The Heart of Florida United Way recently awarded 4C a $230,000 unrestricted grant to continue to stabilize Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) families, accounting for nearly half of Central Florida residents (pre-COVID). These families are one paycheck and one crisis away from financial ruin.
“While ALICE families work, their dollars simply do not stretch to cover all of a families basic needs such as housing, child care, transportation, food, and health care,” said Patricia Frank, president and CEO of 4C. “This is why the income supports provided by HFUW are a lifeline to family stability.”
With HFUW funding, 4C is able to provide access to full or part-time child care financial assistance at any legally operating provider in Central Florida. Parents can go to work and children receive early education and supporting services from caring and nurturing child care facilities contracted with the Early Learning Coalition of Orange County and the Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County.
Due to HFUW matching child care subsidies provided through these ELCs (who are funded through the state’s Division of Early Learning), 4C is able to enroll double the number of families and children into care. Currently, 4C is serving approximately 78 families and 134 children with HFUW’s matching dollars. While in care, children learn foundational skills needed to enter kindergarten prepared for school and beyond.
“4C has been doing tremendous work to stabilize ALICE families,” said Jeff Hayward, president and CEO of HFUW. “Given that ALICE [families are] already one crisis away from financial ruin, many weren’t able to pay their bills or mortgages due to limited savings to get through the extended period of time brought on by the COVID pandemic. The need is even greater than it had been before, and it’s our nonprofit agencies who are on the front lines working to stabilize those in need – and many for the very first time. United Way values our partnership with 4C to do this work in our community.”