The Children’s Services Council of Broward County expects to lose roughly $15 million to $17 million in 2027, about 15% of its revenue, after voters approved Amendment 3. The council projects a steeper drop the following year, between $25 million and $30 million, or 25% of its revenue, according to President and CEO Cindy Arenberg Seltzer.
Arenberg Seltzer said the council’s main goals are reducing the number of children in foster care and cutting juvenile arrests. She said she hopes to protect core programs such as after-school care, but other services could be cut if new funding is not found. She listed nurses in schools, water safety lessons and safe sleep education as examples of programs now under review.
“Some people will not get the services, but which services I’m not sure yet,” Arenberg Seltzer said. She added that the cuts will not take effect immediately.
The council funds roughly 200 programs countywide. One of them is an after-school program at Arc Broward in Sunrise, which serves Joy Barrows and her 9-year-old son, Julian, who has autism. Barrows said the program has helped his speech, behavior and friendships, and that other programs had turned him away because they lacked specialized care. She said she would not be able to work without it.
Broward County is currently seeking residents to serve on the Children’s Services Council, a governor-appointed position.
