Uniting communities through ‘Care Navigators’ to guide Floridians on an individualized path to prosperity, economic self-sufficiency and hope. Click here.

We wanted to ensure you are aware of the latest development regarding the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) that helps low-income households pay for broadband service and internet connected devices.

What is the Affordable Connectivity Program? ACP is a Federal Communications Commission program that replaces the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. Eligible households can receive:

• Up to $30/month discount on your internet service
• Up to $75/month discount if your household is on qualifying Tribal lands
• A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer

What’s the news? AT&T and Cricket Wireless will participate in the ACP.

Why is this important? ACP will help make broadband services more affordable for about 30 percent of American households who may qualify. Affordability is one of the key issues creating the digital divide–the gap between those who have internet services and those who don’t.

How do I take advantage of this? ACP began accepting eligibility applications on December 31, 2021.

To find out if you are eligible, please visit the ACP’s website at https://acpbenefit.org/. 

To find a company that offers ACP discounts, please visit https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-broadband-benefit-providers#Florida.

For more information on AT&T’s participation, please visit https://about.att.com/story/2021/affordable-connectivity-program-participation.html. 

It’s important to be healthy so you can take good care of yourself, your family, and the children who are counting on you. COVID-19 has raised the need for health coverage and the new law has made that coverage more affordable and accessible than ever through the Health Insurance Marketplace®.

If you choose to buy a health plan through the Marketplace, you may qualify for help paying for health coverage, even if you weren’t eligible for help in the past.

To learn more about coverage through the Marketplace or your benefits and protections, visit HealthCare.gov or call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596. TTY users can call 1-855-889-4325.

Plans are underway for Children’s Week Florida 2022, including the annual tradition of the Celebration of the Hands at the Capitol Rotunda. Celebration of the Hands is a stunning display of children’s hand artwork, through which legislators, advocates, families, and visitors alike are reminded that Florida’s children are impacted by policy decisions made by the legislature.

We need your help to create the 2022 display and are now accepting hand artwork. This is a fun activity that early educators can do with the children in their classroom or that families can do together at home.

For more information and instructions about Celebration of the Hands, click here.

Note: Please indicate your county or region on the package and/or artwork.
Questions: Please call 850-487-6300 or send an email to info@childrensweek.org.

Mealtime is a great time to use the 3Ts with your child!

• Tune In to the specific foods your child is focused on.
• Talk More about the different foods on his plate. Describe the colors and textures using a wide variety of words.
• Take Turns to have a conversation with your child.

Download the free digital app at the3Ts.org for more tips and tools for talking and interacting with your child. Also available in Spanish at las3Cs.org.

Open Enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace is from Nov. 1, 2021, to Jan. 15, 2022. Benefits, as well as plan options, have expanded for 2022. Four out of five Floridians can enroll in coverage for less than $10 a month.

The Primary Care Access Network’s new team of navigators is ready to help you enroll in coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. 

PCAN has expanded offerings for in-person as well as virtual assistance in English, Spanish, Creole, Portuguese and Russian. Phone interpretation is available for all others.

To learn more, click English, Spanish, Creole, or Portuguese.

In addition, the City of Orlando Hispanic Office of Local Assistance is hosting two in-person events where individuals can receive education and enrollment support. Those are being held on Oct. 26 and Nov. 16 from noon to 7 p.m. No registration is needed for these are walk-in events. 

To learn more, click English or Spanish.

The Florida Division of Early Learning (DEL)in collaboration with the Children’s Forum will host avirtual regional meetings for Joint Referral Collaboration Summit participants, on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, from 9 a.m. to noon EDT. The meeting will be facilitated by Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System.

The second Joint Referral Collaboration summit will be held in-person and is planned for Spring 2022. This summit will allow a state-wide, cross-region assembly of local Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) staff, referral agencies and key stakeholders as they continue to share ideas, methodology, goals and outcomes to bridging gaps and creating a more efficient referral process for families of children birth to five.

The summits will include, among others, CCR&R Coordinators and staff from Head Start/Early Head Start, Help Me Grow, Early Steps, Florida’s Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting, the Coalition to End Homelessness, the Department of Children and Families, Interagency Local Review Teams, and the Department of Education’s Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services and Division of Blind Services.

For more information, contact the Children’s Forum at JRC_Summit@thechildrensforum.com or DEL’s Emily Rhodes at Emily.Rhodes@oel.myflorida.com.

Free Webinar | Oct. 7, 3 p.m.

An important part of becoming a successful learner is developing the ability to regulate emotions and behaviors. Preschoolers show a growing ability to manage emotions and behaviors by using a range of coping strategies with the support of an adult.

Join this Teacher Time Series webinar to discuss the importance of emotional and behavioral self-regulation for preschoolers and learn ways teachers and family child care providers support self-regulation through responsive and teaching practices and consistent routines.

Free Webinar | Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. 

To create the next generation of critical thinkers and leaders, we must ensure that every child has a sense of influence — that they are problem solvers and decision-makers! For this to happen, educators make a difference. Children must learn in equitable settings where power is shared and all the adults define themselves as Optimistic Leaders. This interactive webinar will examine how Optimistic Leaders think impact, cultivate self-awareness, nurture relationships, refine communication, and activate curiosity to enhance their work and ensure children’s success as learners.

Objectives: 

• Understand their role as Optimistic Leaders for Children 
• Apply the five commitments of Optimistic Leadership to be more effective in their role 
• Use strategies to ensure increased equity and shared power in their settings 

For more information and register, click here. 

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is partnering with the U.S. Department of Treasury to promote emergency rental assistance available through the American Rescue Plan Act. Many families need housing assistance to maintain stability, especially during times of uncertainty. The rental assistance will help cover rent, utilities, and other housing costs to keep residents in their homes.

Find information on rental assistance across states and counties through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) website. The CFPB website also offers resources in English and Spanish to help renters and landlords access additional financial assistance related to housing costs.

The American Rescue Act Plan Act also includes $4.5 billion in additional Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding. The funds will help families with low incomes afford home heating and cooling costs and meet unpaid electric and natural gas bills. ACF is also administering more than $1 billion in funding to assist low-income households with drinking water and wastewater bills through the newly established Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). Visit https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs for additional information.