Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature authorized two qualified disaster relief payments to child care and early learning instructors affected by COVID in Specific Appropriation #80B of the 2021-22 General Appropriations Act (GAA) (Chapter 2021-036, Laws of Florida).

These payments are provided to qualified instructors in recognition of their continuing service and dedication to Florida’s children and families.

To learn more, click here.

Community Coordinated Care for Children is partnering with TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health and #PNCGrowUpGreat to bring the “Any Time is 3Ts Time” campaign to Central Florida!

As part of this campaign, we’ll share free resources for parents of children ages 0-3.

To get your organization involved, sign up at partners.the3ts.org.

Orange County, Fla. (July 13, 2021) – With the CDC Eviction Moratorium set to expire at the end of the month, Orange County is reaching out to local nonprofit agencies for assistance in getting critical funds in the hands of residents to avoid eviction.

Orange County is recruiting community partners to participate in a “How to Apply for Emergency Rental Assistance Program” which is an online training course on Wednesday, July 28, at 2 p.m. to explain the application process to organizations.

“We are asking local non-profits to help us reach those facing eviction,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings. “I encourage all those that wish to be a part of the solution to participate in the virtual training session and engage with your clients to make sure they know resources are available.”

The goal is to expand the reach and connection with our residents who are most in need. This is an opportunity to teach nonprofit partners across Orange County about the application process so that they can then help their clients apply and receive assistance. The application can be found at, ocfl.net/RentalAssistance.

The Emergency Rental Assistance Program is an income-based program aimed at continuing to help Orange County’s most vulnerable tenants who are past due in rent as a result of financial hardships caused by COVID-19.

The Emergency Rental Assistance Program began taking applications to distribute $33.4 million of federal funds to assist eligible residents on March 1, 2021. The funding made available under this program will be used to make direct payments on behalf of qualifying tenants. Such payments shall:

• Cover a tenant’s documented past-due rent only for the time period beginning on April 1, 2020, to present and may provide one (1) month’s future rent.
• Not to exceed 12 months of past-due rent or $20,000.
• Shall not be duplicative of any additional rental assistance received by the tenant or the landlord for the tenant’s past-due rent. Any such duplicative assistance shall be deducted from the program payment amount.

As of Friday, July 9, 2021, a total of 755 applications have been approved and $4 million has been approved by the Comptroller’s Office for distribution.

For more information on tenant and landlord eligibility and required documents, and to apply for the program, visit www.ocfl.net/RentalAssistance.

Sign up with the Florida DEP to participate in a new lead-testing program.

Section 2107 of the federal Water Infrastructure Improvements for the National (WIIN) Act authorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide financial assistance for states to develop voluntary lead testing programs to check drinking water in schools and child care facilities. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) applied for and is receiving this assistance through a grant from EPA known as the “WIIN 2107” grant.

According to DOH, even low levels of lead exposure in children contribute to behavior and learning issues. To avoid these adverse effects, the EPA recommends that all schools and child care facilities regularly test their drinking water for lead. If lead is found at any drinking water fixture at a level above 15 parts per billion (ppb), the EPA further recommends taking action to reduce the lead.

Florida’s new Voluntary Lead Testing Program for Schools and Childcare Facilities will allow qualifying selected child care facilities to benefit from this initiative at no cost. All participating facilities will receive:

• On-site drinking water sample collection and analysis.
• Educational materials on the health effects of lead in drinking water, methods to reduce lead exposure, proper methods for sample collection and preservation, and responding to elevated results. 
• Guidance for effectively communicating with parents and the community.
• Assistance with development of a lead testing program following EPA’s “3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools and Child Care Facilities” guidance (Training, Testing, Taking Action).

Due to the number of eligible facilities in Florida, all interested facilities may not be able to participate in the program. In compliance with EPA requirements, priority will be given to those facilities that volunteer for participation where children may be more vulnerable to lead exposure, including:

• Child care programs in low-income areas, such as those with at least 50% of children receiving free/reduced school lunch and Head Start Facilities.
• Programs primarily caring for children 6 years of age and younger.
• Facilities that are more likely to contain lead plumbing, such as those built prior to 1986 and those with evidence of lead plumbing materials. 

The DCF Office of Child Care is committed to working with selected child care programs to ensure safe drinking water for students and young children. If you would like your child care facility to participate in this voluntary and cost-free program, or if you have any questions about the program or participation, please call at 850-245-8486 or email at: PWS@dep.state.fl.us.

UpliftED is partnering with researchers in the Sociology department at UCF to conduct a study assessing technology access across K-12 students in Orange County (public, private and charter students included).

This year’s One Goal Summer Conference will be in person at the Hilton Tampa Downtown, July 21-23. Registration is open but limited to a first-come, first-serve basis. Join with early learning providers, leaders, and influencers from all across the state to explore the 2021 One Goal: Building The Future Together “Putting Families and Children First.”

Click here to register or to learn more.

Participants at the One Goal Summer Conference receive:

• Up-to-date information on best practices and techniques to engage and nurture children.
• Policy and practice resources, materials, and information from national, state, and local experts and leaders.
• Opportunities to exchange ideas and share successes with peers.
• Access to workshops that provide information on developmentally appropriate activities and teach skills that can be used daily in working with children, and more.

In July, Khan Academy will host ‘Camp Khan Kids,’ a fun, free four-week virtual summer camp for children ages 2 to 8 years old. The camp guides parents and children in a playful educational journey using Khan Academy Kids materials.

Each week in July, teachers, and parents who are signed up for the Khan Academy Kids app will receive an email announcing the week’s themes and a self-paced schedule of suggested activities for reading, learning, and playing. Weekly themes include dinosaurs, animals, science, and more.

To register for Camp Kids 2021, click here.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the availability of the FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program, which provides a temporary discount on monthly broadband bills for qualifying low-income consumers. Eligible households can enroll through an approved broadband service provider or by visiting the GetEmergencyBroadband.org site. The application process opened on May 12, 2021, and eligible households can receive:

• Up to a $50-per-month discount on your broadband service and associated equipment rentals
• A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer (with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50).

Only one monthly service discount and one device discount are allowed per household. Program rules acknowledge that there may be more than one eligible household residing at the same address.

Additional information about the EBB Program is available in this Overview Module. Help in applying for the program is available from the Emergency Broadband Support Center by emailing EBBHelp@usac.org or calling (833) 511-0311.

Apply Early! The EBB Program will end when funds are exhausted or six months after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health emergency, whichever is sooner.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a broad range of flexibilities to allow school meal programs and child care institutions across the country to return to serving healthy meals in fall 2021. Several meal service flexibilities that enable social distancing are now extended through June 30, 2022.

“Students’ success in the classroom goes hand in hand with their ability to access basic needs like healthy and nutritious meals,” said Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “This program will ensure more students, regardless of their educational setting, can access free, healthy meals as more schools reopen their doors for in-person learning.”

USDA will continue to offer targeted meal pattern flexibility and technical assistance as needed. In addition, schools and child care institutions can continue providing breakfasts, lunches, and after-school snacks in non-group settings at flexible meal times.

To read more on the USDA announcement, click here.

Dear Child Care Providers,

This is a courtesy reminder regarding the extension deadline that was extended to individuals who needed to complete competency exams. Effective Monday, May 3, 2021, all competency exam requirements must be met in order to be in compliance with DCF.   

Please review the available exam locations as new opportunities continue to be added. In some cases, child care personnel may need to travel to a neighboring county to complete the testing. 

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Education Department at 407-532-4158.

Thank you.

Estimados Proveedores de Cuidado Infantil,

Este es un recordatorio de cortesía con respecto al plazo de extensión para el personal de cuidado infantil que necesita completar sus exámenes de competencia.

A partir del lunes 3 de mayo de 2021, se deben cumplir todos los requisitos del DCF con respecto a los examenes de competencia. 

Revise las ubicaciones de exámenes disponibles para poder cumplir con este requisito. En algunos casos, es posible que el personal de cuidado infantil deba viajar a un condado cercano para completar la prueba.

Si tiene alguna pregunta no dude en comunicarse con el Departamento de Educacion al 407-532-4158.

Gracias.