Our Mission

To serve parents, caregivers and educators of children ages birth to pre-kindergarten by managing and evaluating early child care and early childhood education through a quality school readiness delivery system in Putnam & St. Johns Counties.

Our Vision

Coordinate services that allow all children to enter kindergarten healthy and ready to learn.

Our Tag Line

Helping Children. Helping Families. Serving Florida.

Early Learning Programs

School Readiness Subsidized Child Care Program

Pre-kindergarten Early Intervention Provided by the Putnam County School District

VPK – Voluntary Pre-kindergarten Program

Early Learning Plans

Each Coalition must implement a plan that includes a comprehensive program of school readiness and VPK services that enhances the cognitive, social, and physical development of children to achieve the performance standards and outcome measures specified by the state.

Each Plan Must Provide…

Parental co-payment through a sliding fee scale

Parental Choice of settings and locationsTrained instructional staffEligibility priority for at-risk and

economically disadvantaged childrenPayment rates approved by the

Coalition

Plan Requirements, Continued

System support and direct enhancement services

Strategies to meet the needs of unique populations

A fiscal agent who acts on policy direction from the state and Coalition

A written description of the role of the program in meeting the state’s educational goal:

Readiness to Start School

School Readiness Act

School Readiness Programs and local Coalitions were created in 1999 by the Florida Legislature with the passage of Florida Statute 411

Also known as the School Readiness Act

What is School Readiness?

Ensuring that children - all children are ready to enter school:

-Emotionally-Physically-Socially -Intellectually

School Readiness Priorities

Children under school age (birth to school entry) Children who are at risk of abuse and neglect, or

abandonment Children determined to be at risk of welfare dependency

including economically disadvantaged children of migrant farm workers and children of teen parents

Children of working families whose family income does not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty level

Children for whom the state is paying a relative caregiver Children who may not be economically disadvantaged

but have disabilities or special needs Economically disadvantaged children, children with

disabilities and children at risk of future school failure Children who meet federal and state eligibility

requirements for the migrant preschool program

School Readiness continued…

School Readiness programs provide a subsidy for parents

Parents pay a co-payment based on a sliding fee scale based on their income

The sliding fee scale is based on the federal poverty level guidelines

School ReadinessDelivery System

School Readiness programs are provided in a variety of settings: Private Providers Faith-based Providers Relative Caregivers School-based Providers

Programs & Services to Children Birth to 5 years

Child CarePre-KindergartenHealth ServicesScreening &

AssessmentsResource &

Referral

What is included in school readiness?

Minimum standards for all programs“Raise the bar” - incentives for

program operators to improve quality

Training opportunities for individuals who work with children

Sharing “best practices”, training, and resources

Building Our System

Single point of entry - all locations provide access/information on all programs

Quality standards are defined, implemented and continue to improve

Quality is rewardedSuccess is measured by child

outcomes

Established in 2005 with the passage of HB 1-A; Florida Statue 1002

Program implemented in each county at the beginning of the 2005-2006 school year

Each child who resides in the state who has attained the age of 4 years on or before Sept. 1, is eligible for the VPK program during that school year

No cost associated with the VPK program

Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK)

VPK Enrollment

The parent of each child eligible may enroll the child in one of the following programs:

A school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a public school, private, or faith-based provider

or A summer prekindergarten program delivered by a

public school, private or faith-based provider

Except as provided in FS 1002.71, a child may not enroll in more than one of these programs

VPK Application Process

Parents must complete the application process and provide proof of Florida residency and proof of child’s birth

The application must be submitted through the single point of entry The Coalition contracts with a primary

service provider: Episcopal Children’s Services

(904) 726-1500

Role of Local Coalitions

To provide program oversight and to set local policy

To build upon program strengths To identify gaps in servicesTo develop goals and standards for early

learning programs within the service delivery area

To monitor programs for quality and compliance

To raise the bar of quality in local programs

Coalition Composition

Members include representatives from child care providers, school system, health services, education, the business community, and the Department of Children and Families

There must be at least 18 but no more than 30 members

More than 1/3 of the membership must be from the Private Business Sector, and neither they nor their families may earn an income from the early education and child care industry

What will it do for children?

Maximize “learning moments”Help children prepare for and

succeed in schoolProvide them with quality pre-school

opportunitiesProvide access to quality programs

and services

What will it do for parents?

Help them make informed choices regarding placement of their children

Provide valuable consumer information regarding program services, standards, and quality

Provide them with a one stop system approach to pre-school programs and services

Provide a subsidy for parents who cannot otherwise afford quality child care, so they can work

What will it do for the community?

Provide quality early learning services to our children

Increase chances of success in school for our children

Research shows that quality pre-k programs help children get along with others and start school ready to succeed

For at-risk children who attend quality programs, these short-term gains are followed by long-term benefits such as lower crime rates

Law Enforcement Leaders are United

In a response to a Mason-Dixon Polling, 71% of the nation’s law enforcement leaders chose providing more after school programs and educational child care programs as the most effective strategy for reducing youth violence and crime

Additional state and federal funds must be allocated so that all at-risk children can receive QUALITY pre-kindergarten services

Return on Investment

For every $1 invested, more than $7 is saved in crime, rehabilitation, welfare and other associated costs, based on a study conducted by the Chicago Child-Parent Center

An analysis conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, shows that the annual ROI for pre-k programs is 16% after adjusting for inflation

In comparison, the return on US stocks is 7% annually after adjusting for inflation

Children Served in SR Programs-Putnam/St. Johns

Required to serve at least 2,000 children in the Putnam and St. Johns School Readiness Subsidy Program More than 1,000 Enrolled in Putnam Less than 1,000 Enrolled in St. Johns

Through a contract with the Putnam County School District, approximately 150 of those children are served in the school-based Program

Approximately 600 children are on the waiting list for school readiness services in both counties

Children Served in VPK Program

More than 500 Children are currently being served in the VPK program in Putnam County

Almost 800 Children are currently being served in the VPK Program in St. Johns County

Other Services

Resource and Referral Links parents, regardless of income, to the child care services

they seek Refers parents to other social services, if needed

Developmental Screenings All children are screened to identify potential problems in child

development Vision and Hearing Screenings

USDA Food Program Provides nutrition oriented technical assistance and training to

providers, assists in planning menus Parenting Workshops

Monthly activity calendars and parenting tip sheets distributed to parents

Provider Services Technical assistance and workshops to promote quality child care

Funding

For the past four years, the Coalition has received a base allocation for School Readiness of approximately $8 million.

No more than 5% can be used for administrative costs.

More than 4% must be spent on Quality Initiatives. The allocation must be fully expended with in 1.5%

to ensure level funding for the next program year. Slot utilization must be carefully monitored and projected to ensure expenditures are within the threshold.

VPK Allocation is based on enrollment, currently the coalition is receiving over $3 million for both counties.

Provider Agreement to Ensure Quality Standards

The School Readiness Provider Agreement was implemented to ensure minimum quality standards and adherence to school readiness requirements defined in statueThe agreement was phased-in to allow for trainings and technical assistance for providers to become fully compliant with the requirements of the new agreementThe agreement has been used as a prototype in other counties for implementation

Impact of Agreement

The Coalition made substantial gains in quality for child care throughout the community with the implementation of the school readiness provider agreement

Even if a provider only serves one school readiness child, the quality improvements benefit all the children in the setting, not just those receiving subsidies

Therefore, the bar of quality is raised in our community for all children in child care settings

School Readiness Curriculum

All School Readiness Providers are required to use a developmental appropriate curriculum

And a character development curriculum

Quality Enhancements

Providers receive quality improvements such as: Developmentally appropriate

curriculum, toys, manipulatives, and books

Outdoor equipment such as sand boxes, slides, water tables, swings, etc.

Scholarships and Stipends Awarded Annually

Scholarship and Professional Development opportunities are outlined in the Professional Development Plan for:

Special Workshops, Conferences and Trainings

CDA/E Courses/RenewalsAssociates and Bachelor’s DegreesAccreditation and Re-Accreditation

How can you get more information?

Talk to a Coalition MemberAttend Coalition MeetingsContact the Executive Director

Dawn E. Bell, (386) 328-8225 Email: dbell@elcpsj.org

Or Visit our website http://www.elcpsj.org