Community Resources

Basic Needs | Food, Clothing, Utilities, & Emergency Financial Services | Child Welfare Services | Daycare, VPK, & After-School Programs | Virtual Learning Resources | Home Care | Camps | Parenting Resources | Domestic Violence Resources | Health Insurance Resources | Medical Services | Immunization Resources | Mental Health | Smoking Cessation | Alachua County Services

Basic Needs

Food, Clothing, Utilities, and Emergency Financial Services

• Access Florida provides several assistance programs including food stamps, Medicaid, and cash assistance.
• Alachua County Community Support Services (ACOSS) provides assistance with utilities, rent, and other resources.
• American Red Cross (Gainesville) provides help and services when natural disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes strike. They also provide a long list of services, programs, and activities.
• Bread of the Mighty Food Bank provides Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Kids cafe, Summer and after school snack program, Mobile pantry.
• Catholic Charities provides Emergency Assistance, Weekend Hunger Backpacks, and Rural Mobile Food Distribution are programs that help individuals and families who are struggling with hunger.
• Community Action Agency provides immediate financial assistance (Utility/Rent), Self-sufficiency program (helping families to become independent of social/public assistance).
• Career Source North Central Florida provides career or job opportunities.
• Gainesville Community Ministry provides utilities, rent, clothing, furniture, emergency food, free GED classes, parenting classes, assistance with obtaining state IDs.
• Goodwill Industries provides clothing, furniture, and many more services. Goodwill operates at two low-cost thrift stores in Alachua county.
• SafeLink Cell Phones – Recipients receiving assistance through government programs are eligible.
• St. Francis House – Emergency food (soup kitchen) and emergency shelter.
• United Way provides help with food, housing, employment, health care, counseling, and more. Sponsors 2-1-1, which provides free and confidential information and referrals.

Child Welfare Services

Daycare, VPK, & After-School Programs

• Early Learning Coalition (ELC) provides assistance with daycare, voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK), and school readiness programs
• Holy Trinity Episcopal School: Open 6:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. and accepts children from the ages 6 weeks to 5 years old for temporary enrollment. Contact Jason Hill, Head of School, at (352) 377-2290.
• La Petite Academy is waiving their registration fee and offering a 10% tuition discount to essential employees that are in need of childcare during this time. Contact Nissa Pfeffer, Director, at (352) 371-0720 or npfeffer@lapetite.com
• Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC, AKA Medical Daycare): PPEC centers allow Medicaid eligible children from birth through age 20 with medically-complex conditions to receive continual medical care in a non-residential setting. PPEC centers provide nursing intervention and medical supervision to children with special health care needs

Virtual Learning Assistance/E-Learning Pod

• New Worlds Reading – Free books delivered to your door to help young readers
• Balance 180 will be open during traditional school hours as a safe place for parents to bring their students to complete their online schooling under supervision. This free e-learning pod is first come, first serve, and is capped at 32 students (11,000 sq facility). Virtual learning support is available on M/T/Thu/Fri from for grades K-8^thgrade.
• First UMC High Springs Sanctuary of Learning is offering a place for students to come and be supervised while doing their online school. They are asking for a suggested fee (which is $25 per day, $60 per week, $220 per month, and $450 for the whole 9 weeks). However, they do not want anyone to miss out so, contact them to talk about scholarships, financial aid, and sponsorships.
• Greenfield Preschool Digital Academy is offering 1:15 ratio from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. for virtual learning assistance. Call (352) 256-3931 or email greenfieldnewberry@gmail.com for more information.
• Mathnasium: The Math Learning Center is offering in-person or live online learning plans beginning Aug. 31 The center will provide a comfortable workspace with a private desk, fast internet, and power outlet for each child to focus on distance learning in all school subjects. Background-checked facilitators will keep students on task in their online classes and schoolwork, so you can focus on your day. The ratio of facilitators to students will be 1:7 or better.
• O2B Kids Virtual Full-Day Learning Lab is offering an on-site learning lab to support your child’s public elementary school virtual learning environment. Their educators will provide academic support, answer questions, and help keep your child on track with their school assignments all in a safe and positive environment.
• Okito Learning Academy offers a safe and clean learning environment for Alachua County Public School virtual learners. Grades K-5 with classes of less than 10 will be accompanied by one staff member per room. $129/week, $99.99 one-time registration fee, $20 yearly fee required per student.
• Ocala Virtual Learning Assistance Resources.
• Sylvan Learning offers in-person support during regular school hours to provide a safe and secure place for your child during remote learning days.
• Twinkle Toes Nanny Agency is now offering small group pricing for homeschool pods.

Home Care

• Bambino Sitters has nannies and baby-sitters available and is waiving booking charges.
• Nanny Poppinz Nanny Agency requires no upfront fees or application
• Sitter City offers babysitting services
• Twinkle Toes Nanny Agency has nannies and baby-sitters and is giving priority to health professionals and is offering discount rates to frontline workers in Gainesville.

Camps

Parenting Resources

• Family Source of Florida Parent Helpline: Offers immediate assistance to stressed and overwhelmed parents/caregivers regarding parental responsibilities or specific behaviors of children, provides support to survivors of child abuse or incest and provides support for parents about their child’s behavior.
• Healthy Families: Voluntary home visitation program promoting positive parent-child relationships and child health and development. This program offers services prenatally or at the birth of a baby to families who are voluntarily assessed as needing Healthy Families services. The services can last for up to five years depending on the needs of the family.
• Healthy Start provides universal risk screening of all Florida’s pregnant women and newborn infants to identify those at risk for poor birth, health and developmental outcomes. Free services to pregnant women and babies, up to age 3.
• Library Partnership Resource Center: Resource/referrals for families, family events, clothing, tutoring, financial planning, parenting classes, project job makeover.
• Center for Breastfeeding & Newborns: Assess, treats, and offers advice for several conditions.

Domestic Violence Resources

Health Insurance Resources

• Children’s Medical Services Managed Care Plan provides children with special health care needs a family-centered, comprehensive, and coordinated system of care. The CMS Plan is designed to serve children under age 21 whose serious or chronic physical or developmental conditions require extensive preventive and ongoing care.
• Florida Discount Drug Card Program is available to all Florida residents without restriction and is accepted at over 60,000 pharmacies nationwide.
• Florida Kidcare is the umbrella brand for the four government-sponsored health insurance programs – Medicaid, MediKids, Florida Healthy Kids, and the Children’s Medical Services Managed Care Plan – that together provide a seamless continuum of coverage for Florida children from birth through the end of age 18.
• Medicaid: Parents and caretakers may apply for Medicaid on behalf of children under age 21 living in their home if the family income is under the limit for the age of the child. There is no requirement for a child to reside with an adult caretaker to qualify for Medicaid

Medical Services

• Alachua County Health Department
• ACORN Clinic provides affordable medical care, dental care, and social services.
• Mobile Outreach Clinic aims to reach out to neighborhoods in Alachua County suffering health disparities and offer primary care to individuals in these communities.
• Planned Parenthood provides birth control, emergency contraception, annual exams, pregnancy, and STD testing.
• Poison Control provides exceptional care for individual patients and for supporting public health through information, surveillance, education, and research.
• Rahma Mercy Clinic provides the following services: Routine Adult Medical CareGeneral Pediatrics, Speciality Care and Diagnostic Studies through the We Care Network, Appropriate Referrals for Choices, Medicaid, Kid, Care, and other health insurance options, Appropriate Social Services Referrals including ACCESS, Free Labs and Medications through Voucher Program for eligible patients.
• UF Equal Access Clinic is a network of student-run free clinics that strives to: “Provide Quality Comprehensive Healthcare For All.”

Immunization Resources

Mental Health

• Alachua County Crisis Center offers 24 hr/day phone crisis and suicide intervention counseling to all residents of Alachua County.
• Catholic Charities: Caring Choices Pregnancy Counseling Services offer support and advocacy for women experiencing an unintended pregnancy.
• CDS Family and Behavioral Health Services: Most of the programs offered by CDS Family & Behavioral Health Services are for youth. The CDS mission is “Strengthening Communities by Building Strong Families” which means helping kids and their parents develop the skills they need to succeed in life.
• Meridian Behavioral Health Care provides crisis services, rehabilitation services, outpatient treatment/support.
• UF Health Shands Psychiatric Hospital (Vista) offers comfort and serenity to people in crisis. Their 81-bed facility provides a full range of confidential, effective services.
• Florida Recovery Center
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK or (1-800-273-8255)
• The National Safe Place Program is a network of services around the United States to help youth with problems related to running away, homelessness, and abuse.

Smoking Cessation

• Florida Quitline: 1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1-877-822-6669)
• Florida AHEC (Area Health Education Center) Network offers education on the health effects related to tobacco use and teaches the benefits of quitting and what to expect when quitting.
• CDC Quit Smoking Resources offers support in quitting, including free quit coaching, a free quit plan, free educational materials, and referrals to local resources.
• Smokefree.gov provides free, accurate, evidence-based information, and professional assistance to help support the immediate and long-term needs of people trying to quit smoking.
• UF Smoking Cessation Program offers free nicotine replacement therapy and carbon monoxide monitoring.
• Project Know offers support in quitting, including free educational materials, and referrals to local resources

Alachua County Services

*If they have private insurance, need to call the insurer for a local list of available providers