News & Notes

4C Family Newsletter | July 2024

Posted on by Scott Gunnerson

Community Coordinated Care for Children is committed to strengthening our communities and families. It’s our belief that every child deserves a bright and successful future. We produce this newsletter as part of 4C’s mission to be a community leader, providing high-quality services that improve the lives of children and families.

The Early Learning Coalition of Orange County (ELCOC) is providing direct services to families and child care providers previously handled by Community Coordinated Care for Children, Inc. (4C). These services include School Readiness (SR) and Voluntary PreKindergarten (VPK) family eligibility, SR and VPK child care provider payments, child screening, and Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) services.

To contact the Early Learning Coalition of Orange County, call 407-841-6607 or click elcoforangecounty.org

With more than 50 years of continuous service and support to the families of Central Florida, 4C continues to offer the core services of:

  • Head Start in two counties serving children 3 to 5 years old and Early Head Start in three counties serving pregnant moms and children birth to age 3, to help them succeed in school and life through education, early childhood development, health, nutrition, mental health, disability services, family support, and parental involvement. 
  • Child Care Food Program reimbursing eligible child care centers and home providers, in four counties, serving healthy meals to children in their care.  
  • Neighborhood Centers for Families helping Orange County residents at 13 Orange County locations uniquely designed to address the needs of the surrounding community.  Services are offered free of charge and typically include employment assistance, counseling, academic enrichment activities, computer labs, and health services. 
  • Child Care Professional Education, as Central Florida’s Training Coordinating Agency (TCA) for the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), providing state-mandated training to promote the further education of child care professionals in four counties and administration of state-mandated Child Care Training Competency Exams. 

We invite you to contact us at (407) 522-2252 or https://4cflorida.org/ for more information on any of these services.

Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday

Families can purchase qualifying back-to-school supplies exempt from tax during the 2024 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday. The sales tax holiday begins Monday, July 29, and extends through Sunday, August 11. During Florida’s Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, you can stock up on qualifying back-to-school supplies, clothing, computers and more exempt from tax. For more information and a list of qualifying items, click here.

EVENTS CALENDAR

Here are upcoming free, family-friendly events in Central Florida:

Wednesday, June 26
Free Movie, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.

Thursday, June 27
Free Movie, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.

Saturday, June 29
Longwood Fireworks, Reiter Park, Longwood, 5 p.m.

Monday, July 1
Leu Gardens Storytime, Leu Gardens, Orlando, 10 a.m.

Wednesday, July 3
Free Movie, Paw Patrol: The Movie, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.
Red Hot & Boom, Cranes Roost Park, Altamonte Springs, 5 p.m.

Thursday, July 4
Free Movie, Paw Patrol: The Movie, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.
Fireworks at the Fountain, Lake Eola Park, Orlando, 4 p.m.
Fourth on the Lake, Lakefront Park, St. Cloud, 5 p.m.
Celebration of Freedom, Central Winds Park, Winter Springs, 5 p.m.
July Fourth Celebration, Apopka Amphitheater, 6 p.m.
Star Spangled Sanford, Fort Mellon Park, Sanford, 7 p.m.
Monumental 4th of July, Kissimmee Lakefront Park, 7 p.m.

Saturday, July 6
Home Depot Kids Workshop, several locations, 9 a.m.

Wednesday, July 10
Free Movie, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.

Thursday, July 11
Free Movie, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.
Free Movie, The Lego Movie, Central Park, Winter Park, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, July 17
Free Movie, Migration, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.

Thursday, July 18
Free Movie, Migration, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.

Saturday, July 20
Engagement and Resource Expo, Colonial High School, Orlando, 9 a.m.
Family Rec Day, Jim Beech Recreation Center, Ocoee, 11 a.m.

Wednesday, July 24
Free Movie, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.

Thursday, July 25
Free Movie, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.

Saturday, July 27
Engagement and Resource Expo, Cypress Creek High School, Orlando, 10 a.m.

For more events, check out the 4C Community Calendar, click here.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Local public libraries offer a variety of events such as story times. Use these links to learn more about the offerings available to your family:

RESOURCES

Head Start/Early Head Start
The 4C Head Start and Early Head Start programs promote school readiness and child development for eligible low-income families with children from birth to 5 years old, click here.

Neighborhood Centers for Families
NCF is made up of non-profits, agencies, churches, and groups that work together to provide family-friendly accessible services and activities to Orange County families, click here.

Parents’ Pages
Get tips, strategies, and child development information from the Florida Division of Early Learning monthly newsletter, click here.

Sign up for the monthly 4C Family Newsletter alerts and other
timely information about resources and services. To subscribe, click here.