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ELC RESPONDS
TO COVID-19...
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Early Learning
Coalition of Manatee County (ELC) wanted to do everything
they could to support their 'Untold First Responders' –
childcare providers who were open every day during this health
crisis looking after and continuing to educate our local children!
To help and support them, the ELC procured paper products,
cleaning supplies, hand sanitizers, and much more to distribute
to them at no cost. With cleaning products in short supply, CEO
Paul Sharff investigated the idea of using pool grade chlorine to
mix with water to create gallons of bleach for providers to use in
their centers to keep their sites clean and germ-free.
The supplies were picked up by providers at the ELC office, as staff
worked hard to get the cleaning packages ready. A huge thank you
is owed to Dakin Dairy Farms, who generously donated 250 new
gallon milk jugs to use for the mixing process that comes complete
with instructions from the Florida Department of Health (DOH). The
pool chlorine was provided at cost by Galaxy Pools. Hand-made
masks also came from Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
ELC staff also went into the community weekly to help distribute
free family meals that were donated by Feeding Tampa Bay and
distributed on Tuesdays and Thursdays at different Title 1 school
sites throughout the county.
Books were also distributed four days a week to children
encouraging the importance of reading as so much learning
became virtual and at home. Both the children and parents were
excited to receive free books and would even start to follow
wherever the ELC STEAM Machine was going. By the end of
June, there was a total of 9,000 children books and 15,000 family
meals distributed in Manatee County.