Resources

The Early Learning Coalition of Marion County supports families through access to quality early learning programs that nurture children’s learning potential while preparing them for educational success. Our FREE services include Child Care Resource and Referral, School Readiness childcare financial assistance for eligible families, Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK), children’s developmental and behavioral screenings, parenting workshops, emergency family resources, and more.

Florida Kid Care: Florida KidCare is the brand name for four income-based health insurance programs – Medicaid, MediKids, Florida Healthy Kids and the Children’s Medical Services (CMS) Health Plan – that together provide seamless coverage for Florida children from birth until the 19th birthday. Medicaid: Medicaid provides free or low-cost health care to people who qualify. It can help pay for doctor visits, hospital care, immunization (vaccines), pregnancy-related services, nursing home care, and other services.

Covering Central Florida navigators work for the Primary Care Access Network (PCAN), a 501c3 non-profit organization located in Orlando Florida (EIN 46-1817605). Navigators are certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), licensed by the State of Florida, and must pass a Federal Background Check. All services provided by navigators are offered Free of Charge.

The Florida Department of Health in Marion County offers a wide variety of clinical and nutritional services for residents and visitors alike. You can find dental services, WIC services, immunizations and more at our convenient locations throughout the county. Be sure to check the location information to verify which services are available at that particular facility.

The Pathway of Hope initiative is an approach launched by The Salvation Army in 2011 to provide targeted services to families with a desire to take action to break the generational cycle of crisis and enable a path out of poverty. It is rooted in a case management approach, focusing on client needs through a strength-based lens.

Targeting families with children, came from the desire to have an intergenerational impact on poverty. By positively influencing the lives of parents, the Salvation Army can create better living conditions for children. Influencing children in their development years is crucial, as studies show that children who spend more than half of their life in poverty are 32 times more likely to be in poverty as an adult.