KISSIMMEE, Fla. — One coalition in Osceola County is prioritizing early learning for emergency personnel.

The Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County (www.4cflorida.org) is offering child care scholarships to first responders and healthcare workers. This means the cost of having their child enrolled in an early learning center would be drastically reduced.

The income of these essential workers does not matter.

Heart of a Child Learning Center is one of the early learning centers offering these scholarships.

Ivette Mendez, the owner this learning center said it’s hard for kids to understand social distancing, but this is part of what they’re teaching them now.

Temperature checks and face masks are part of the daily routine now.

“So what we’re doing is more smaller groups and more in learning so that they're still getting what they need at a safe level,” Mendez said.

Amanda Kelkenberg, the CEO of the coalition, said the scholarship is not just about financial assistance for these families, “but it also bolsters an important small business industry within our child care programs.”

“So many of our programs have closed. Over 50 percent of early learning programs are closed right now,” Kelkenberg said.

Scholarships are covered by the Department of Education. For more information on scholarships, check out the coalition’s website or call 321-219-6300.