BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Bills defensive end Dawuane Smoot is currently recovering from surgery on an injured wrist. He joined the Bills this season after seven seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he and his wife’s dedication to early literacy led to the establishment of a brand-new school.
“In these last couple of years that’s become really relevant to us,” said Smoot. “We want to really support literacy and especially at a younger age. Knowing that reading is so important.”
The relevance he mentioned is he and his wife Aumari’s two children.
“They’re so excited about reading, so that’s something we want to make sure we bring into every single family,” said Smoot. “Not every single family has access to books.”
That led them to establish The Elsie Academy, a private daycare and preschool in Jacksonville.
“It started in January, we just opened up,” said Smoot. “We have now 66 kids, fully enrolled. But we just believed in starting a bilingual school back then. My wife, she’s the visionary behind all of this.”
After signing with the Bills in the offseason, Smoot hopes to bring something similar to Western New York and beyond.
“If everything goes right, we keep growing,” said Smoot. “That’s the hope for sure. We gotta bring it to every city.”
Giving kids an early introduction to the importance of literacy.
“It’s so important,” said Smoot. “Just seeing my kids, as they grow up we have to make sure that their education is the most important thing so they can go out into this world and do great things. It starts now. They’re like sponges now.”
Scott Patterson is a co-anchor on News 4 Wake Up! He joined the News 4 team in 2024. See more of his work here.
