MATTER OF FACT. THE MAJORITY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS ARE WOMEN. MOST OF THEM ARE WHITE. IN FACT, MEN OF COLOR MAKE UP ONLY ABOUT 7% OF PRE-K THROUGH 12TH GRADE TEACHERS. TWO PRIMARY CONCERNS STEM FROM THAT STATISTIC. ONE, THERE’S A NATIONAL SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS, BUT MEN MIGHT NOT SEE IT AS A VIABLE CAREER PATH FOR THEM. AND TWO YOUNG CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT RACES AREN’T SEEING THEMSELVES REPRESENTED BY ADULTS IN THEIR CLASSROOM. ONE ORGANIZATION IS WORKING TO CHANGE THAT. THEY’RE RECRUITING AND TRAINING MEN OF COLOR TO BE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS WHO FOCUS ON READING AND WRITING. OUR CORRESPONDENT LAURA CHAVEZ TRAVELED TO ATLANTA, GEORGIA TO SEE HOW IT WORKS. 23 YEAR OLD JAMARI SCOTT IS A GEORGIA NATIVE. CENTRAL TO HIS LIFE, HIS FAITH, HIS FAMILY AND FOOTBALL. EVERYTHING IS TEAM. WE ALL WORK TOGETHER BECAUSE WE CAN’T DO NOTHING WITHOUT EACH OTHER. A STAR WIDE RECEIVER AT HIS HIGH SCHOOL, JAMARI GRADUATED IN 2019. FOOTBALL REIGNED OVER EVERYTHING. THAT IS, UNTIL A CAREER ENDING INJURY TOOK HIM OFF THE FIELD. I WAS IN LIKE A DEAD SPACE FOR A MINUTE, GOING THROUGH DEPRESSION. I WAS STUCK IN A PERIOD WHERE I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I WANTED TO DO OR WHAT MY PURPOSE WAS. AT THAT POINT, IT WAS LIKE FOOTBALL OR NOTHING. THAT’S WHEN JAMARI WALKED INTO A JOB FAIR THAT WOULD CHANGE EVERYTHING. I SEEN LEADING MAN FELLOWSHIP AND I WAS LIKE, FELLOWSHIP, OKAY. YOU KNOW, JUST GROWING UP IN THE CHURCH, I HEAR FELLOWSHIP ALL THE TIME. SO I WAS LIKE, WHAT IS THIS? LEAD HIM IN. FELLOWSHIP IS A I’D SAY IT’S LIKE A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. LITERACY PROGRAM. KENNETH HOBSON JR IS A COACH WITH LEADING MEN FELLOWSHIP’S ATLANTA BRANCH. I CAN REMEMBER I DIDN’T HAVE MY FIRST MAN OF COLOR TEACHER UNTIL I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL. NATIONALLY, BLACK MEN MAKE UP LESS THAN 1% OF ELEMENTARY AND EARLY EDUCATION. PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS. SO WHAT WE DO IS WE TRAIN, MENTOR, AND RECRUIT MEN OF COLOR BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 24 TO BE LITERACY TUTORS INSIDE OF PRE-K CLASSROOMS. KENNETH NOW MENTORS JAMARI, WHO’S GETTING EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH KIDS AT BENTEEN ELEMENTARY. COUNT YOUR FINGERS. SYLLABUS. WE REALLY ARE LIKE A MELTING POT OF ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT MAKE US A GREAT COMMUNITY. ANDREW LOVETT IS PRINCIPAL AT BENTEEN ELEMENTARY, WHERE 45% BLACK, 29% HISPANIC, 17% WHITE, 9% TWO OR MORE RACES. IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO LOOKS LIKE THE CHILDREN REPRESENTING AND TEACHING THEM. A LOT OF OUR A LOT OF TIMES WE REALIZE THAT WE ARE THE ONLY ROLE MODEL THAT OUR KIDS HAVE. I GOT YOU. EVERYBODY GET A HUG. WHAT IS THAT? AND JAMARI IS A WELCOME ASSET TO MISS J. THE SUPERVISING TEACHER IN THE CLASSROOM. HAVING MR. JAMARI IN HER CLASSROOM IS A TREASURE. AND EVERYBODY’S UP. NO MATTER WHAT WE’RE DOING TO GREET HIM. GOOD MORNING. LEADING MEN FELLOWSHIP OPERATES IN FIVE CITIES. PARTICIPANTS ARE PAID $17 AN HOUR. THEY GET A MONTHLY STIPEND OF $120 TO COVER THINGS LIKE TRANSPORTATION TO GET TO SCHOOL. AND AT THE END OF A COMPLETED SERVICE YEAR, THEY QUALIFY FOR A $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP. BUT LOW PAY HAS CONTRIBUTED TO A NATIONAL SHORTAGE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS. ACCORDING TO THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, PRESCHOOL TEACHERS MAKE AN AVERAGE OF $37,000 A YEAR. ABOUT $26,000 LESS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. WHY ARE YOU STARTING ALL YOUR FELLOWS IN PRE-K, WHERE YOU’RE SETTING THEM UP TO MAKE 30 TO 40,000 A YEAR INSTEAD OF SETTING THEM UP IN AN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM? SO A LOT OF OUR FELLOWS ARE FRESH OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL AND AND EVEN IN COLLEGE. SO GIVING THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT THEY’RE GETTING INTO IS SUPER IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO TO BUILD TOWARDS A VIABLE AND SUSTAINABLE CAREER IN EDUCATION VERSUS BEING THRUSTED INTO IT OR WANTING TO GO INTO IT AND NOT HAVING THE EXPERIENCE. WE’VE LITERALLY SEEN RIGHT AT ABOUT HALF OF OUR FELLOWS GOING INTO EDUCATION, WHETHER THAT BE RETURNING TO WITH US FOR A SECOND YEAR OR ACTUALLY GOING INTO A CLASSROOM AS A PARAPROFESSIONAL, INCLUDING JAMARI. NOW, WHAT’S THIS? OKAY. DID YOU EVER WANT TO BE A TEACHER AS A KID? NEVER. I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT TEACHING. I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT GOING INTO EDUCATION. BUT THIS OPENED UP DIFFERENT DOORS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN MY EYES TO DIFFERENT THINGS OF LIKE, OH, YOU ACTUALLY CAN DO THIS. EVEN IF IT’S NOT AT THIS GRADE LEVEL OR PRE-K, IT’S ON THE TABLE NOW. IT’S ON THE TABLE FOR SURE.