ELC Distributes $106,000 to Local Child Care Providers in Hurricane Recovery Efforts
Palmetto, Florida, October 25, 2024 – The Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County, Inc. (ELC) today distributed $106,000 in quality grants to local child care providers as they continue recovery efforts from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
This emergency payment will assist providers in replacing outdoor playground equipment that has been lost or destroyed, classroom supplies that were damaged, and other materials needed to maintain the highest-quality learning environment in their centers.
In the immediate aftermath of Milton, ELC staff contacted each provider to ensure they had every support possible to re-open. Within a week, all but one of 147 child care sites were open and operational, and ELC is working with that one displaced provider to source alternative facilities.
ELC Chief Executive Officer Darrell King paid tribute to the resilience and commitment once more shown by local child care providers to stay open and provide a safe learning environment for the community, especially the children of first responders, as they worked tirelessly to get Manatee County back on its feet.
"Once again, our providers displayed an unwavering commitment to our youngest learners by working around the clock to get their centers open, providing a safe, familiar, learning environment after the impact of Milton, so soon after Helene," said King.
"As we have said many times before, it is vital that our first responders, who undertake such crucial work after a storm hits can do their jobs in the knowledge that their children are safe and being looked after. Our providers' commitment makes that happen for first responders and the community as a whole to be able to work in the aftermath of these damaging weather events.
"ELC learned from a large majority of providers that outdoor playground equipment had blown away or been badly damaged. In some cases, water intrusion also damaged classroom materials. We hope that this $1,000 quality grant to each center can help them start rebuilding and replacing items that were destroyed.
"I would like to thank the ELC Executive and Finance Committee members who convened so quickly last week to approve these payments. ELC continues to work with local and State agencies to source relief funds that can help our providers' recovery efforts from Milton."
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About ELC of Manatee County
The Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County, Inc. is a multi-service agency dedicated to helping children develop skills that they will need to be successful in school and life. The agency's focus is on high-quality school readiness opportunities for all children and their families, understanding that it is in the first years of life that a child's future educational success is determined and the critical role of parents, as their child's first and most important teacher. To learn more about Coalition's services, go to www.elc-manatee.org or call 941-757-2900, extension 2100.