TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Children’s Week Community Innovation Awards on Monday honored two of the Department of Children and Families' community-based care partners for their excellent work in helping children and teens in foster care.

Big Bend Community Based Care - along with DCF, the Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend and the Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida - received an award for the “Everybody’s a Teacher” initiative, which aims to ensure all foster children receive a quality education. The program matches local resources including tutoring and after-school programs with students who need assistance.

In addition, our lead agency in Jacksonville, Family Support Services of North Florida, and several partners received an award for the SPLASH program, a life enrichment experience targeted to teens in foster care.

“Our Department and our community partners work very hard each day to provide a safe, stable and happy life to children and teens in foster care,” said Secretary David Wilkins. “These programs ensure that our foster children are receiving the best educational support possible and also help teach them valuable life and social skills.”

The Children’s Week Community Innovation Awards are presented to programs that demonstrate an exemplary effort to create collaboration in their communities among providers as they work toward a common goal to serve children and families. The awards are presented by United Way of Florida and Whole Child Florida.

The other two award recipients were Kids at Hope from the Roundtable of St. Lucie County, Inc. and Project LEER from the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education in Miami.