PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – When Hurricane Michael devastated the Panhandle in 2018, most buildings in its path were damaged or destroyed. Nursery facilities and classrooms were also not spared damage.
Like many places, the Northwest Florida Early Learning Coalition knows what it was like to rebuild after Hurricane Michael.
So when the nonprofit received a $7.4 million federal child care development grant in 2019, it created Operation Kaleidoscope.
āWhen we applied for the funding, we decided we wanted to use those millions of dollars for a wide range of services to help reopen child care centers as you know them,ā the Northwest Early Learning Coalition said. . Matt Bonner, Florida Department of Administration.
They distributed the funds to more than 30 affected child care centers and hundreds of classrooms across the coalition’s seven-county service area.
The $1.3 million will buy books, furniture, and other learning tools for 339 different classrooms.
āWe can use this to replace all of these materials again, and we can also reimburse providers for the cost of repairing or renovating things that are uninsured or not covered by insurance. ,ā Bonner said.
The recovery process from Hurricane Michael was a time of great stress for people of all ages.
The Northwest Florida Early Learning Coalition spent $2.8 million to rebuild playgrounds at 42 child care centers.
Almost all daycare centers that were damaged or forced to close have reopened and continue to operate.
Now, as Operation Kaleidoscope draws to a close, the coalition is planning a new undertaking called Help-Me-Grow.
“It’s a little bit of everything. It starts with testing the child. That’s why we have experts who can go out there and walk and walk with families. It’s called an age and stage questionnaire tool, and it just measures children’s development,” Bonner said.
This program measures your child’s developmental progress and ensures they get the help they need as soon as possible.
Child care facilities in need of assistance can contact the federation.
The hotline number is (850) 747-5400.