News & Notes

4C Family Newsletter | June 2024

Posted on by Scott Gunnerson

On July 1, the Early Learning Coalition of Orange County (ELCOC) will be 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. 

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.

CHILDREN’S AWARENESS MONTH

Every child deserves to be valued and cherished. As parents and providers, we have the responsibility to instill the hope of a better tomorrow for younger generations. Children reflect our greatest hope, and childhood is a critical time. It is the stage in our lives that set the course for our overall social, emotional, and physical health as well as economic circumstances. Young children who receive a high-quality education see tremendous benefits. This includes higher academic performance, increased chances of attending college, higher lifetime earnings, and reduced likelihood of being involved in crime. During Children Awareness Month, let’s work with our children to instill in them a spirit of confidence, pride, and self-esteem. Every child deserves a chance to succeed. For more information, click here.

NATIONAL SAFETY MONTH

Each June, we celebrate National Safety Month. Safety matters every day, but during June it gets extra attention. As part of the celebration of safety, the National Safety Council (NSC) selects themes for each week of the month:

  • Emergency Preparedness
  • Slips, Trips, and Falls
  • Heat-related Illness
  • Hazard Recognition

To learn more about National Safety Month, click here.

JUNETEENTH

The Juneteenth holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. It is also called Emancipation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day. The name “Juneteenth” refers to the date of the holiday, combining the words “June” and “nineteenth.” Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19. It was originally celebrated in Texas, on June 19, 1866. It marked the first anniversary of the day that African Americans there first learned of the Emancipation Proclamation, more than two years after it was initially issued. The holiday was originally celebrated with prayer meetings, singing spirituals and wearing new clothes to represent newfound freedom. Within a few years, African Americans were celebrating Juneteenth in other states, making it an annual tradition. For more information, click here.

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS SALES TAX HOLIDAY

The State of Florida is offering a sales tax exemption on qualifying items related to disaster preparedness to help families prepare for the upcoming hurricane season. The sales tax holiday will take place twice throughout the hurricane season, June 1 through June 14 and August 24 through September 6. The list includes bigger ticket items such as generators and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as other items such as flashlights, batteries and supplies for pets. Take advantage of the savings and begin preparing your hurricane kit. To learn more, click here.

EVENTS CALENDAR

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

Monday, June 3
Free Diaper Distribution, Oak Ridge Neighborhood Center for Families, Orlando, 9 a.m.
Leu Gardens Storytime, Orlando, 10 a.m.

Wednesday, June 5
Free Movie, Shrek, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.

Thursday, June 6
Free Movie, Shrek, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.

Sunday, June 9
Touch a Truck, Independence Square, Maitland, 9 a.m.
Free Family Funday, Mennello Museum of American Art, Loch Haven Park, Orlando, noon.

Wednesday, June 12
Free Movie, Trolls Band Together, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.

Thursday, June 13
Free Movie, Trolls Band Together, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.
Free Movie, The Little Rascals, Central Park, Winter Park, 8 p.m.

Saturday, June 15
Hurricane Expo, Evans High School, Orlando, 9 a.m.
Juneteenth Celebration, Winter Garden, 10 a.m.
Juneteenth Festival, Kissimmee Civic Center, noon.
Juneteenth A Freedom Festival, Sanford Civic Center, 5 p.m.

Wednesday, June 19
Free Movie, Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.
Juneteenth Concert, Longwood Community Building, 5 p.m.
Juneteenth Celebration, Orange County Multicultural Center, Orlando, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 20
Free Movie, Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken, Orlando Premiere 14 Fashion Square, 10 a.m.

Saturday, June 22
Juneteenth Celebration, Round Lake Park, Oviedo, 11 a.m.

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.

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:

EARLY LEARNING 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.