Escambia Children's Trust - October 27, 2026

The Escambia Children’s Trust meeting on October 27, 2026, included financial reporting and several program funding decisions. The board approved year-three funding of $2.7 million for United Way’s Healthy Schools Escambia project and $410,360 for the National Flight Academy. It also unanimously approved a $260,000 allocation for Community Health Northwest Florida’s Clear Vision to Learn program, including carry-forward support following delays in obtaining its mobile clinic and hiring an optometrist. For Head Start/Early Head Start, the board approved reallocating existing funds to increase eligible program employees’ compensation by 6%, including $252,000 in staff-retention pay, with no increase to the Trust’s funding commitment.

The board considered Bright Beginnings RFP 2026-02, initially budgeted at $3.5 million. In addition to the other recommended awards, a motion passed to fund WizKids at $50,000 per year and Young Achievers at $75,000 per year for three years, with staff asked to work with the providers on per-child funding and implementation. The discussion raised concerns about score variation, applicant support, and consistent review procedures; no revised RFP policy was adopted. The board also unanimously approved issuing an RFP for a vendor to deliver a 15-month capacity-building academy for community organizations. The treasurer reported approximately $6.273 million remaining on awarded contracts and $409,000 in unobligated cash as of October 31; planning for another CARES funding round is expected to be discussed by the program committee.