DEL Child Care Provider Cost of Care Survey

Deadline Extended

The Division of Early Learning (DEL) has sent out a survey via email to all providers with a provider profile in EFS Mod that includes an email address. The email will be sent from their Communications mailbox and will contain a link to the survey. Because of the extensive impact of the hurricane in South Florida on communities and providers, the response deadline has been extended to Monday, October 10. 

Please answer each question to the best of your ability, based on your understanding of each question. While participation is not required by law, we strongly encourage all providers, whether you are contracted for School Readiness or not, to complete the survey before the deadline. This information is very helpful in determining the cost of care per county and the state as a whole and will be used to determine provider rates and funding that goes to the Coalitions to support the rates paid. 

If you have any questions about the legitimacy of the survey or if you don’t receive the survey, you may email the ELCNWF at redline@elcnwf.org. We also recommend checking your SPAM if you do not see the email in your INBOX.

Background. In accordance with SB 2524, which passed this year, DEL is required to collect some new data elements as part of the provider profiles. However, the provider profile data will not be available until after the 2023 Legislative Session. Therefore, in order to provide the Early Learning Programs Estimating Conference with some initial data, DEL is conducting this survey.

This survey data will be shared with the Early Learning Programs Estimating Conference, which must provide a report on the cost of care to the Florida Legislature 90 days before the legislative session, or on December 7, 2022.

In the coming months, DEL will revise the provider profile rule to add these required data elements to the provider profile. Beginning in 2023, these new data elements will be collected in the annual provider profile as required by law under section 1002.92(4), Florida Statutes.  

Background Screenings

DEL is working with DCF to address background screening delays for early care and education providers. DCF is working to speed up the entire process. However, to provide some immediate relief, for cases where a background screening delay is causing a significant hardship, you can email the ELCNWF Redline at redline@elcnwf.org so we can forward your request to a designated person within DCF’s Office of Licensing. From there, DCF will do whatever is possible to ensure that these background checks are turned around quickly.

Please be aware that a typical Level 2 background screening takes 10 business days to process. Also, additional time is required for background screenings for individuals that have lived outside the State of Florida within the past 5 years or when DCF needs to request additional information from the individual to complete the background screening. When information has be requested from another state, the applicant is given a 45-day provisional status while the additional background screening information is being processed. Click on the button below for a list of states that are included in this process. For more information about the provision status, please contact your DCF child care licensing counselor.

If you know of an applicant who has been waiting longer than 10 business days to be processed and they have attempted to contact the Background Screening Helpdesk

(1-888-352-2849) without success, include the following information in your Redline request to help streamline the process:



• Full Name
• Date of Birth
• Last 4 digits of Social Security Number
• Date Screening was Initiated
• Brief Summary of the Request

2022-23 $15 Hourly Wage for VPK Personnel

Dear VPK Providers:

House Bill 5001, also known as the General Appropriations Act, was passed by the 2022 Florida Legislature, and signed into law as Chapter 2022-156, Laws of Florida, by Governor DeSantis. This law became effective on July 1, 2022.

Proviso language (see below) following specific appropriation 82 provided additional compensation to Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) providers in the base student allocation for the 2022-23 school-year and summer programs. VPK providers who elect to participate in this additional payment program must complete an application in the EFS Mod Provider Portal.

Within the application on the portal, each VPK provider will attest via affidavit that every VPK program employee’s hourly rate is at least $15 per hour for all time worked on the VPK program within 30 days of receiving the funds.

As further explained below, the starting date for paying the minimum of $15 per hour rate must be within 30 days of the VPK provider’s rate increase funded with this incentive. The provider’s rate increase will begin on the first day of VPK classes, or on the date, the affidavit affirming the agreement is submitted to ELCNWF in the EFS Mod Provider Portal, whichever is later.

A VPK provider is deemed to be in receipt of this additional funding on the date that the provider’s VPK rates are increased through this allocation. Thus, for example, if a provider submits this affidavit and will be paid for VPK students at a rate that includes this incentive pay beginning on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, then all VPK employees must be paid at least $15 per hour for VPK duties beginning no later than Friday, September 9, 2022, which is 30 days after the provider’s rate increase.

VPK program employees include all employees who work on the VPK program, including the VPK Lead Instructor, Assistants and Substitutes listed in each VPK Classroom on Form OEL-VPK11A, and VPK Directors or Principals listed on form OEL-VPK10, who have been approved by ELCNWF.

The Division of Early Learning continues to perform requirements gathering to complete the build of the additional payment program application and attestation in the EFS Mod Provider Portal. They will provide additional instructional materials to successfully implement this program.

If you have any questions, please email the Redline at redline@elcnwf.org.

Florida Early Childhood Educator Training Stipends

The Division of Early Learning is excited to share that Florida Early Childhood Educators are eligible for a $75 stipend upon the successful completion of any of the following courses (refer to the flyer below) by December 15, 2022, or until the stipend funding is depleted. The maximum stipend an eligible participant can receive is $225 (3 courses/events x $75 = $225). Successful completion may include an end of course assessment or certificate of completion. For more information, click the button below.

September Special Dates

Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th – October 15th)

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

SIDS Awareness Month

LGBTQ+ History Month

Blindness Awareness Month

Celebrate the Bilingual Child Month

Anti-Bullying Month

Emotional Wellness Month

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Animal Welfare Week (October 3-9)

National Baking Week (October 14-20)

National Adoption Week (October 17-23)

October 5 

World Teachers’ Day

International Walk to School Day

National Do Something Nice Day

October 6

World Cerebral Palsy Day

October 7

Kids Music Day

World Smile Day

October 8

National Chess Day

October 10

Columbus Day

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

October 12

National Bring Your Teddy Bear to School Day

National Fossil Day

National Stop Bullying Day

September Special Dates

Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th – October 15th)

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

SIDS Awareness Month

LGBTQ+ History Month

Blindness Awareness Month

Celebrate the Bilingual Child Month

Anti-Bullying Month

Emotional Wellness Month

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Animal Welfare Week (October 3-9)

National Baking Week (October 14-20)

National Adoption Week (October 17-23)

October 13

National M&M Day

October 19

Day of Unity

National New Friends Day

World Humanitarian Action Day

October 22

National Make a Difference Day

October 27 

National Mentoring Day

October 28

National Chocolate Day

International Animation Day

October 31

Halloween

Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida

Phone: 850.747.5400 | Fax: 850.747.5450

WWW.ELCNWF.ORG