And like many working mothers whose income is below the poverty level, the mother of four school-age children depends upon subsidized child care so she can earn a paycheck.
Erica Holcomb, the mother of three preschoolers, is in the same dilemma. Without subsidized child care, the single mom says she can't hold down a job to provide for her family.
For years, both Holcomb, who is an administrative assistant, and Marquez, a probation officer with Manatee County, have counted on Resource Connection for Kids in Bradenton for the financial assistance and child-care referrals her family needs.
"Without them," Marquez says, "I would be a stay-at-home mom on welfare. I would not be contributing to the community. I would be a burden on taxpayers."
This centralized system for subsidized child care may be changed significantly soon - and the changes could help families with preschoolers, but could reduce benefits for families with older children.
The Early Learning Coalition - a state-appointed group of local business leaders responsible for allocating about $10 million in state funds for local child care subsidies and school readiness programs - has announced a long-range plan to take over many of the services now subcontracted to Resource Connection.
The first step is taking over the resource and referral program that qualifies families and helps them find providers, said J. Brian Murphy, who was appointed by former Gov. Jeb Bush to lead the coalition.
The coalition's new strategic plan calls for prioritizing resources to help newborns to 5-year-olds, rather than school-age children.
"Research tells us that (pre-school children) is where we can best use those dollars," Murphy said. "Quality care during the earliest years is a strong predictor of future success in school."
Resource Connection has 500 preschool children on its wait list for subsidized care.
But the shift in priorities could leave parents of older children with less help with before- and after-school care.
"If I lose that child care, I can't work," Marquez said.
The change also means that Marquez, who must renew her eligibility for subsidized care in July, now must deal with two agencies rather than one during the transition. Resource Connection will still handle the county-funded and United Way part of the subsidy program, which totals more than $1.4 million.
Marquez is not happy about the change.
"If it is going to be a longer process and they are going to send me back and forth, it will be a hassle - but what can I do? I can't do without them," Marquez said.
But for mothers of young children like Holcomb, the shift could mean less time waiting for subsidized care.
Holcomb, whose children are 4, 3 and 1, was on the wait list for six months. To remain eligible during that time, she had to be working and have her children in child care. The cost was $400 a week. That meant she had to borrow money to meet the requirements to stay on the list.
The wait, Holcomb said, was worth it. With a voucher from Resource, she pays just $68 in child care costs for all three children.
"It's one of the biggest blessings I could have," she said. "If it wasn't for Resource Connection for Kids, I would be living on the streets."
Coalition vs. Resource
Murphy says he believes the coalition can do a better job running the subsidy and school readiness programs by becoming a direct service provider.
That prospect troubles supporters of Resource Connection, formerly known as Project Child Care, which has over the past three decades evolved into a one-stop center serving poor families that is a model for other communities.
Murphy has been publicly critical of Resource Connection for serving more than 700 school-age children at the expense of infants and toddlers on the wait list. But the coalition's own contract with Resource Connection set those priorities. That contract requires Hunt to serve income eligible and at-risk children up to 12 years of age and children with special needs up to age 17.
"We are just doing what they asked us to do," said Carol Hunt, director of Resource Connection. "If they want our priorities to be different, they have to identify those priorities and we will place children accordingly."
After reviewing the three-year plan and contract, Murphy acknowledged his mistake. He also said that Resource Connection has fulfilled the terms of that contract or misallocation of funds.
The child-care agency is part of the Manatee Community Action Agency, formerly known as Manatee Opportunity Council, which administers more than two dozen programs for the poor with a combined budget of more than $25 million. The agency came under fire a year ago for management problems following a state audit. That audit found no evidence of misspending, says Mary Twitty, who led the auditing team and is now interim director during the reorganization phase. Recent reviews have found that the action agency is well on its way to meeting its reorganization goals.
But Murphy says Resource Connection is lacking in vision and proper management. He says the coalition's strategic plan, which must now be translated into an action plan and approved by the board, will provide the leadership that is now lacking.
That troubles some community leaders like Jane Von Hahmann, chairwoman of the Manatee County commission, who met with both coalition leaders and Resource Connection staff.
Murphy's plan is confusing, Von Hahmann said.
"We were at a loss understanding how, if they take everything in-house, that would affect families now being served by Resource Connection," Von Hahmann said. "It's hard to discern how they are going to do that because they have not put a plan forward. I have a real concern about the impact on families."
Hunt predicts the move will result in duplication, fragmentation of services and confusion for families.
Marquez sees no reason to make the change.
"If changes need to be made to save money, OK, but right now, the system is working well," she said. "My experience has been nothing but good. Any time I needed help, Resource Connection was there to help me out."
That help included developmental screening that identified a learning disability in her son, Marquez said. "They arranged for speech therapy as well as language therapy. If it had not been for them, he would have struggled in school."
Resource Connection has had an exemplary record of providing good service, Von Hahmann said, citing years of audits by the county's community services department.
"We have had no problems with how county dollars have been spent," she said. "This is a quagmire as far as I am concerned."
The United Way of Manatee County also is pleased with Resource Connection's track record, said Jerry Koontz. The United Way, like the county, closely monitors how every dollar is spent, he said.
"We have no issues whatsoever with Resource Connection," Koontz said. "They have been doing a great job, an exemplary job. Carol Hunt is very dedicated."
Like Von Hahmann, Koontz can't understand why the coalition wants to fragment the county's centralized child-care system.
"I was confused when I came out of the meeting," Koontz said. "I asked myself, is a solution needed? If so, what is that solution? What will give the best benefit to the community?"
Finding a way to provide adequate child care for both preschool as well as school age children is the real issue, said Twitty, who would like to see a community discussion to determine what the real child care needs are in this community.
"That's the coalition job," she said. "That's what they ought to be doing."
But Murphy says the coalition's strategic plan to emphasize preschool care outlines those priorities.
"That's where we can get the most bang for the buck," he said.
Annette Larkin, director of Happy Cubs, a child center on Blake Medical Center's campus, agrees both preschool and after-school care needs must be considered.
"The need is great on both ends," Larkin said. "You can't short one to help the other. I don't know if there is a fix. The government should step in, but can they?"
Larkin would like to see local businesses step up to the challenge by sponsoring scholarship programs for middle school students that would pay them to help out at child care programs in the summer.
"People need to start thinking of things like that," she said. "We need to get back to the people in our community who can help us."
As far as who should run the subsidized child care programs, Larkin believes it doesn't matter as long as the result is a good quality program. Larkin said she has at times had problems with both Resource Connection and the coalition, but both groups have strengths to offer.
Full text available at The Bradenton Herald.