Pictured: Children in a 3- to4-year-old class explore gardening techniques in the sensory garden at The Florida Center for Early Childhood Education’s Starfish Academy in Sarasota.

The Florida Center for Early Childhood Education announces the receipt of a $2,000 grant from the Wawa Foundation. This funding will bolster an initiative dedicated to revitalizing and modernizing sensory and activity equipment for indoor play at Starfish Academy campuses located in Sarasota and North Port. Kimberly Treharne, the chief programs officer at The Florida Center, clarifies that the grant will be allocated within a $50,000 budget aimed at acquiring new sensory kits and equipment tailored for infants and toddlers. "The grant will facilitate enhancements in the classroom and therapy areas across our Sarasota and North Port campuses,” she says. “The program enables us to replace worn-out, obsolete equipment with cohesive, meticulously designed spaces and sensory tools that foster experiential learning, mental well-being, and wholesome development.

Pictured: Children in a 3- to4-year-old class explore gardening techniques in the sensory garden at The Florida Center for Early Childhood Education’s Starfish Academy in Sarasota.