The Children’s Academy of Southwest Florida, Inc. was originally established in 1935. It was part of the WPA program under the New Deal Administration to provide day care for the children of parents needing to enter the workforce. There were four schools at that time, one for the white children and one for black children in Bradenton and one for white children and one for black children in Palmetto.

In 1945, Federal funds were drastically cut and it was doubtful the centers would be able to continue providing these services to the community. A group of civic-minded people got together and a Board of Directors was selected to oversee and sponsor the nonprofit organization. The Board of Directors was made up of the Mayor, the Chair of the School Board, several directors of the School Board personnel, and several active businesses’ CEO’s from organizations within the community. Only the two schools in Bradenton remained open under the new Board’s jurisdiction. Manatee Nursery was at the corner of Manatee Avenue East and Fifteenth Street until 1990. Lincoln Nursery was at the corner of First Street West and Thirteenth Avenue west where the 13^th Avenue Club is presently.

The arrangement continued for years with an Executive Director over the operation of both schools. In 1968 a problem arose questioning the legality of the School Board’s association with the Nursery School since it was not primarily an educational facility. A new sponsor was sought to avoid conflict of purpose. In 1970 the Bradenton Jaycees took over the sponsorship of the Nursery School. The Bradenton Jaycees remained owners until 1991 when it again changed hands as the membership of the Jaycees were no longer able to adequately fund the project. A new Board of community volunteers took over to monitor organization-transferring ownership from Bradenton Jaycees to this new group.

The East Bradenton Women’s Club owned the building that housed Lincoln Nursery school; the upstairs rooms were also being rented to house additional children in 1970. No agreement could be reached between the Women’s Club and the Jaycees as to the liability of the renters, therefore, Lincoln students and staff were consolidated, the local Fire Marshall waged and overall inspection of the building. In order to bring the structure up to their specifications, it was going to cost eight to ten thousand dollars to meet basic repairs. This was deemed wasteful, as ownership would remain with the Women’s Club.

The City of Bradenton was leasing grounds to Manatee County Nursery Schools, Inc. for one dollar per year. The lease agreement was questionable when the talks began about creating four lanes on Manatee Avenue, and whether part of the playground would be taken by the new road. There were no long-term leases available to warrant making repairs to someone else’s building. The most the school could be assured of is a 5-year lease. It was then that the Board of Directors decided to look for property in the area to build a new school. After a while the Pelot family came to the Board with a piece of property that the estate had been holding on to, till such a time, that it would be put to use to benefit the community. This seemed to be the perfect match.

Children’s Academy of Southwest Florida, Inc. purchased the four-acre tract. It appeared to be virgin soil with grapevine, palmetto’s and general underbrush covering the land. On weekends and evenings, the Jaycees would gather and work on the grounds to get ready to build. At that time the following Jaycees were either serving of the Board or active Jaycees: Joe Venable, John Briggs, Jack Sutton, Bill Theroux, Ted Bowman, Lou Mimbs, John Moore and Vernon DeSears. Tentative plans were drawn up by the Executive Director and presented to the Board, who in turn discussed it with the architect. The plan was approved by the city and funding needed to be arranged.

A fundraising campaign was initiated. Area contributors were Tropicana Products - $5,000, Bradenton Kiwanis - $2,000, and many others smaller donations. Area banks got together for a mortgage of $96,000 and the contractor, Manasota Steel Builders, held a non-interest bearing not on $10,000 to be paid annually over ten years.

The building was ready to occupy of July 15, 1974. An application was made to the HRS to secure a Title XX grant for needy families to receive day care for their children. It was approved and children began to receive care. The following year, Children’s Academy of Southwest Florida was able to receive a USDA grant. USDA had provided several pieces of new equipment for the kitchen and dining room areas. Matching funds for the local United Way were also received. By 1976 the building services 200 locally poor children in care for up to 16 hours a day.

The main site was located at 2601 7^th Avenue East. The building was a steel structure with 7,000 square feet of floor space and 2 ½ acre fenced playground. In 1998 a 3000 square foot addition was added to include a large commercial kitchen, a new classroom, 3 offices, and staff development room. The commercial kitchen will allow growth to service to 2,000 children at the main site and other childcare facilities in the community.

The organization purchased the adjoining duplex on the north side of the property in 1998. This was converted to two additional classrooms. Children’s Academy of Southwest Florida’s main campus has seven additional portables totaling 8,650 square feet. The total space for children as of January 1, 1998 is 19,760 square feet. The school services 70 infants, 50 toddlers, 100 preschoolers, plus two Head Start classrooms and a Pre K classroom through the school system. We also, service another 100 before/after/summer children from Wakeland, Orange-Ridge, Samoset, Manatee, and Oneco schools. The total license capacity at the main campus is 383 children with an additional 10% over enrollment to allow for absences.

In 1999 the organization purchased the Whitfield Academy in South County for $265,000. The building cost and additional $150,000 to bring it up to code. The property includes 2 ½ acres of land, and an old church building; in 2004 a portable was added to house 2 year olds on the west part of the land. Last year a portable from 7^th Avenue was moved to the west end of the property to house a new VPK program. The total license capacity here is 200 children after renovations and improvements.

On April 1^st, 2002 the Board of Directors took over the Rubonia Center as one of the sites owned by the organization. It offers care for 45 children from infancy to 5 years old. The future plan is to offer a before/after school program as well as a Pre K program through the public school system. That site was recently re-evaluated by the state and approved to serve 75 children.

In February 2001 a 2 ½ acre site at 923 26^th Street West was purchased. On the property are two buildings that serve 52 children from infants to 5 years old. A plan was developed to add a new building within the next two years that will be 10 thousand square feet. This new building will house and additional 200 children including a new after school program. The new facility coast 1 million dollars and was completed in 2004.

A new 10,000 square ft. building has been built to accommodate the pre-k children that will be filtered out into the community as this program comes little by little away from the school system care into the private sector. The School Readiness legislation is addressing putting the continuation of care from birth to 5 years old under local control. There are many reasons for this but the primary one that affects this plan is the ability to provide ongoing continuous care for less money within local provider service areas. Given it is by its inception cheaper to offer care with Child Development Administration (CDA) by its credentialed staff as opposed to BA/BS school-based staff, these children will be brought into the childcare mix. Also, today there is the need for full day care as the Wages legislation through Work Forces Development has forced people back to work. The shorter school days doesn’t address the 9 hours of care most children need to allow parents to work. There are approximately 100 children served in the program in Ballard, Prine, Palma Sola, School of the Arts, Orange Ridge, and JP Miller Elementary schools that will need placements in the near future. This corner location is strategically accessible to serve these children within a private non-for-profit school within full week and day care program and care during traditional in-service days and summer care.

The strategic plan has remained flexible to add centers and children within the service community of at risk children. The Board of Directors’ goals in the coming 5 years is to establish neighborhood centers throughout the county to meet the needs of children in need.