Escambia Early Learning Coalition impacts to school readiness vouchers

Childcare voucher program already has nearly 300 children on waiting list.
School Readiness voucher program pays up to 95 percent of childcare costs for working parents.

Families hoping to receive school readiness vouchers from the Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County may have an even longer wait.

The vouchers can cover up to 95% of childcare expenses for families in need. Based on income, families in some cases can pay less than $6.50 per day for childcare expenses.

However, the Escambia County program’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget was cut $2.4 million as part of $60 million that was slashed from Early Learning Coalitions statewide by the Legislature. Florida has 30 ELCs to serve the state’s 67 counties.

To mitigate the cuts, Escambia County’s ELC is not issuing any new school readiness vouchers, which are used to pay approved childcare providers, said Bruce Watson, executive director of the Escambia County’s ELC.

At the end of FY2025, the Escambia County program provided childcare vouchers to 2,550 young children. That number may drop to 2,050 children, Watson said. And as it stands now, 300 to 500 local children may not be able to participate in the program this fall.

The Escambia County’s ELC FY2026 budget is $16.3 million – down from $18.3 million for FY2025, Watson said.

“On paper, it’s (the cut) right at $2 million, but the state also removed $400,000 in funding for providers with Gold Seal accreditation,” said Watson, who explained those childcare centers receive an extra 20% on top of the standard rates. “In years past, it was part of the big budget. Then the funds were broken out for a while. This year it’s part of our overall school readiness funding.”

In mid-July, the coalition already has nearly 300 children on its waiting list for childcare vouchers. Come August, those numbers always spike, Watson added.

The Escambia County ELC found itself in a similar position last year. No new children were enrolled last July, August and September – but that’s not necessarily a good thing.

“Any expectation of getting my numbers down because of normal attrition won’t happen,” said Watson, noting it may come down to disenrolling children.

“That’s when you have to look a parent in the eye and say, ‘Your child is enrolled today, but not tomorrow.’ That is the worst-case scenario and something we are not even allowed to do on our own. We have to go to the state for approval.”

Netisha Rodgers, co-owner of A Top Notch Christian Academy in Pensacola, knows firsthand the impact of the budget cuts.

“I have a parent who pays $495 a week for an infant and a 2-year-old, and she’s on the waiting list for a school readiness voucher. She may have to quit her job because she can’t afford to continue to pay this amount,” said Rodgers, who added over 80% of A Top Notch Christian Academy students receive childcare vouchers.

“We’ve discussed some options with her. I would love to keep her children for free, but there is no way I can run a business and do that.”

The budget cuts also will impact more families because of new qualifications. The state changed the income requirements to 55% of Florida’s median income based family size, rather than the federal 150% of the poverty level standard, Watson said.

Under the new criteria, he said a family of four earning $47,000 per year would qualify for School Readiness vouchers. And once approved, the family can remain in the program if they earn up to 85% of the state’s median income.

The local program is also facing another shortfall. Watson said $2.5 million was reverted back to the state in May – before the early learning coalition had paid its childcare providers for June (the last month of the FY2025 fiscal year).

“We had paid our bills through May, but we are now using this year’s money to pay for the end of the last fiscal year,” he explained. “The best that we can do is ask for that reverted money. If we get the $2.5 million in reverted funds, then the Early Learning Coalition can serve 2,250 children. Instead of having to shed 500 children, we only have to shed 300 children.”

According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the lack of childcare is the No. 1 reason working parents with children under 6 in Florida quit their jobs.

In the Chamber’s recent policy research report, it found 281,621 Floridians reported not working in the last 12 months to take care of a child. That in turn contributes to Florida’s talent shortage: There are approximately 90 Floridians looking for work for every 100 open jobs, the report says.

Rodgers believes the benefits of the state’s School Readiness program far outweigh the cost.

“The program allows parents to work or attend school and help strengthen the economy. It’s one of the best investments of taxpayer dollars,” she said. “It builds a solid foundation of learning for young children. As they move to elementary, middle and high school, you see the results of that early learning. Not getting that early intervention leads to struggles, and a college education is not going to look so promising for these children because they’ve has such a rocky start in education.”

Rodgers said it also gives parents peace of mind.

“Allowing working parents to get this funding and provide a safe place for their children to go and learn is crucial to our community. They’re not having to leave the children at home with an older sibling. They know their children are in a safe and nurturing environment,” she said.

The program has been a lifeline for many families. Watson said Escambia County ELC has children who entered the program as infants and aged out at 13.

“Many parents pay a small, flat rate for childcare costs, which are no more than 6% of their gross income. In some lower-income households, the copayment rate is as little as 4% of gross income for full-time childcare and 2% or 3% for part-time childcare,” he said.

For a family earning $28,000 a year, 2% for part-time childcare is about $6.50 per day – no matter how the number of kids in the family, Watson said.

Rodgers also touts the benefits of the voucher program. She and her mother, Brenda Dean, have operated A Top Notch Christian Academy for over 26 years.

“School readiness is so crucial to kids heading to school. Most child brain development occurs before age 5, and early learning helps young children with cognitive development. They build language skills and learn emotional maturity. Without this early stimulation, some will fall behind when they enter the classroom,” Rodgers said.

She added that young children also learn how to behave in a structured environment.

“They learn to follow directions, express their emotions, wait their turn during activities and develop healthy peer relationships. These skills are as critical as learning the alphabet and math skills.”

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