Security First Insurance Company steps up and participates in educational program for children

Security First Insurance Company has elected to participate in the Step Up for Students program, an initiative of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, that provides education scholarships to low-income children in Florida. The company is contributing $250,000 of its tax liability to the program, which will provide more than 60 Step Up For Students’ scholarships to children living in poverty.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to participate in this program,” said Locke Burt, president of Security First Insurance Company. “No child should ever have to face educational challenges—and what the state has done here with this program is commendable.”

According to the Step Up for Students website (www.StepUpForStudents.org), only 48 percent of economically- disadvantaged children read at grade level. The program recognizes that not all children learn in the same way and that a private school or a different public school will provide each child with the learning environment that best meets their needs.

“We see firsthand how these scholarships can turn around the educational life of an underprivileged child who is going in the wrong direction,” said Doug Tuthill, president of Step Up For Students. “That’s why it is so heartening to see Security First Insurance reach out to these students. Companies like Security First are the lifeblood of this program.”

In April, Governor Charlie Crist signed a bill that increases the tax cap credit for the program from $118 million to $140 million. The new cap becomes effective in July.