School Readiness for Providers

Providers

We can help you recruit more students and cover their fees.

Because children who participate in early learning programs are much more ready for kindergarten than those who don’t, we help make preschool affordable for every family, regardless of where they live or their income level.

Apply to Become an SR Provider

What is the School Readiness Program?

The School Readiness program provides curriculum-driven child care to working families, those who are attending career training or educational programs, and to families and/or children with specific needs. The Florida Department of Education, through the Division of Early Learning, oversees the program at the State level, while the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County (ELCHC) administers the program locally.

Legally operating child care programs (Private Child Care Providers, Public Schools, Family Child Care Homes, and Faith Based Providers) may enter into a contract with the Early Learning Coalition to offer the program if they meet the contractual requirements. This gives child care programs an opportunity to serve the community and also participate in a wide range of quality programs, grants and initiatives through the Early Learning Coalition. Families and child care programs benefit from the financial assistance provided by the School Readiness program to cover many of the costs of quality child care.

Not sure where to start?

Start here.

Interested in becoming a School Readiness Provider?

Are you a current School Readiness Provider?

Some benefits of being a School Readiness Provider include:

Supporting School Readiness eligible families in covering the cost of care
Technical support and coaching available for teachers through the ELCHC’s University of Florida Certified Coaches.
Professional development and training opportunities available in topics aligned with best practice for Early Childhood Education
Access to a developmental screening tool and inclusion support and technical assistance from ELCHC’s trained specialist
Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) observations provided to measure quality child-teacher interactions that guide professional development strategies
Opportunities for teachers to participate in the T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship which offers a strategy for improving the education, compensation, and retention of the early childhood workforce through a partnership principle that involves the sharing of expenses by the early educator, receiving the scholarship, the sponsoring child care facility and T.E.A.C.H.
Eligibility to participate in the Early Childhood Educator INCENTIVE$ program that rewards early childhood educators with financial incentives based on their education and continuity of employment Other workforce and quality grants and funding offered exclusively to School Readiness Providers

Some requirements to be a School Readiness Provider include but are not limited to:

Use of a State Approved School Readiness Curriculum
Liability insurance coverage and worker’s compensation insurance (if required by state)
Participation in E-Verify
A Provider Profile in the Division of Early Learning’s Provider Portal (information is used referred to families for Child Care Resource and Referral)
Minimum health & safety requirements
Participation in state approved screening and assessments

If you would like to become a School Readiness Provider or you would like to learn more, please fill out the information below and an ELCHC team member will reach out to you.

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Livescan Background Screening Update

Dear Educators, We regret to inform you that we will no longer be providing Livescan Background Screenings at the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County. However, we have compiled a list of local vendors to assist you with your screening needs.

Please feel free to contact any of these vendors to schedule appointments. Thank you for your understanding and continued commitment to the safety of our community’s children.

Local livescan background screening vendors

REGISTRATION

All registrations for IECP learning events and workshops are completed online. Registrations are received on a first-come, first-served basis and seating is limited. An account to our online platform is required for all learning event registrations regardless of cost or type of payment used.

PAYMENT

Payment, if required, can be made online at the time of registration.

REGISTRATION CANCELLATION POLICY

Registrants have up to 48 hours before a scheduled learning event to cancel. A refund will be made to the online account on file.

LEARNING EVENT CANCELLATION POLICY

The event sponsor reserves the right to cancel a learning event due to low registration. If a session is cancelled, those registered will be contacted by email and notified of the cancellation. A credit will be applied to the online account on file.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

You are encouraged to log on virtually or arrive in person 5-10 minutes prior to the start time of your learning event. Participants arriving more than 15 minutes late WILL NOT BE ADMITTED TO THE SESSION. Partial in-service credit may be offered, if applicable. Make-up sessions WILL NOT BE OFFERED for any learning event.

ANTI – DISCRIMINATION POLICY

The IECP and ELCHC shall not discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability/handicap, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or age in any aspect of a learning event, training workshop or professional development. The ELCHC also reasonably accommodates individuals with disabilities, handicaps and/or religious beliefs.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA)

Any person with a disability/handicap requiring reasonable accommodations should call 813.515.2340 no later than seven business days prior to the scheduled learning event.

LEARNER SECURITY POLICY

The ELCHC strives to protect the privacy of learners that attend our learning events. Because each learner must register through our online learning platform, each record is restricted from public access. Learners can obtain a copy of their certifications as well as their own demographic/contact information provided. For online support, learners may call 813.515.2340 for assistance accessing their records. Learners are required to verify their Identification at all learning events by showing a state or government issued ID with photograph.

PROPRIETARY INTEREST POLICY

Individuals who participate in ELCHC’s learning events have the right to know about the proprietary interest a trainer/ instructor may have in a product or service prior to attending. All trainers/instructors are required to disclose proprietary interest in any produce, instrument, device, service and/or materials discussed at an event training, program, or workshop, as well as the source of any compensation related to the presentation.

CEU AWARD POLICY

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) may be awarded for all learning events three hours or longer in duration. Learning events less than three hours will be awarded in-service hours upon completion. CEUs will be awarded upon successful completion of the learning event. To successfully complete the learning event, learners must arrive on time, attend all required sessions, be an active participant and complete all related assignments and/or surveys as defined by the trainer/instructor. Online training must have an engagement score of 75% or more. For all online training – CAMERAS MUST BE ON – NO EXCEPTIONS. Participant’s names for online training must match the name provided at registration. Any required assignments or surveys will be outlined in the Training Description on our online platform. Learners are encouraged to contact trainers/ instructors with any questions and/or clarification needed regarding the successful completion of assignments or surveys. In-service hours will be awarded in place of CEUs if the learner does not meet the requirements of successful completion as defined by the instructor/trainer.
* Trainings may be recorded for educational purposes.

ACHIEVEMENT BONUS

To earn an achievement bonus, you must be teaching in Hillsborough County and meet all the requirements of the course, including pre/post assessments, homework assignments, reflection, and LMS instructor evaluation (if applicable). Each individual is limited to four training achievement bonuses per training cycle, and bonuses will not be given for previously completed coursework. Additionally, a W9 form must be submitted, and the address on the form must match the address on your LMS account. If you have any questions, please contact Abbey Landa at alanda@elchc.org.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Upon the successful completion of a learning event/training participants will receive a Certificate of Completion that can be retrieved from their individual online LMS account.

CHILD CARE

All learning events/training sessions are designed for adult audiences. We ask that all registrants make the necessary childcare arrangements to meet the minimum requirements for participation in the learning event. Childcare is not available.