SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Sarasota County Commissioners decided to cut half a million dollars in funding to the Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County. The commission said the agency didn't meet the "safety criteria."
The county has funded the ELC for 20 years. In a public meeting on June 5, commissioners talked about funding for certain agencies that applied.
Commissioner Mark Smith argued the ELC is a "vital program that's very successful" and even asked the CEO Janet Kahn to speak to the board and explain why funding the ELC is so crucial to safety in the community.
Kahn said if the Early Learning Coalition didn't meet the county's safety criteria, then there should be several other agencies that don't either. But, in the end, commissioners decided to ax the funding.
Kahn said the funding is used to help about 300 families within the community. She said these are people working in jobs at the county, the school district, first responders or at the hospital.
"These are families that don't qualify for the very low threshold of state funding that is available on a widespread basis for families. These are families that don't meet that threshold but are poor. They struggle to survive in our community," she said. "It impacts businesses who are trying to hire and retain workers as well. These are families turning down jobs, not coming to our community, leaving our community, because of the double whammy of affordable housing and childcare, and this has been something that's been available."
The funding, $510,000, is actually even more. The state matches it about dollar for dollar through the Florida Division of Early Learning, bringing the total to a little more than $1 million.
The ELC has asked everyone in the community that is concerned by the cut in funding to go to the next county commission meeting in July and speak during the public comment to express that concern. Kahn said doing this in person could be really crucial.
ABC Action News reached out to Sarasota County Commissioners for comment and we are waiting to hear back.
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