Florida
Day care? For some Central Florida parents, it’s cheaper to not work. What help is available?
ORLANDO, Fla. – Probably no surprise to parents, but a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows rising child care costs may be forcing more people to make a tough choice: stay home or stay in the workforce?
Orange County mom Allyson Roth knows the importance of building connections with her young son. Like all kids, her son Maxwell’s brain will be 90% developed by age five. Roth also used to teach math in California, but when Maxwell was a baby, Allyson’s husband was transferred to Florida and she was hoping to teach in the Sunshine State.
“When we started looking at the salary and then tuition for childcare at the time, plus my student loan and then the other deductions that I was getting out of my paycheck, I was going to be in the hole $200,” said Roth.
Roth was shocked. As a result, she is now stitching together a new career. Roth is sewing from home to make ends meet.
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“There have been some studies even pre-pandemic that indicated that the cost of early learning care, so birth through five not yet in kindergarten care in the state of Florida, costs as much as a college degree,” said Jennifer Grant, the CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Seminole County.
Grant says there are two programs in Florida to help lower costs. First, there are free voluntary pre-kindergarten, or VPK, programs for all 4-year-olds about to enter kindergarten. Florida provides 540 hours of free instructional care. To meet those state-mandated requirements, many VPK programs in the state offer 3 hours of free care a day Monday through Friday.
Florida also offers the School Readiness program, which subsidizes childcare for working parents who make no more than 150% below the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that’s $45,000 a year, but Grant says Florida’s rising minimum wage is forcing more families above that threshold.
“We have all kinds of coverage about saving for the cost of college. When your child is born, you hear about saving for the cost of higher education, but we don’t always coach families on the cost of having a child that is in diapers,” said Grant.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau shows how childcare prices have gone up in just the last five years. News 6 crunched the numbers and found that infant care at a center in Central Florida has gone up more than 17% since 2018. In some cases, accounting for more than 15% of a family’s income.
The most expensive county: Seminole at more than $12,000 a year per infant.
Many childcare centers are now having to charge more in order to pay and retain quality staff.
Here’s how that breaks down, county by county:
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Orange: $9,394 in 2018 to $11,058 in 2023, which represents 14.9 % of median family income
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Osceola: $8,811 in 2018 to $10,372 in 2023, which represents 16% of median family income
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Lake: $7,531 in 2018 to $8,864 in 2023, which represents 11.9% of median family income
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Seminole: $10,503 in 2018 to $12,363 in 2023, which represents $13.3% of median family income
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Volusia: $9,195 in 2018 to $10,823 in 2023, which represents 15.5% of median family income
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Flagler: $8,587 in 2018 to $10,108 in 2023, which represents 13.9% of median family income
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Brevard: $9,023 in 2018 to $10,620 in 2023, which represents 13.4% of median family income
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Marion: $8,130 in 2018 to $9,569 in 2023, which represents15.3% of median family income
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Polk: $8,022 in 2018 to $9,443 in 2023, which represents 14.3% of median family income
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Sumter: $8,720 in 2018 to $10,263 in 2023, which represents 13% of median family income
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TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
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With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A quiet Monday turned into a frantic race against time when a deputy stepped in to save a choking 1-year-old’s life.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call about a 1-year-old baby choking. Upon arrival, the responding deputy performed life-saving procedures to help the child breathe again.
See also: Two arrested after 6-year-old arrives at Florida school with bruises, deputies say
Body camera video shows a deputy holding the baby, flipping it over on its stomach, and beginning to pat the baby’s back.
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When the baby begins to cry, the deputy is heard saying, “he’s good.”
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