Childcare workers ARE essential

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas (ELC) continues to emphasize the importance of childcare providers – several of which stayed open through the stay-at-home orders to care for children of essential workers, while others now begin to reopen for business or work on plans to do so.

After scaled-down or fully closed operations, some early learning and childcare providers now face a multitude of struggles, from financial hardships to structural to workforce, loss of clientele, loss of staff, and other challenges; as they look toward resuming regular business operations.

The ELC, in partnership with the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB), produced this video – which features community leaders, essential workers, and parents – to thank childcare providers for caring for children during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as the support they have always provided and will continue to provide working families. JWB also partnered on a second video to raise awareness about the essential work of childcare providers whose work makes the work of others possible. These videos are viewable on YouTube.

In support of childcare providers and the families they serve, the ELC developed the Emergency Childcare Support Fund to help ensure childcare for families who have been financially affected as well as aid for providers as they reopen. To contribute to the Emergency Childcare Support Fund:

Visit https://bit.ly/PinellasKids or text HELPKIDS to 71441.

“Childcare providers have stepped up to care for the children of all working families during this pandemic,” said ELC CEO Lindsay Carson. “They are vital in order to restart our local economies. Without childcare, many parents cannot return to work. Our providers deserve our support as they seek to maintain services or seek to reopen their centers.”

To partner with the ELC on efforts to support providers and families, contact Rosa Rivera, Director of Community Engagement, at RRivera@ELCPinellas.org.

To view the full news story by The Patch, visit https://patch.com/florida/stpete/thanking-childcare-providers