Volunteers of America distributes health and safety supplies to Child Care providers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Allison Traxler, atraxler@voagbr.org - 225-408-379

Volunteers of America’s early childhood program, Partnerships in Child Care, is partnering with the Louisiana Department of Education to assist with their statewide initiative to provide 1,649 child care providers with health and safety supplies needed to be able to re-open and welcome children back into a safe and healthy environment so that parents can return to their jobs.

Partnerships in Child Care is organizing and leading the distribution of supplies to 667 licensed child care centers, Head Start programs and family child care providers in the Greater Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Alexandria communities. In the Greater Baton Rouge area, parishes include: Ascension, East and West Feliciana, East and West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston, St. Helena and Tangipahoa. In the Lafayette area, parishes include Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, St. Landy, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion. In Greater Lake Charles and Alexandria, parishes include; Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, Avoyelles, Rapides, Vernon.

Partnerships in Child Care partnered with local non-profits, parish school boards and private businesses in each community to secure donated warehouse space for the supplies to be delivered, sorted and distributed to child care centers beginning May 26th and continuing through early June.

The following supplies were distributed:

  • 667 no-touch thermometers
  • 33,350 masks
  • 1,334 boxes of gloves
  • 667 gallons of hand sanitizer
  • 2,368 gallons of hand soap
  • 1,184 cases of paper towels
  • 3,700 boxes of facial tissue
  • 667 cases of disinfectant
  • 3,502 gallons of bleach
  • 2,668 spray bottles.

There were 150 sites in the Greater Lafayette area, 90 sites in the Greater Alexandria area, and 85 in the Greater Lake Charles area!

Thank you to Tolson Management who provided volunteers needed to load and unload the supplies, the Calcasieu Parish School Board lent us warehouse space, and the Food Bank of Central Louisiana offered space to store and distribute supplies and just by chance, the National Guard was their helping with a food distribution and were able to assist us with our distribution. We are beyond grateful for their help in making this project possible!

The supplies, which were purchased with federal emergency relief funds, will help providers implement protective measures set by the Office of Public Health, such as assessing the health of staff and children upon arrival and boosting cleaning regimens.

Volunteers of America’s Partnerships in Child Care division is a child care resource and referral agency and works continuously with more than 300 preschools, child care centers and family child care providers in 24 parishes throughout Louisiana. They provide support and education for child care providers, teachers and parents of children birth to age five. Their goal is to increase the quality of early childhood care and education in our state and prepare young children with the skills they need to enter Kindergarten ready to learn.