To promote high-quality school readiness, voluntary pre-kindergarten and after school programs, thus increasing all children's chances of achieving future educational success and becoming productive members of society. The Coalition seeks to further the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of Miami-Dade and Monroe County children with a priority toward the ages before birth through age 5.
The ELC gives families access to programs and services that support physical, social-emotional, language and cognitive development.
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The Early Learning Coalition distributes thousands of children books every year to promote early literacy and to encourage children to build their own at home libraries. The Early Learning Coalition has given more than 250,000 books to the children of Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
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Playing is Learning. The Early Learning Coalition serves more than 22,000 children in the Voluntary Prekindergarten program where children learn while playing and prepare to start school ready to learn.
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Early education leads to lifelong success. Children who participate in quality early learning programs have increased academic success.
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The ELC offers warm-line services at no charge. These services include child assistance and consultation regarding development, health, disabilities and special needs; provider assistance including strategies, curriculum and environmental adaptations; and family information and referral assistance (i.e. FDLRS, Early Steps, private providers).
Programs
Early Head Start
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The Neighborhood Place for Early Head Start will serve 750 infants and toddlers in Miami-Dade County. While The Neighborhood Place for Early Head Start is continuing to enroll and expand its partnerships with hospitals and mental health facilities, the aim of the program is to help enroll children in child care programs that prepare them for academic success, while also working with the parent(s) to receive training, resources, or possibly education that prepare them for a more active role in their child's upbringing. The program serves families of children from birth to age 3.
Voluntary Prekindergarten
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The Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program prepares early learners for success in kindergarten and beyond. Children must live in Florida and be 4 years old on or before Sept. 1 of the current school year to be eligible. The program helps build a strong foundation for school using educational materials that are geared to various stages in a child's development.
School Readiness
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The School Readiness Program offers financial assistance to low-income families for early child education and care so families can become financially self-sufficient and their young children can be successful in school in the future. The program takes into account a child's physical, social, emotional and intellectual development; involves parents as their child's first teacher; prepares children to be ready for school; and gives parents information about child development and other topics of interest. School readiness programs provide developmental screenings for children and referrals to health and educational specialists, and work in cooperation with other programs for young children such as Head Start, Early Head Start and the VPK program.
Child Care Executive Partnership
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The CCEP program creates an opportunity for employers and employees to succeed as partners. The families that benefit most from employer-supported child care are low-income. Such employees include restaurant workers, early childhood caregivers, those that work in tourism in addition to sectors. Low-income parents that have financial assistance through employer-supported child care provides parents increased purchasing power.
Teenage Parent Program
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This program offers early care and education services to teenage parents enrolled in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Children born to adolescent parents enter a world that is very different from that of babies born to older parents. To facilitate this program, the Coalition contracted with the University of Miami Linda Ray Intervention Center to implement the Bright Ideas project, which provides mentoring, coaching and educational information pertaining to the social-emotional development and early literacy needs to the teen parents of these children.