Resources for Educators and Parents
If you would like to add a resource, link, or article to this page please email peeuainfo@gmail.com
Child Care/Early Education is a hot topic at the highest levels! Check out some of these resources:
Child care is n crises following pandemic:
Staff shortage hits Fla. childcare centers (abcactionnews.com)
Why Hiring for Child Care Is a Huge Struggle - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
A new pandemic child-care crisis: Worker shortages - The Washington Post
Childcare centers face staffing shortages nationwide as families flock to their doors | fox43.com
Exacerbated by pandemic, child care crisis hampers economy (apnews.com)
Why the child care crisis is a national security issue (msn.com)
MOAA - DoD Must Address ‘Desperate Need’ for Child Care Support
Parents are desperate for childcare, but there are not enough places to take them | KPIC
Florida expected to lose more than half of its daycare seats | firstcoastnews.com
6 min 42 second clip of President Biden’s address to congress about childcare (specific quote below to discuss)
“12 years is no longer enough – adding 2 years of universal high-quality preschool for every 3 and 4-year old no matter what background they come from puts them in the position to be able to compete all the way through 12 years. It increases exponentially their prospects of graduating and going on beyond graduation. Research shows when a young child goes to school, not daycare, they’re far more likely to graduate from high school and go to college or something after high school.
1.8 trillion American Families Plan includes spending for early care and education:
$200 billion for free preschool
$225 billion on childcare subsidies and higher wages for childcare workers
$425 billion to scale up and enhance the childcare industry to ensure affordable high quality education is available to almost every parent
Educators worry about child readiness as Florida VPK enrollmentrates plummet in 2021:
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/state/educators-worry-about-child-readiness-as-florida-vpk-enrollment-rates-plummet-in-2021
NAFCC Statement on Child Care for Working Families Act:
Other articles and video clips about the plan:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/21/biden-child-care-plan-lower-costs-paid-time-off-universal-pre-k.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/21/biden-child-care-plan-lower-costs-paid-time-off-universal-pre-k.html
https://www.epi.org/publication/whos-paying-now-costs-of-the-current-ece-system/
Plan Fact Sheet
Child Care Funding Plan:
Create a $25 billion emergency stabilization fund. It will provide support to those providers in danger of closing, as well as assist those who had to shut down to meet financial obligations so that they can reopen. The fund will help pay for rent, utilities and payroll, and pandemic-associated costs such as personal protective equipment, ventilation supplies, modifications to the physical environment and smaller class sizes.
Expand child-care assistance. Biden is calling for an additional $15 billion in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant program, which goes to states for child-care subsidies for low-income families with children under 13 years-old. This is on top of the $10 billion in funding in December and is aimed at helping women reenter the workforce and helping rebuild the supply of child-care workers.
Increase tax credits to cover child-care costs. Biden wants Congress to expand child-care tax credits for one year, on an emergency basis. Families will get a tax credit for a total of up to $4,000 for one child or $8,000 for two or more children. Families making between $125,000 and $400,000 will receive a partial credit. It will also be refundable, so that low-income families who don’t owe a lot in taxes will still benefit.
Early Educators and our Advocates In the News:
Advisory Council Member Lynn Gibson on News Ch. 10 April 2021:
https://www.wtsp.com/video/news/local/president-bidens-proposal-could-save-some-families-nearly-15000-a-year-on-child-care/67-0974fc5a-bd9d-473f-8292-37c96c0b55c1?fbclid=IwAR1B8DUfIa6Gub0GbSvq8qBj92kwsccD_6wqEdUXQbA9nfdOEBUPrNtLjdU
Advisory Council Member Lynn Gibson in Miami Herald March 2021:
COQEBS Celebrates moving the needle through Bridging the Gap Plan: Pinellas County Schools outperforms state, sees significant increase in graduation rates
Weekly Challenger Education During COVID 19 - Dr. Ric Davis/COQEBS and Delquanda Turner-Smith of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg
The Weekly Challenger:The state of Black and Hispanic student academic performance in Pinellas – the COQEBS view
HELPFUL LINKS:
NAEYC: https://www.naeyc.org/
FLAEYC: https://www.flaeyc.org/
Southside Partnership: https://southsidepartnership.org/index.php
Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas: https://elcpinellas.net/
Early Learning Coalition of Pasco: https://www.phelc.org/
Pinellas County License Board: http://pinellas.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/environmental-health/pclb/
Child Care Resource and Referral of the ELC: https://elcpinellas.net/for-families/child-care-resources-and-referrals/
Zero to Three: https://www.zerotothree.org/
Office of Early Learning Florida: http://www.floridaearlylearning.com/
Florida Department of Education: http://www.fldoe.org/
St Pete College School of Education: https://www.spcollege.edu/future-students/degrees-training/education
University of South Florida Family Study Center: https://www.stpetersburg.usf.edu/resources/family-study-center/
Pinellas Education Foundation: https://pinellaseducation.org/
COQEBS: https://digital.stpetersburg.usf.edu/coqebs/
United Way Suncoast: https://unitedwaysuncoast.org/
Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg: https://healthystpete.foundation/
Florida Dept of Children and Families: https://www.myflfamilies.com/
Early Steps Pinellas at Johns Hopkins: https://www.hopkinsallchildrens.org/Services/West-Central-Early-Steps
FDLRS Child Find Gulfcoast: https://www.pcsb.org/Page/16104
Suncoast Center, Inc.: https://www.suncoastcenter.org/
Directions for Living: https://directionsforliving.org/
Infant Family Center at USF St Pete: https://www.stpetersburg.usf.edu/resources/family-study-center/infant-family-mental-health/infant-family-center.aspx
WIC - Food Stamps - Women and Childrens Services: http://www.myflorida.com/accessflorida/
Healthy Start Pinellas: http://healthystartpinellas.org/
Healthy Families Pinellas: http://pinellas.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/clinical-and-nutrition-services/maternal-child-health/healthy-families/index.html
Community Healthy Centers of Pinellas: https://www.chcpinellas.org/
Learning Empowered, Inc.: https://www.learning-empowered.org/
R’Club: https://www.rclub.net/
Thrive By Five website: https://tb5p.org/
BYTE - Parent’s Guide to Mental Health from Pregnancy to Young Adulthood: