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As legislators work in Tallahassee this week to craft a state budget, there are several proposals on the table, including one in the state House that would cut funding for the Florida School Readiness Program by $120 million and one in the state Senate that would cut allocations to the program by $60 million, according to the Florida Association for the Education of Young Children.
It’s alarming for Marc Hutek, the CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Polk County.
The Early Learning Coalition issues vouchers to parents to cover a portion of child care costs.
Hutek sent an email on April 25 to parents receiving services from the coalition, requesting they contact legislators to restore early learning funding to match current investment at $1.056 billion.
“It would be difficult to see the Early Learning Coalition get into a ‘waitlist’ situation when we haven’t had one for a few years,” Hutek said.
“Also, I am concerned that children and teachers could possibly not get the support they have been getting regarding the quality of instruction and learning.
“There is a lot of legislative action going on in Tallahassee right now regarding this issue. We are hopeful additional exposure regarding the ramifications to these cuts may persuade lawmakers to keep the programs whole.”
LkldNow sought comment from several state legislators who represent Lakeland about the budget cuts but had not heard back by Tuesday afternoon.
The projected impact on families: Up to 20,000 children statewide could lose access to tuition assistance under the proposed budget cuts, according to the Florida Association for the Education of Young Children.
In Polk County, Hutek said that could translate to as many as 1,300 fewer children receiving a child care voucher this fall.
The vouchers are issued across Polk County on a first-come, first-serve basis, as funding permits.
There are currently 5,650 children in Lakeland who participate in the School Readiness Program, according to Hutek.
Sending an infant to many day cares in Lakeland can cost more than $300 a week without assistance. The cost to send a 2-year-old is typically more than $200 per week.
Projected impact on child care centers: The Early Learning Coalition of Polk County partners with nearly 300 child care providers who accept the School Readiness vouchers. Approximately 64 are located in Lakeland.
If child care centers receive fewer students due to lack of vouchers, that drop in revenue could lead to cuts in staffing at the centers, larger student-to-teacher ratios and less money to spend on capital improvements such as playground equipment.
The projected impact on the economy: Considering the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s estimated return on investment from Florida’s School Readiness Program, the proposed cuts in the House budget could cost the state $600 million in economic impact.
Lack of child care is the No. 1 reason working parents with children under the age of 6 in Florida quit their job, the Chamber says.
In the Chamber’s recent policy research report, it found 281,621 Floridians reported not working in the last 12 months to take care of a child.
That in turn contributes to Florida’s talent shortage: There are approximately 90 Floridians looking for work for every 100 open jobs.
Impact on learning: Polk County’s preschool enrollment was 43.1% in 2023, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Census’s American Community Survey.
Of the 7,815 students who entered kindergarten in Polk County schools last year, only 44% were “kindergarten-ready” based on a screening done in the first 30 days.
According to the Florida School Grades for the 2023/2024 school year, only 51% of third-graders enrolled in Polk County Public Schools passed the English-Language Arts Achievement tests.
Educators believe early childhood education exposes children to language and literacy skills and assists with the child’s social and emotional development.
To contact legislators
Every Florida address is associated with one representative and one senator. You can contact your legislators or reach out to bill sponsors with the following links:
Florida House of Representatives
– Find your representative
– House directory with email addresses and office phone numbers
– Other ways to contact representatives
Florida Senate
– Find your senator
– Senate directory with email addresses and office phone numbers
– Other ways to contact senators
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