Finding Affordable Childcare

VISITING OUR WEBSITE WCU DOT ORG, FINDING AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE AND PRESCHOOL EDUCATION REMAINS A CHALLENGE FOR MANY FAMILIES. THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SAYS PRESCHOOL TYPICALLY COSTS BETWEEN $750 AND $1400 EVERY MONTH. A COLLIER COUNTY NONPROFIT SAYS IT OFFERS AN AFFORDABLE HIGH QUALITY LEARNING PROGRAM FOR BABIES TO PRE-K STUDENTS AND THE COST DEPENDS ON THE FAMILY'S ABILITY TO PAY CEO OF FUN TIME ACADEMY. >> THIS KRISTEN CRIMES IS HERE TO TELL US MORE ABOUT THE CHILD CARE CENTER THAT >> REALLY WORKS HARD TO HELP WORKING PARENTS. THANKS FOR JOINING US IN STUDIO. HAPPENING. WHAT IS THE MISSION OF THIS ACADEMY SHERIFF? SO FUN TIME REALLY CHATTED ACADEMY WERE AND ARE 65TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR. >> WE'VE ALWAYS HAD A MISSION TO PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION TO UNDERSERVED WORKING FAMILIES. AND WE REALLY WORK HARD TO KEEP THE PRESCHOOL COST AFFORDABLE FOR THE WORKING FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY. HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO DO THAT? YOU'VE EVOLVED OVER. >> MORE THAN 60 YEARS. YES. >> YEAH. SO WE ARE A NONPROFIT AND NAPLES AND WE'RE VERY DEPENDENT ON THE PHILANTHROPY IN COLLIER COUNTY. ONLY 25% OF THE COSTS COME FROM OUR FAMILIES AND THE REST OF IT IS THROUGH GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES AND PHILANTHROPY AND GRANTS AND PRIVATE DONORS. SO WE KEEP OUR COSTS REALLY LOW WITH THAT. BUT WE WORK REALLY, REALLY HARD WITH OUR LOCAL DONOR BASE AND WITH READING GRANTS TO OFFSET ALL THE COSTS OF THAT THE FAMILIES ARE HAVING TO MAKE UP THAT MAKE UP THE COST ON THERE AND >> WHO ARE YOUR FAMILIES? TELL ME WHO YOU MOSTLY SERVE. YEAH. SO HAVE FUN TIME ACADEMY. WE HAVE 4 LOCATIONS AND DEPENDING ON THE PROXIMITY OF THOSE LOCATIONS AND COLLIER COUNTY THEMSELVES. >> WE REALLY WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FAMILIES ARE THE WORKING CLASS AND NAPLES THAT ARE FALLING WITH AND THE BELOW THE MEDIAN INCOME OF COLLIER COUNTY. SO HAVE A LOT OF FAMILIES THAT ARE MAKING LESS THAN $80,000 A YEAR. A LOT OF HOURLY EMPLOYEES. A LOT OF LANDSCAPERS CLEANING, LADIES, PEOPLE WORKING IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY ROOFERS, AIR-CONDITIONING WORKERS, JUST THE PEOPLE THAT KEEP OUR TOWN RUNNING BEHIND THE SCENES AND MAKE NAPLES. BUT IT REALLY IS. >> CAN YOU TELL US FOR OUR AUDIENCE WHAT WHAT ARE JUST A WONDERFUL ATTRIBUTES OF THIS PROGRAM? I KNOW YOU MENTIONED YOUR FROM 2 WEEKS OLD ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH PRE-K 4. SO YOU SERVE QUITE A FEW STUDENTS IN A WIDE RANGE OF AGES. WE DO FUN TIME STARTED BACK AS ONE LOCATION. BUT IN 2023, WE STARTED OUR EXPANSION. >> SO WE USED TO SERVE JUST 95 CHILDREN AND WHAT WE CALL OUR DOWNTOWN LOCATION, WHICH IS OFF OF CENTRAL AVENUE IN THAT LOCATION NOW SERVES ONE VPK YEAR-OLDS. WE USED TO JUST SERVE 2 YEAR-OLD STARTING OUT OF OUR YOUNGEST AGE THERE. BUT THIS YEAR WE STARTED TAKING KIDS AS YOUNG AS 12 MONTHS AT THAT LOCATION AND THROUGHOUT OUR OTHER LOCATIONS, WE SERVE CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS 2 WEEKS OLD AND WE HAVE AND FENCE AT OUR GOLDEN GATE HIGH SCHOOL LOCATION AT THAT LOCATION. SPECIFICALLY, WE PARTNER WITH COLLIER COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM TO RUN THEIR TEENAGE PARENTING PROGRAM. SO WE ALLOW HIGH SCHOOL CHILDREN WHO HAVE HAD A CHILD WHILE THEY WERE IN THEIR HIGH SCHOOL YEARS TO CONTINUE ON WITH THEIR EDUCATION AND END UP GRADUATING WITH A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA. THEIR CHILD GOES TO OUR PRESCHOOL. AND SO WE RUN OUR PRESCHOOL OUT OF THERE. WE ALSO HAVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND, YOU KNOW, WORKING CLASS FAMILIES THAT ARE AT THE PRESCHOOL AS WELL. RIGHT NOW, WE ALSO SERVE THE CHILDREN SO THAT THEIR PARENTS CAN GO ON AND GET THEIR HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE. WE REALLY TRY TO ACCOMMODATE THE FAMILIES OR OUR WAITLIST ARE. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT'S WHY WE NEEDED TO OPEN UP ANOTHER ONE YEAR-OLD ROOMS THROUGHOUT OUR DOWNTOWN LOCATION. WE HAD A HUGE NEED FOR ONE YEAR OLD. SO WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE BY TAKING MORE ONE YEAR-OLDS THIS YEAR. HOW DO YOU MAKE IT SO AFFORDABLE? WITH BEING A NONPROFIT, WE KEEP IT AFFORDABLE BY OFFERING A SLIDING SCALE TUITION RATE FOR OUR FAMILIES. WE ALSO ARE SCHOOL READINESS PROVIDER THROUGH THE EARLY LEARNING COALITION. SO FOR FAMILIES THAT MEET THAT STATE SUBSIDY OF A SCHOOL READINESS QUALIFICATION, WE JUST ASK THAT THEY PAY WHATEVER THE STATE SCHOOL READINESS, THE AS OTHER PROVIDERS IN TOWN, SOMETIMES OFFER AND MAKE THE FAMILIES PAY A DIFFERENTIAL FEE, WHICH ADDS ADDITIONAL COST TO THE FAMILIES. AND WE DO NOT DO THAT. SO WE HAVE FAMILIES THAT PAY IS LOW AS $4 A WEEK. AND THAT'S ALL THAT THEY CAN AFFORD BASED OFF THEIR INCOME. THEN WE ALSO OFFER A SLIDING SCALE TUITION RATES SO THAT STRICTLY BASED OFF YOUR INCOME. SO, YOU KNOW, WE WORK WITH THE FAMILY. WE LOOK AT HOW MUCH THEY'RE TAKING IN ALL THE TIME. AND THEN WE'RE CONSTANTLY MONITORING THAT, TOO, BECAUSE SOME OF THEM ARE HOURLY EMPLOYEES WHO, FOR RIGHT NOW ARE GETTING THEIR HOURS CUT BECAUSE THESE AND IS OVER AND NAPLES. AND THAT'S SOMETHING WHERE WE'VE GOT RESTAURANT WORKERS THAT ARE NO LONGER GETTING THEIR TIPS FOR THEIR HOURS ARE BEING CUT, BUT THEY STILL NEED TO WORK AND THEY STILL NEED THEIR CHILD TO HAVE ACCESS TO PRESCHOOLS THAT WE WE ADJUST THE RATE BASED OFF WHAT THEY'RE MAKING. AND THEN FROM THERE. WE DON'T ASK THE PARENTS PAY A DOLLAR MORE, YOU KNOW, IS THAT WE WORK WITH OUR DONORS AND BY WRITING GRANTS AND WE HAVE SUCH A GREAT DON ARE BASED IN COLLIER COUNTY THAT UNDERSTANDS THE NEED FOR THESE FAMILIES. AND SO THEY OFFSET THE COST OF FUNDRAISING FOR FUN TIME AND DONATING TO US. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE TODAY THAT ARE KIND TO ME? I WOULD SAY FUN TIME. ACADEMY IS THE HOPE THAT IS NEEDED FOR COLLIER COUNTY TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS. BUT IT'S BECOME I'VE LIVED HERE FOR OVER 20 YEARS NOW AND I'VE SEEN COLLIER COUNTY GROW LET ALONE FORT MYERS, BECAUSE RIGHT, WE HAVE ESTERO BONITA SPRINGS THAT HAVE TAKEN OFF OFF AND COLLIER COUNTY HAS CHANGED SO MUCH. AND SO FUN TIME ACADEMY US TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THE GROWTH. KEEP UP WITH THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT I WOULD SAY REALLY TAKES THE COMMUNITY TO RALLY BEHIND US TO KEEP US GOING. WE'VE DONE REALLY WELL. WE'VE BEEN AROUND FOR 65 YEARS FOR THE LONGEST STANDING NONPROFIT PRESCHOOL IN COLLIER COUNTY. IT STARTED AS ONE TINY LITTLE PRESCHOOL AND A TRAILER IN THE RIVER PARK COMMUNITY. AND NOW WE HAVE 4 LOCATIONS AND THE HOPE WOULD BE THAT WE WOULD HAVE MORE. BUT WHAT IT TAKES IS A COMMUNITY TO RALLY BEHIND US AND REALIZE THAT THE WORKING FAMILIES IN OUR TOWN OF THE CHILDREN MATTER AND THOSE HOUSEHOLDS DESERVE THE EXACT SAME ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CARE AND TO BE READY FOR KINDERGARTEN. AND WHAT I LOVE PEOPLE KNOWING ABOUT FUN TIME IS WE ALLOW THE FAMILIES TO NOT HAVE TO MAKE THAT DIFFICULT DECISION TO STAY HOME AND TO HAVE TO CUT BACK ON AN INCOME AND THEN STRUGGLE EVEN MORE. THEY'RE ABLE TO COME TO COME TO FUN TIME AND MAINTAIN AN INCOME BASE THAT THEY NEED FOR THEIR FAMILY TO 5. WHAT A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM. AND THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME ALL ABOUT IT TODAY. I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT IT SO WELL. THANK YOU FOR HAVING LOVE. LOVE HEARING A LOT LESS MEDIA. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU. >> HERE IS MORE INFORMATION ON THE COST OF CHILDCARE FROM THE WGCU NEWSROOM. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SAYS AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE SHOULD COST NO MORE THAN 7% OF A FAMILY'S INCOME. HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO WORLD DATA DOT COM, MOST FAMILIES SPEND ABOUT 20% TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE STORIES THAT AFFECT YOUR FINANCES. YOU CAN CHECK OUT WGCU