PNJ Headlines: Here’s what’s in the news Tuesday
Escambia extends administrator’s contract, why annual lease fees going up on Pensacola Beach, and when to catch Pensacola Home Show in Tuesday’s news
- Children’s Trust board wants to ensure successful existing programs are still viable.
- Providing childcare for at-risk children is among priorities for children’s trust.
The Escambia Children’s Trust may fund a variety of new programs in the coming years as many of the current providers’ contracts end over the next two years.
Children’s Trust Board Chair Dr. Rex Northup ensured the board the plan was not to abandon current programs as he would “hate to pull the rug from under the community” because of the impactful work that many existing providers are performing.
Board members met Monday during a workshop to start planning for future years.
Along with bringing on new programs, the trust may also allow existing providers to apply for additional Children’s Trust funds as long as they bring matching money to the table.
The trust will begin accepting Requests for Proposals in January.
The Children’s Trust helps fund numerous Out-of-School Time as well as Mental Health, Sole Source and Special Initiatives programs throughout Escambia County. Since first awarding funds in 2022, over 5,000 Escambia County children have benefitted from programs funded by the children’s trust.
Children’s Trust Executive Director Lindsey Cannon does not expect all existing providers to reapply for funding, but said some new applicants may include CARES microgrant recipients and others who applied for microgrants. In May, the Children’s Trust awarded $611,504 in Community, Access, Resilience and Empowerment microgrants to 14 programs – nine new and five existing providers. Over 40 programs applied for the one-year microgrants.
Looking forward to the next five years, board members laid out six priorities:
- Providing childcare for at-risk children.
- Providing more mental health support services.
- Offering nonprofit training for children’s trust providers.
- Continuing the CARES microgrants program.
- Funding more Sole Source programs such as the National Flight Academy for at-risk students in Escambia County Public Schools. In November, the children’s trust board voted to provide $1.19 million in funding for the three-year pilot STEM program.
- Offering more matching funds.
The Children’s Trust may be called upon to help other existing and new programs in the upcoming year including:
- The Community Action Agency’s Head Start Program with a $2 million grant match
- Mayor D.C. Reeve’s Childcare “Thrive By 5” Initiative
- The Brownsville Project – with the establishment at childcare program at Brownsville Church for 80 to 100 children in the state’s foster care system
- Community Health of Northwest Florida with upfront costs for an eye care bus program to provide eye care, vision exams and glasses to Escambia County first graders.
- The town of Century in some capacity with youth programming.
Board members at the workshop also agreed to recommend keeping the millage rate at its current 0.04043 percent, which would generate $12.8 million in revenue for the Children’s Trust for fiscal year 2025-2026. The millage also would generate $2.8 million in unobligated funds that would be used to possibly increase funding for Out of School Time programming. The full board will consider the recommendation at the next meeting set for Aug. 12.
The Escambia Children’s Trust was approved by 61% of voters in a 2020 referendum that created the trust and granted it the ability to levy an annual ad valorem tax of one-half mill for 10 years. The organization is responsible for allocating more than $10 million annually in property taxes to fund initiatives and services to help children and their families, especially those with the greatest need.
