Several early learning bills were introduced this year, more than in the previous decade, although not all were passed. A summary of how some early learning programs and initiatives fared during the legislative session is provided below:

• Legislators approved child care tax credits (up to $5 million) for corporations that provide or pay for child care expenses. This is fantastic news for businesses that invest in and support their employees with children, as they tend to have higher retention rates and less absenteeism in the workplace.
• $936 million was allocated in School Readiness funding which provides financial aid to help make child care more affordable for families with low incomes. In addition, the state budget included setting statewide School Readiness reimbursement rates for child care providers, with some rates increasing by up to $15 per day.
• Funding was approved for a new program that assists families who no longer qualify for School Readiness but may still have difficulty paying for high-quality child care.
• A summer bridge program was funded to help children struggling in VPK prepare for kindergarten. The program enforces early literacy and early math skills.
• Help Me Grow^® Florida received $4.5 million in funding, allowing more families and caregivers access to developmental, behavioral, and educational community-based services for their children. 
• The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood^® Scholarship Program received an unprecedented $17 million in funding. This additional funding provides even more opportunities for early educators to earn child care credentials and college degrees. 

We are grateful for all legislators and their unwavering support of serving Florida's youngest citizens.

Children's hand artwork from all across the state was proudly displayed in the Capitol Rotunda for the Celebration of the Hands.

Congratulations to our former President and CEO, Dr. Phyllis Kalifeh this year's Chiles Advocate Award recipient. We were also honored to have Jim Haj (The Children's Trust), and Maurits Acosta (Virtutem Populo), who were our 2024 Impact and Youth Advocate Award recipients.

There were plenty of interactive activities, fun exhibits, and celebrity readers at the Capitol for Storybook Village and Legislator Lane, including FSU head football coach Mike Norvell.

Teen Day at the Capitol allowed middle and high school students from across the state to see the legislative process in action.

We are so proud of Kyle Baltuch, recipient of the inaugural Early Learning Leader of the Year Award. Kyle is also a Children's Forum board member.

Our virtual Thoughtful Thursday event featured webinars on the impact of trauma and advocacy for afterschoool programs.

We are excited to announce that Dr. Christian Winterbottom and Rebecca Falcon Kapusta have joined the Children's Forum Board of Directors!

We are thankful for Christian and Rebecca and all of our Board members who guide the Forum's vision and bring a unique perspective to our work.

Did you know that the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood^® Scholarship Program provides scholarships for child care teachers, directors, facility owners, and family child care educators to work towards credentials and degrees in early childhood education? A T.E.A.C.H. scholarship covers the majority of expenses including tuition, books, and essential technology purchases. The program is helping to increase the education, compensation, and retention of early educators who are looking to move forward with their professional development goals.

We love to hear how T.E.A.C.H. has made a positive impact in the careers and lives of our scholarship recipients! Many thanks to Emily who shared her journey with T.E.A.C.H. Stories like Emily's help state leaders and policymakers better understand the importance of investing in child care programs and services.

To learn more or apply for a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship, please call 877-FL-TEACH or visit teach-fl.com.

Founded in 2013, MarcoPolo Learning is an award-winning early childhood education company focused on developing premium content and instructional support, married with innovative technology, to elevate quality in the classroom and at home. MarcoPolo Learning's products are guided by an educational philosophy rooted in research related to how young children learn, effective ways to engage families in their child's learning, and the best ways to design digital tools for early childhood.

MarcoPolo Learning is partnered with 15 Early Learning Coalitions and Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA) in multiple counties across the state of Florida.

If you are a director or teacher connected to one of the partners shown above and would like to get your FREE access, please submit your info here.

Help Me Grow^® Florida (HMG) promotes the healthy development of all children by providing access to free developmental and behavioral screenings.

Administrated by the Children's Forum, HMG provides a centralized access point to support families through developmental monitoring, follow-up services, parenting information and available community resources.

We are always humbled by the success stories we receive from our program recipients. We are grateful to Help Me Grow Florida for assisting the Harris Family in finding the resources required to meet their son's speech development needs.

To learn more about HMG, visit https://helpmegrowfl.org.

To effectively meet educational goals, using a curriculum with fidelity is vital. 

Fidelity ensures alignment of instructional practices with curriculum goals, fostering consistency across classrooms for equitable learning experiences and maximizing children’s potential academic outcomes. Using all the materials in a curriculum and maintaining integrity in content delivery, such as when employing the study-based approach with The Creative Curriculum^®; linking curriculum to assessment; and partnering with families promotes children's critical thinking and ensures comprehensive skill coverage. Fidelity of implementation is an intentional practice supported by training and coaching. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, educators benefit from personalized professional learning opportunities to support their understanding of the curriculum, enhancing fidelity. Ultimately, children benefit from this focus on fidelity because their educators can provide high-quality learning experiences that cover a comprehensive range of essential concepts and skills.

We have found that for programs using The Creative Curriculum^®, prioritizing fidelity correlates with improved Classroom Assessment Scoring System^® (CLASS^®) scores and child outcomes. For instance, in a WA program, fidelity led to increased CLASS^® scores in all domains and improved child outcomes by at least 25 percentage points. Read more about the Edmonds Case Study here.

In conclusion, fidelity in curriculum use is key to effective teaching and learning, promoting coherence, and providing every child with a high-quality educational experience. 

1.)      Mowbray, C. T., Holter, M. C., Teague, G. B., & Bybee, D. (2003). Fidelity criteria: Development, measurement, and validation. American Journal of Evaluation, 24(3), 315-340.

2.)      Teaching Strategies. (2017). The effect of training and ongoing coaching on The Creative Curriculum® implementation. Retrieved from https://teachingstrategies.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/TS-Outcomes-Study-Effect-of-Training-and-Ongoing-Coaching-2017.pdf

Erin Smeltzer, our President and CEO, is on the move! She was honored to be the keynote speaker at the Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County's 2024 Early Childhood Education Conference. She was also grateful to be included in the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County's State of Childcare Panel Discussion.