Lee, who attends the special education program for mentally-challenged children at Lake Forest Elementary School in East Gainesville, was scheduled to advance to middle school next fall, but teachers at Lake Forest agreed to hold him back one more year, so he can continue to attend Prime Time and work with the tutors there.

"They said if I work with him for one more year, he might go mainstream," Batie said.

With help from Prime Time tutors, Lee can now read, write and add and has started socializing with other children.

Lee’s success at Prime Time is not unique. When the program began last fall, none of the 23 children who registered could read or write well, and most lacked skills in math. "They were told they would all be held back," Batie said.

Nine months later, all 19 children who stayed with the program earned passing grades at school, said the Rev. Tom Price, pastor of the church. "Ten of the children made the honor roll; eight of those made the A honor roll," he said.

The Prime Time program completed its first year with the end of the 1998-99 school year, and according to Price, coordinators are already getting ready for the 1999-2000 school year.

Part of the preparation is finding needed funds. A $2,000 grant from the Florida Conference’s Council of Bishops’ Initiative on Children and Poverty task force will cover about 10 percent of the ministry’s annual budget.

Prime Time grew from the 85-member church’s desire to serve its community, Price said.

A board of directors was formed from the church’s membership, and people from the community with expertise in ministry and education were asked to serve on a board of advisors.

The daily operations are overseen by Batie and her assistant, Veronica O’Neal, who were both hired by the local YMCA to run a five-week summer program for the neighborhood’s children.

In addition to church volunteers, Prime Time gets help from University of Florida and Santa Fe Community College education students who serve as volunteer tutors to earn class credit.

Next year, Price says he is going to invite members of the Key Club at nearby East Side High School to also serve as tutors and mentors.

"These are kids from the same neighborhood who know the younger kids," Price said. "Many of the [Prime Time] kids are from dysfunctional families…have no positive male role models; I hope the older youth can fill that role."