Collier County Commission Helps Early Learning Coalition Assist Families

By Becky Newell, State Coordinator (West FL) on 05/11/2011 @ 03:34 PM

After a disappointing Florida legislative session, it’s encouraging to see a local entity that has not traditionally provided funding for children’s programs break with that tradition.

The Collier County Commission has historically refrained from allocating money to any non-profit agencies. But in late April, the Commission voted unanimously to approve providing $25,000 to the Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida. This money will allow the Coalition to meet requirements for receiving child care subsidies of $2.3 million from the state government and the federal government. This money will be used to provide subsidized child care for hundreds of families – families who can now continue to work rather than having to accept much larger amounts of government money in order to support their children.

The commissioners consider this money – correctly – to be “economic development incentive dollars.” Read the full Naples Daily News article