FL Learning & Development Standards Challenging Behaviors Professional Development Opportunities Flip Into Fall Training Requirements VPK Training Archive

But Babies Can't Read!

An engaging discussion of Early Literacy and how to support its development in the young children in your care. Call 239-935-6115 OR 239-935-6145 to register for any of the 3 different locations:

November 19, 2008 6:30 - 8:00 pm RCMA Krome Center,
551 W. Cowboy Way, Labelle, FL 33935
Download the flyer
Spanish Translator available

December 2, 2008 6:30 - 8 pm North Ft. Myers Public Library,
2001 North Tamiami Trail NE, North Ft. Myers, FL 33903
Download the flyer
Spanish Translator available

December 10, 2008 6:30 - 8:00 pm Guadalupe Center of Immokalee,
509 Hope Circle, Immokalee Fl 34142
Download the flyer
Spanish Translator available

Director's Course

The "Director's Course" (Child Care Center Operations ) will be offered by the Technical, Career & Adult Education Department of the School District of Lee County, beginning the week of January 20, 2009. The course will run 2 nights a week (Tuesdays AND Thursdays) for eight weeks, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM. The cost of the course will be $150.

Classes will be taught at the Brown Academy located at 1211 Towne Lake Drive, Fort Myers, 33913 (in Gateway).

For more information contact Clyde Grant, Trade Extension Coordinator, at (239) 939-6330 or email him at: ClydeTG@leeschools.net OR contact JoAnne Fuciu at Lee Memorial Child Development Centers (239) 332-7241 or email her at joanne.fuciu@leememorial.org

Creative Curriculum Assessment and Ages & Stages Screening Training

This is a new and improved combined training on ASQ Screening and Creative Curriculum Assessment. At this training school readiness providers will receive information needed to complete screening and assessments on children this year.

Monday, January 12, 2009 from 6-8 pm at ELC of SWFL, 5256 Summerlin Commons #204, Ft. Myers, FL 33907

Register Online

Flip Into Fall: Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc.

Pre-registration is required. The entire 4 or 5 classes (10 hours) will cost $50.00 and an additional CEU fee of $20. In order to receive one (1) CEU you must attend all 5 classes. Register by phone: 239-425-1049 Gloria (Ft. Myers), 239-643-3908 Danielle (Naples), 239-657-2134 Niccole (Immokalee) or in person at: 4315 Metro Parkway, Suite 400, Fort Myers, 33916 or 2050 Commerce Ave. #1 Immokalee, 34142.

Download the flyer for more details.

CPR and First Aid for Child Care Providers

Mark Forman, Paramedic and Instructor in C.P.R. and First Aid will be offering CPR and first aid classes at the Early Learning Coalition Office August 16, September 20, October 18, November 15 and December 13 from 9am - 12pm.

Download the flyer for more details.

Challenging Behaviors Training Series

October - December 2008
Challenging Behaviors Training flyer

January - March 2009
Challenging Behaviors Training flyer

The Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida (ELCSWFL) and their partners announce Challenging Behaviors Training Schedule. Early childhood providers and parents of young children are invited to attend these informative trainings.

In response to numerous requests for trainings centered on Challenging Behaviors, the Early Learning Coalition of SW Florida has developed a second quarterly training schedule addressing these issues. We have included trainers from many different organizations and viewpoints.

Space is limited and registration is required at the ELCSWFL training website. A full program description and site details are available in the Challenging Behaviours flyer. CEU's will be available.

There is no charge for any of these trainings.

Professional Development Opportunities - State and National

Download the flyer here.

30 Hour Introductory Training Now Available Online!

See Dept of Children & Families handout for complete details.

Scholarships and Grants

Coalition Scholarship
All School Readiness Providers and VPK Providers are eligible to apply for professional development scholarships to attend local conferences or to obtain their CDA. To apply, complete this application (pdf, 160k) and mail the application with all supporting documentation to Gayla Thompson.

New College Grants for Florida Students
Education Commissioner John L. Winn today announced that Florida students who qualify for Pell Grants may be able to take advantage of a new grant program to help make college more affordable. During the 2006-07 school year, the state aims to award more than 30,000 full-time eligible students approximately $47 million in new Academic Competitiveness (AC) and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) grants worth between $750 and $4,000 per student.

For comprehensive information about available financial aid, students and their parents should visit www.FACTS.org, Florida's official online student advising system. Links are provided to federal, state and institutional financial aid websites, and in August will feature specific information about the AC and SMART grants.

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Scholarship Program
The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Scholarship Program began in 1990 in North Carolina as a small pilot program providing a single comprehensive scholarship model to 21 early childhood teachers. The project offers a strategy for systematically improving the education, compensation and retention of the early childhood work force. The model is based on a partnership principle that involves the sharing of expenses by the teacher, director or family child care provider receiving the scholarship, the sponsoring child care facility and T.E.A.C.H. The Children's Forum is licensed and authorized to administer T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Florida. The T.E.A.C.H. program works with 53 colleges, universities and vocational technical schools throughout the state as well as 34 community-based training institutions. Under management of the Forum, the Florida T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Scholarship Program serves as an umbrella for a variety of educational scholarship opportunities for people working in early care and education programs including family child care homes. Since 1998, more than 10,000 scholarships have been awarded. The turnover rate for these T.E.A.C.H. program participants is less than 6% - a testament to the success of this program.

Visit the Children's Forum's T.E.A.C.H. Information page.

AWI-OEL Quality Initiative Training Calendar

The State of Florida's Quality Initiative program offers professional development training opportunities around the state. Below is their current training calendar.
AWI-OEL Quality Initiative Training Calendar

Online Workshops for Early Childhood Educators and Families

Early Childhood Technology Integrated Instructional System (EC-TIIS) at Western Illinois University has nine on-line workshops for educators and families of young children. View this flyer for more information.

Florida Training Requirements

Child Care of SWFL offers the state mandated child care classes and other training opportunities, view the Little Resource and the Teacher Resource for a complete listing of Child Care of SWFL trainings offered each month.

Many Directors' Credentials are expiring as of 12/31/2008. Please be sure to check the date of your credentials, which need to be renewed every 5 years. Download the flyer for a summary of what is needed to RENEW the Florida Director's Credentials.

July 2007 Little Resource
Florida Child Care Training Requirements

Professional Development Opportunities

The Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida helps coordinate staff development, parent classes and family literacy opportunities among School District Early Intervention Programs, Child Care of SW Florida and other Family Service Organizations. Professional development opportunities, workshops and community events are open to early childhood professionals and parents throughout the southwest Florida area. ELC of Southwest Florida Sponsored Trainings and Events

The Southwest Florida Professional Development Partnership at FGCU supports an array of programs, projects, activities, and events to support the recruitment, retention, and specialized training of the ESE workforce. Sharing leadership with parents, professionals, and community leaders, our Regional Partnership is proud of our accomplishments. All of our programs, projects, activities, and events evolve from sound research practices and are enhanced by our Partnership's commitment to:

Research and Development Continuous Improvement Efficacy Data and Impact Shared Decision Making Problem Solving Outreach Support Information Dissemination Technical Assistance

Download the "News You Can Use" monthly newsletter

The Benefits of High-Quality Early Childhood Education Programs: What Makes the Difference?
----by Ellen Galinsky
President of the Families and Work Institute, a New York City based research organization, examines the factors associated with high-quality early education programs. Ms. Galinsky examined three well-known, high-quality early education programs - the High/Scope Perry Preschool project, the Carolina Abcedarian Project and Chicago's Child-Parent Centers (CPC) - and for one of the first times, has examined what those programs actually did to have such lasting impact decades later, relying, in part, on interviews with the principal investigators of those programs.
Download the full report

The Children's Forum offers training and educational events. Below is their current training calendar.
Children's Forum training events

Florida Learning and Development Standards

The Florida Developmental Standards describe age-appropriate understandings related to the ways children ages birth through age five explore, play, think, reason, and create as they engage in the learning process. As the field of early childhood education focuses on age-appropriate expectations, it is imperative that individual needs and differences not be overlooked. It is important to remember that not all young children will attain all of the standards by a certain age. The standards cannot take into account individual variations in development, and should be used as a guide and not an absolute for all children. Download the standards by clicking below.

Birth to Three
Three-Year-Olds
Four-Year-Olds
Five-Year-Olds

VPK Training

VPK Standards Trainings:

The Florida Department of Education, Office of Early Learning is pleased to announce that training is now available on Florida's 2005 Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Standards. This training is based on the most current early childhood research and is appropriate for all VPK instructors. The participants will be introduced to the VPK Standards, which are guidelines that describe what children should know and be able to do at the end of the VPK year.

Statewide Training Calendar

VPK Standards Training Sep-Dec 2008 Flyer

If you would like CEUs bring a $15 check made payable to Edison College.

Make sure you register soon as space is limited.
Sign up now as registration is limited to 30 participants per class.

Registration for ELC-sponsored Standards Training.

VPK Phonological Awareness Training:

This two hour training will give you practical tools for teaching phonetic sounds and alphabetic knowledge. Choose one of these locations for this workshop to receive great ideas and materials to enhance your classroom and prepare your students for kindergarten.

If you have questions, call or email Jean Smith, Director of VPK Services, at 239-267-4105 x 30 or Jean.Smith@elcofswfl.org. Toll free number is 866-863-1366.

View the flyer for the VPK Phonological Awareness training.

Register now for the VPK Phonological Awareness training.

VPK Standards for Parents:

The Florida Department of Education has created a parent version of the VPK Standards Called "It's Okay to Play in VPK!". Along with the flyer a new workshop was developed to give providers the tools they need to give parents an understanding of the VPK Standards.

The next workshop will be: