Programs for Families & Children

The Early Learning Coalition of Florida's Heartland (ELCFH) offers many programs for families and children including:

Forms for Parents

  1. Scholarship Child Care Rights and Responsibilities
  2. SR Documentation of Absences
  3. Waitlist Application
    1. English
    2. Spanish
  4. Sliding Fee Scale
  5. Family Verification Status form
  6. Verification of gross income
  7. Self Employment Policy
  8. Eligibility & Enrollment Form for School Readiness Services - English
  9. Eligibility & Enrollment Form for School Readiness Services - Spanish
  10. Income Information Worksheet (Excel)
  11. Release of Information Form
  12. Client Privacy Practices Pamphlet
  13. Scholarship Survey

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Seasonal and Novel H1N1 Flu: A Guide for Parents

Download the guide

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Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)

HIPPY is a home based early education program for parent of three, four and five year old children which prepares children to successfully enter kindergarten. Developmentally appropriate weekly lessons are designed to enhance the parent's ability to be their child's first teacher. The curriculum is designed to strengthen the children's cognitive skills, early literacy skills, social/emotional and physical development. Parents involved in HIPPY also participate in monthly group meetings which offer educational training, community resources and planned activities for the children.

HIPPY is available to low income families in DeSoto County. For more information, contact 863-494-5233.

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Inclusion

The ELCFH supports children with special needs to be included in quality early care and education programs. Inclusive services help to ensure that children with and without disabilities experience the benefits of living and growing together.

Benefits of inclusion are:

ELCFH inclusion services are:

The Florida Directory of Early Childhood Services (Central Directory) has provided services to thousands of families and providers seeking advocacy, education, training, resource and referral, and information on disability services available in their communities.

The Central Directory toll-free line is also utilized as the electronic link for callers to be connected to State and Local Department of Health/CMS/Early Steps Offices, State and Local Department of Education/Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS), and the Office of Early Learning Inclusion Contacts.

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Resource and Referral Services for ELCFH Families

Resource and Referral is a free service dedicated to helping families find answers to their questions regarding how to identify quality child care and early education programs, and how to locate a childcare provider that meets the needs of each family. The child care checklist will help families define what to look for, and what questions to ask when researching high quality child care placement. The family guide provides information of the many different choices of types of child care available in your community. We urge parents to make an informed decision and to carefully interview and check references before leaving their child in care. Be sure to interview several child care providers to determine which provider meets the needs and is the best fit for your family.

To obtain a copy of the Family Guide for Early Education please go to: http://www.floridajobs.org/earlylearning/documents/2008 Family Guide.pdf

For a copy of the quality checklist please go to: http://www.floridajobs.org/earlylearning/documents/2008 English Checklist.pdf

For a copy of a Parents guide to choosing safe and healthy childcare please go to: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/ccquality-ind02/guide.pdf

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) maintains files on all licensed providers which may be reviewed by the public. We strongly recommend checking child care provider files before placing your child in care. Files may show complaints, citations or administrative actions. You may contact the DCF Licensing office for your county at:

Charlotte CountyProviders in the Englewood and Punta Gorda area: 239-338-1476
Providers in the Port Charlotte area: 941-751-8472
DeSoto County941-751-8472
Highlands County863-619-4100
Hardee County863-619-4100

You may also view provider licensing information on the web at: www.myflorida.com/childcare/providersearch. The VPK Profile can be seen here as well.

For VPK Readiness Rate information please go to https://vpk.fldoe.org/

If you are in need of health care information for your child, please contact Florida Kid Care at 1-888-540-Kids. You may also contact the Florida Directory of Early Childhood Services at 1-800-654-4440, for children with disabilities and special health care needs.

If you should need financial assistance for child care (Early Learning Scholarship Program) you may contact our local office and complete an application.

Young children need meaningful learning opportunities to develop skills, sense of self, and a foundation for learning throughout life. Good programs offer activities and services to promote each child's physical, social, and emotional development, as well as children's cognitive development.

Children who attend high quality early learning programs have competencies in:

They also gain other essential skills such as

Having participated in quality early learning programs, children develop a love for learning and have meaningful experiences to apply as they learn more complex concepts. Families benefit too as they access needed services and receive the support they need to ensure the well-being of their children.

To help answer your questions or concerns about child care, School Readiness, Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK), or other related topics, and/or to have a packet of information mailed to you, please contact your local ELC office on our About Us tab.

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School Readiness Programs

For a brief introduction on School Readiness Programs and what it offers, please download the AWI flyer.

For a brief introduction on Early Care and Learning and a Child Care Checklist, please download the ELCFH information.

The Early Learning Coalition of Florida's Heartland, Inc. (ELCFH) offers financial assistance to eligible families to obtain affordable, quality child care. Children birth through 12 years of age and children with special needs birth through 17 years of age are eligible.

Eligibility requirements are based on total family income with parents working at least 20 hours per week, or going to school at least 20 hours per week or a combination of both. Parents may also be referred by appropriate community agencies.

Services Include:

Assessments

All approved School Readiness providers are required to administer the LAP assessment for all children in care two times per year. Parents are informed of all assessment results.

The E-LAP or the LAP-3 assessments allows an educator access to valuable information, which includes a LAP Individual Education Plan. Another purpose is to identify delays. Assessment scores can also be used as indicators of appropriate development and growth over a period of one year.

Developmental Concerns

All approved School Readiness providers must refer any developmental concerns to the Inclusion Specialist. Parents are immediately consulted to discuss each child's need and to create a plan for success. Parents are given information and referrals on health, child development and special needs concerns.

Vision and Hearing Screenings

Annual screenings are required for all children who attend approved School Readiness provider programs with the family's permission. These screenings can be scheduled through the School Readiness provider. These screenings identify impairments which may cause delays in all areas of development.

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Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK)

For a brief introduction on VPK and what it offers, please download the AWI flyer.

The ELCFH helps providers meet the requirements of Florida law by preparing four-year olds for kindergarten and building a strong foundation for their continued educational success. The program allows a parent to enroll his or her child in a free VPK program of their choice. There are no daily fees or registration fees with the VPK program. Extended day services can be negotiated with the child care providers. The program is voluntary for children and providers. The ELCFH maintains a list of approved local providers for each county participating in the VPK Program. Parents may contact the ELCFH directly for an appointment.

2008-2009 Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK)
Registration Begins May 2008

VPK is a free program to prepare every Florida four-year-old for kindergarten. Children must be four-years old by Sept. 1, 2008.

Registration will be simple and easy. Parents/guardians will need to bring:

Parents will need to contact their local Early Learning Coalition Office to set up an appointment in May 2008.

VPK Child Application (English)
VPK Child Application (Spanish)

Approved VPK Providers

Charlotte Provider List - Fall/Winter (Excel)
DeSoto Provider List - Fall/Winter (Excel)
Highlands Provider List - Fall/Winter (Excel)
Hardee Provider List - Fall/Winter (Excel)

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Early Learning Coalition of Florida's Heartland

ELCFH serves a four-county area. Please contact the local office listed for your county for access to local services and information or email at information@elcfh.org
Charlotte Office | DeSoto Office | Hardee Office | Highlands Office