Southern Early Childhood Association

"Hand to Hand and Heart to Heart"
Helping Our Colleagues and the Children and Families of the Gulf Coast

We are currently facing the largest displacement of a civilian population since the Civil War according to CNN. The city of New Orleans is under water, and the Gulf Coast has been ravaged. Families have been dislocated and, in the process, children have faced the trauma of the unknown. Early childhood programs have been destroyed, and our colleagues face an uncertain future.

We know that you want to help, and the Southern Early Childhood Association is initiating three programs to assist in the rebuilding of the early childhood community in the Gulf Coast area. We will be able to assist immediately in Mississippi, some parishes in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. The New Orleans area will take more time as the state and federal authorities work to make the city habitable again.

There are three ways that you can help as the rebuilding begins:

SECA will accept financial donations that will be held at SECA until our state affiliates can assist us in determining the most effective way to distribute those funds. Your donation to SECA is tax-deductible, and you will receive a donation receipt. If you would like to donate, please send your donation to:

Hurricane Relief Fund
Southern Early Childhood Association
PO Box 55930
Little Rock, AR 72215

Donations of books and teacher resources may be sent to:

Child Care Hurricane Project
First United Methodist Church
412 W Main Street
Tupelo MS 38804

SECA will work to help you "adopt" a program so that you can work directly with an early childhood program in the area to assist them in the re-building effort. (This can be a center or home program.) Your support can include fund raising, donations of materials, and anything else that is agreeable to both you and the recipient. This would be a good community service project for your children and lends a personal touch to what can often be an impersonal process. Call us at 1-800-305-7322 to get on the list to "adopt a program."

Join SECA and our partners, NAEYC and the Gulf Coast Early Childhood Relief Project, to make a difference today.