A Message from the Chief Executive Officer
Despite the incredibly unique challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic presented, we are pleased to share our many achievements and the noteworthy progress we accomplished during the 2020/2021 fiscal year.
Our agency has been at the forefront of supporting the Early Child Care Community since the onset of the pandemic, and we are incredibly proud of everything the Early Learning Coalition (ELC) did to help our child care providers and families during such challenging times.
In the fiscal year 2020/2021, in addition to ordinary grants, the ELC received almost 4 million dollars from the State of Florida from CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) funding. These funds were distributed to over 160 child care providers to help recover from the pandemic by allowing them to stay open and operational. The funding also allowed to purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supplies to keep the children, teachers, and staff safe and well. ELC also received over $1 million from local Manatee County government CARES grants to fund numerous projects such as purchasing and installing over 250 commercial outside hand sanitizing stations for child care sites and elementary, middle, and High school locations. The County grant also enabled the Coalition to purchase and specially outfit a School Bus to act as a Mobile Community Center.
ELC partnered with Feeding Tampa Bay to man over 40 mobile food pantries at various sites throughout the County to meet the ongoing food poverty problem intensified by people losing their jobs due to COVID-19. Parents of school children were not allowed to be fed with federally funded school breakfast and lunch program dollars. The ELC partnered with Feeding Tampa Bay and Manatee County Government to feed those parents when their children were given their daily allocation. Whether it was food, PPE, sanitizing child care locations, distributing books, or engaging children with remote learning programs, the ELC supported the community in many numerous and varied ways. We could not have been prouder of our staff who worked above and beyond to do much for our local children and families.
What was even more remarkable was that ELC continued to innovate and integrate new imaginative ideas and programs during this perplexing time. We successfully brought the Reading Pals initiative back to Manatee County after being awarded that program by the Children's Movement of Florida. We introduced the Dream Machine – a new mobile educational vehicle donated by the Soar In 4 program – taking our fleet of vehicles to five, with more to come next year. From YouTube to virtual learning lessons, we went to them when the children could not come to us.
Every organization has many components that make it successful. We wish to express our sincere appreciation to our volunteer Board of Directors and thank them for their years of valuable and significant service. Their leadership and guidance are what ensure the Coalition's mission and vision are attainable.
Along with our outstanding Board, our goals are achieved by an exceptional staff who work tirelessly day in and day out. Our subsidized School Readiness program allows parents to go off to work each day knowing their child is not only safe but learning at the same time. Our free VPK program gives a timely boost to four-year-old children just before entering kindergarten.
Our continued work with community partners and the Manatee County School District has allowed child development and early literacy initiatives to thrive and survive some extreme obstacles. We thank all our partners who support and engage with us in our mission.
Finally, as you read this report, please notice that less than five percent of the Coalition's budget goes to our organization's administrative costs. ELC Manatee sets itself apart from other Coalitions. We implement so many unique and impactful programs, going above and beyond to find revenue streams that support these critical initiatives while keeping our administrative costs to a minimum.
If you, or an organization that you know of, wish to invest in children's early education, please be assured that any donation or grant to our Coalition will be very well spent and truly impact local children. The ELC has maintained the Platinum Seal of Transparency bestowed by GuideStar, the world's charitable organization watchdog, for the last ten years. This level is only obtained by less than .02 percent of all non-profits worldwide.
Donations can be made at www.elc-manatee.org. We always welcome you to visit our offices in person or arrange for a Zoom meeting to learn more about all the programs, plans, initiatives, volunteer, and funding opportunities that we have.
Together, we will continue to make a difference by working every day to allow all the children of Manatee County to succeed and flourish.
Sincerely,
Paul A. Sharff
Chief Executive Officer
Click here to view the ELC of Manatee County's Annual Reports page
