Our Mission is to provide comprehensive services to a diverse population within Kewanee, Illinois and the surrounding areas in Henry County. These services will include a variety of educational support services, and community empowerment and support programs.

Our agency started as a dream of our Executive Director, Etta LaFlora, who has been a resident of this community for over 40 years.

 See links for more information

When the opportunity arose to continue the child care component of an adult literacy program, she chose to make this dream a reality.

With the assistance of Mattie Owens in September of 2008 the Sunshine Early Learning Center opened its doors in the Old Franklin School Building at 600 N. Lexington Avenue.

Etta, along with Sue Bubnick, provided a quality child care program for the GED and ESL parents enrolled in Kewanee Reading Partners, a project of Black Hawk College.

In the fall of 2009, we launched Parents and Teachers Together, Empowering, Reaching, and Nourishing Students (PATTERNS), a program to help link school with community. This program was for the  parents of middle schools students.

The week of February 6, 2012 we  launched the new Step-Ladder Tutoring Program which is aimed to advance the potential, academic achievement and school success for all learners.

We successfully completed our Spring , Summer and Fall  2012 Sessions.

The numerous hours of volunteer service has been vital to the success of the Step-Ladder Tutoring Program.  The following volunteer tutors dedciated their time to this project for the year 2012

Volunteer Tutors

Cassandra Ingels  Anita Blanks
Flor Martinez  Chris Downs
Jiara Ibarra    Tori Gustafson   Toni Smith
Linnea Hepner   Rachel Wentworth
Danielle Fickling    Cecilia Martinez
Tina Landsiedel-Clark   Angela French Jesse Wheelhouse  Kate Reynolds,
Jack Reynolds Jenni Eastman
Lea Eastman    Sherri Jamison
Evelyn Cortez     Morgan Hamilton
Ashlee Werkheiser



 Board and Staff

Etta LaFlora, Executive Director



Marcia Gleeson, Board President
Dr. Sharon Gibson, Vice President
DeMonica Flagg, Secretary/Treasurer

How have we made it this far?

From the hard work of  a dedicated staff, board, volunteers, and consultants, Dr. Mary Kay Fulton and Dr. sharon Gibson who are determined to help us make a difference in our community. 

Thanks to a grant from
Ronald McDonald Charities we will continue to provide services to middle School Students for the Fall 2012 and upcoming Spring 2013 sessions.

Major Funders for the Step-Ladder Tutoring program for the Spring 2012 session were:

Harry Anderson Memorial Trust, AmerenIP, WalMart

Kewanee and Wethersfield School Districts, for donation of space and transportation.  Black Hawk College for donation of facilities for recruitment, training and community awareness programs, Kewanee Public Library for donation of space for our summer program.

Plus, individual and private donations from citizens in the community and surrounding areas.

The following businesses for donation space for our Tag Days Fundraisers and/or gift certificates for students and volunteers:

Walmart, McDonald's, Sav-a-Lot, Sullivans, Walgreens, Peoples National Banks,
First Federal Savings & Loan, Woodforest National Bank, Community State Bank, Beck Oil, Burger King, Taco Bell

Thanks for Supporting our Tag Days!!!

We appreciate the local, city, state, and governmental officials who took time out our their busy schedules to attend programs in support of the Step-Ladder Tutoring Program.

U.S. State Rep. Donald Moffitt
Supt. of Schools, Shane Kazubowski
Principal, Jeremiah Johnston
Principal, Jason Anderson
Mayor Bruce Tossell
Reps. from Black Hawk College and other local agencies.

,Please Continue to Support us throughout the year. 

"Helping one child at at time"