn and grow together, Lambert said of her 21-year partnership with Crawford.

“We have the same vision,” Crawford said, as Lambert jumped in to add, “and I’m just so thankful she wants the best for all the children and their families. Whoever they are, wherever they go, whatever they become, their joys and sorrows, we will always be happy to share. We want to be that beacon with the families that this is their child’s first experience of Marion County schools.”

“In the school year, there’s lots of highs and lows. You’re really trying to achieve greatness with your class, and it can be stressful at times, and so being able to work with the same person and really understand and be connected together and be on the same page is great,” Lambert said, with Crawford quickly adding, “Knowing where we want to go, always trying to do better.”

“Strive to do your best, Take responsibility, Always act safely and follow directions, and Respect yourself and others—that’s the acronym for STAR. Our classroom motto is “Be the star you are” and this class didn’t just talk about it, they lived it, so we were able to do such incredible things through their determination, their resilience and the support from the families,” Lambert noted of the 2024-25 students.

The VPK classroom at Reddick-Collier is bright and cheerful, filled with spaces for hands-on activities.

“That’s part of the CLASS observation, that the room is set up for the children and their time in each center is very meaningful. While it may look like play to some, what’s going on during that time is essential to their development,” Lambert shared.

She said class time includes student-led circle time, going over letter sounds, syllable segmenting and print concepts.

“Vocabulary is paramount in this program. We also try to encompass all the standards within the daily routine on math concepts, comparing contrasting, a lot of science—there’s a lot to learn. We believe each child has a constitutional right to have the best quality education. We’re both very reflective in our instruction. I’m always looking to do things better; what else can I do to ensure there’s more growth and another way to teach the standards?” Lambert added.

“She’s very dedicated,” Crawford said.

“I wake up every morning with a purpose that I want to make each day the best I can and to ensure I support every child through all their experiences,” Lambert offers, with Crawford adding, “to provide the most positive loving experience. This is a wonderful place to be.”

“A young child, when given the opportunity, when taught how to do things, it’s very empowering, so we have a lot of student-led centers and student-led experiences. They learn to be in charge of their own journey and education,” Lambert said, with Crawford adding, “They really step up and do a wonderful job.”

“There’s definitely a big difference between students who have had a VPK program versus students who have had no program at all. There is a marked difference in what they know academically but also there’s so many other pieces, the social/emotional piece, that idea of following directions, understanding what is expected to be a student in the classroom. To me, it’s invaluable having VPK as the first start,” Beck said.

Lambert then quotes Plato: “The beginning is the most important of the work.”

“It’s been documented from birth through age 6,” she adds. “This is the time, so we are committed to making them feel so good about who they are and what they have to share;  their voice, their thoughts, their creativity, who they are. We’re all unique. But together we’re one class family and we grow together.”

PARENT PERSPECTIVES

Paige Hall, a mother of three, learned about the RCE VPK program through the Marion County Early Learning Coalition.

“I decided to enroll my child in VPK so she would have the necessary skills to be able to succeed in kindergarten. As much as we work at home with her, I knew that being around other kids her age and being exposed to age-appropriate course material from a teacher (who wasn’t her mom) would be beneficial in the long run,” Hall offered.

“My daughter Harper was able to learn phonics, counting and early math skills that she otherwise would not have learned. She also was able to get social skills that she would not have been able to from staying home the extra year before kindergarten. She was also able to learn the value of responsibility as an individual,” Hall said.

Katoya Yarn has had three children in the RCE VPK program, with Trentyn, 5, currently enrolled.

“From the very beginning, I could see the difference in the environment—warm, nurturing and intentional in helping children grow both academically and personally. When it came time to enroll Trentyn, I could have placed him at Madison Street with the other two siblings, which would have been more convenient for our family. But I knew in my heart that I didn’t want him to miss out on the same wonderful experience his siblings had. It just felt right that he be given the same opportunity. My kids learned so much academically and were well prepared for kindergarten, but what has stood out the most to me is the way this program helps children grow as kind, confident and caring individuals,” Yawn said.

Kymia Parks-Taylor is a parent of two former RCE VPK students.

“I first learned about the RCE VPK program through several family members whose children attended RCE over the years. These alumni range from current 12th graders to my own children. My son Darius, now a seventh grader at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School at the University of Florida, is one of them. My daughter Dakota, who is currently in kindergarten at the same school, was also a part of Ms. Lambert’s VPK class at RCE last year. Through their experiences and those of other children in our family, I came to understand the high-quality education and nurturing environment provided by the RCE VPK program, especially under the care of Ms. Lambert and Ms. Crawford,” she offered.

“As a parent, one of the greatest advantages of the RCE VPK program is the early exposure to a positive, empowering learning environment. Ms. Lambert and Ms. Crawford don’t just teach—they inspire. They instill confidence, curiosity and a sense of self-worth in every child. My children felt loved, respected and valued while receiving a truly exceptional early education. It’s not just about academics—it’s about nurturing the whole child,” she added.

SOMETHING ELSE NOW

Crawford said she has mixed emotions about leaving RCE after so many years, but she has two very young grandchildren she wants to spend time with.

“I have grandchildren all the way up to age 17 in college, so I’ve got a big span there, but I’ve got two tiny babies now,” she explained.

“I try to treat the kids the way I would want someone treating my grandchildren. They’re special little humans,” Crawford said of the VPK students. “It’s still fulfilling, but I have something else I’m ready for.”

For information, go to marionschools.net/departments/early_learning