EDUCATION

Operation Kaleidoscope Looks to Change the Status of Child Care

by: Julie Weber, Communications and Outreach Specialist, Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida

Although Florida has long been called the Sunshine State, the outlook for children in the panhandle region is getting a whole lot brighter these days; particularly those affected by the child care crisis after Hurricane Michael. Like so many others who began the journey towards rebuilding, the Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida (ELCNWF) is focused on the recovery of the community by concentrating on the child care industry, which has only continued to struggle with the added stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ELCNWF serves children and families in Bay County, and six other surrounding Counties, by providing access to resources and referrals for all early education and care needs including the School Readiness Program and Voluntary Pre-kindergarten (VPK) program. The Coalition administers grant funding and works with small businesses such as child care centers, family child care homes, faith-based child care facilities, and preschools to cultivate and invest in early childhood educators and their programs. In addition to our regular services, the organization also launched Operation Kaleidoscope, a Hurricane Michael disaster recovery program, in the fall of 2020. In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, many child care providers in the area sustained considerable damage or total destruction. After surveying the damage, the Coalition worked to identify the needs of Bay County’s struggling child care providers and address the issue of families needing to find child care, as a number of facilities had to close their doors for good. The goal was to focus recovery efforts on those needs that would have the greatest impact on the industry and children in the community. Our Coalition, in partnership with the Florida Department of Education Office of Early Learning, submitted a Hurricane Michael disaster recovery application through the U.S. Health and Human Services’ Child Care Disaster Fund and awaited a response.

On October 9, 2020, Governor Ron DeSantis visited our office in Panama City to announce a $5.2 Million Disaster Recovery Grant awarded to ELCNWF with the purpose to rebuild childcare facilities, offer support and resources for developmental screenings and expand mental health services in the area to promote the recovery from Hurricane Michael. Operation Kaleidoscope in

its totality is set to tackle just that. Since receiving the grant, the Coalition has expanded operations and is committed to seeing every dollar of the recovery grant utilized for the programs designed specifically for Operation Kaleidoscope. “We launched Operation Kaleidoscope in response to the hurricane because our region would not recover if the needs and considerations of families with young children were not taken into account”, says Suzan Gage, Executive Director of ELCNWF. “It was our responsibility to say this was a top priority, and to ensure our children have quality early learning experiences that are meaningful, especially after a disaster like Michael.”

Help Me Grow (HMG) Northwest Florida launched this past November to address the growing needs of parents regarding their children's social, emotional and physical development. By providing an early detection and intervention system to families across Northwest Florida, HMG is ensuring any developmental or behavioral delays are addressed and supported. Families can call 2-1-1 to access HMG to receive free developmental screenings, follow up care coordination, and other community resources that promote health and wellness.

Recruiting new business owners and pursuing corporate child care programs will provide the much-needed openings for families needing child care services in our region. A full-time Provider Recruitment Specialist has started the critical task of reaching out to existing providers to offer support to enhance business knowledge and mitigation strategies in preparation for future disasters, as well as identify potential opportunities for expansion. Local businesses are also encouraged to consider addressing their family-friendly practices to become champions for investing in early childhood development or possibly creating on-site child care programs to support workforce productivity and talent retention.

Applications for reimbursement of renovations completed due to damage incurred by Hurricane Michael have been distributed to child care providers and are currently being reviewed and processed. Items like insurance deductibles, furniture, supplies, materials, curricula for the children and other items not being covered by any other funding source are being reimbursed or replaced. Additionally, Operation Kaleidoscope will provide supplemental materials to assist with repairing classrooms for child care centers and family child care homes, as well as their outdoor play structures. For example, the program plans to provide curriculum for every classroom so teachers do not have to share resources, as well as repair provider play structures, as outdoor play is also important for a child’s physical health and development.

And last but certainly not least, are the Mental Health Services being brought to our region by Operation Kaleidoscope. Young children and their families were struggling to recover from the mental stress of Hurricane Michael. Add to that, additional stresses caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic, and young children and families have been hit hard. Navigating the social and emotional impacts these two events have had on our children is challenging, but with Mental Health Services, efforts are being made to address these needs. Operation Kaleidoscope has introduced mental health screenings, evaluations, and therapy services for children, families, and child care providers. Training and support are being made available to providers, parents and community members. And mental health services via telehealth are set to launch to assist young children, their parents, and teachers as needed.

The status of child care programs in our area should be taken into consideration as we talk about the economic recovery and growth of the community as a whole. The ELCNWF knows and will continue to spread the message that economic development really starts by ensuring our youngest have the foundation for future success. Evidence has shown increased access to quality early learning programs and experiences results in short-term and long-term benefits to individuals and society. For the next two years, the ELCNWF looks forward to investing Operation Kaleidoscope dollars into Bay County and our other service areas, to rebuild high-quality early education programs for children. This investment could potentially generate a significant return to our community based on social and economic outcomes for both children and their parents, and we are here to support our providers, families and the community in this journey.

For more information about Operation Kaleidoscope, or if you would like us to talk to your organization about our programs, contact the Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida at (850) 747-5400 or visit our website at elcnwf.org.