Resources
Available Funding for FY 23-24
A webinar was hosted by ELC Big Bend on November 20, 2023, during which an overview was provided for each type of funding. Slides from the presentation can be viewed below, in addition to the Q and A that was held immediately following.
Funding Information
Funding is available to provide financial support for all child care providers to assist with recruiting and retaining early learning educators (ELEs). ELEs include Infant, Toddler, Pre-K, and VPK teachers, before and after-school teachers, assistants, and substitutes, and directors.
Building A World Class Workforce – Recruitment
Must be hired on/after July 01, 2022, and have worked over 120 hours with the current employer. Employment will be verified with child care provider.
- Recruitment Bonus (Up to $1,000)
- Health & Safety Bonus (Up to $1,400)
- CPR Training (Up to $100)
- Background Screening (Up to $100)
Building a World Class Workforce – Upskill
For CLASS and Upskill Trainings, Staff must be hired on/after July 01, 2022 and must complete up to 24 hours of Professional Development through Teachstone. Certificates of completion must be included in the application. To sign up for these trainings, click here!
- CLASS Bonus Infant/Toddler(Up to $1,200)
- Upskill Director Bonus (Up to $1,500)
- CLASS Bonus PreK (Up to $1,200)
- ELC Distance Learning Professional Development Courses (Up To $375)
- Tallahassee Community College Student Stipends (Starting at $100)
- North Florida College Student Stipends (Starting at $100)
- *NEW* DCF Required Training Stipends $500 (Safety in the School Readiness Program, Health and Nutrition in the School Readiness Program)
Building a World Class Workforce – Retain
Based on your length of employment and current credentials, you may qualify for up to $2,000 if employed by an SR and/or VPK child care provider.
- Level 1 – DCF 45 hours (Up to $1,200)
- Level 2 – CDA (Up to $1,400)
- Level 3 – Associates Degree (Up to $1,800)
- Level 4 – Bachelors Degree (Up to $2,000)
Submitting Your Application
No applications will be accepted without a Provider Representative’s signature and/or Verification of Employment.
Early Learning Educators meeting the requirements below are eligible to apply for Professional Development stipends from the Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend Region.
The requirements are:
- You must be employed with an ELC Big Bend contracted School Readiness and/or VPK child care provider
- You must show completion of Distance Learning Professional Development Course(s)
- You must provide an official transcript showing Early Childhood Educational courses being in progress or completed, starting as early as July 01, 2022.
- Approved applicants will receive payments via direct deposit. Applicants must provide a blank check or letter from their bank with routing and account information.
- Successful applicants will receive an email notification regarding their expected funding. Once approved, payments will be received within 21 business days. Applicants can check the status of their grant applications by accessing their WebAuthor account.
- Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant for corrections.
- Applications are reviewed in the order received.
- Last Day To Apply Is June 11, 2024
Documents Available to Download:
One of the key components to creating and maintaining a quality child care program is providing early childhood teachers with the support, education, and resources needed to be successful in the classroom. As such, ELC Big Bend intends to implement stipends for ELEs to attend early learning conferences and/or receive professional training.
Conference Stipends
- Conference and Training attendees will receive stipends of up to $2,000 to allow for conference registration and allowable travel expenses. Funds will be paid to the provider for attending staff participants.
- The approval and reimbursement of travel expenses are limited to those deemed reasonable and necessary by a prudent person to complete the travel and associated performance of any public purpose authorized by law to be performed by the Department of Education.
Timeline
§ Applications will be open through May 31, 2024. Applications will be processed in the order received until ELC reaches the funding goal of 50 providers.
- Conference must have been on or after July 1, 2023, and must be before May 31, 2024 .
- Certification of completion or conference attendance certificates plus agenda and receipts must be uploaded by June 7, 2024.
- Must be staffed under a contracted provider to participate in funding.
*Early Learning Educators (ELE) traveling for the ELC Big Bend Coalition will follow the policy and procedures set forth herein for authorizing and obtaining reimbursement for official travel. Travel shall only be performed and reimbursed in accordance with section 112.061, Florida Statutes (F.S.); chapter 69I-42, Florida Administrative Code (FAC); and the DOE procedures.
Child Care and Family Home Care Providers can apply for a grant of up to $19,800 to maintain and improve teacher-child interactions to support CLASS implementation.
Eligibility Requirements
- Providers must have an active SR and/or VPK contract and be classified as a child care provider. Provider must have a CLASS/Program Assessment score above 5.0 or higher on your most RECENT (23-24) assessment. CLASS score can be located in the QPS system
- Providers will receive the APPROVED proposed budget and will be responsible for paying vendors for services and staff bonuses. Funding is used for training costs. Providers can apply for a grant up to $19, 800.
- All provider staff must create an application for Improvement, to include, budget allocations/justifications, training participants, and a training plan. All provider staff must participate in a minimum of 24 hours of training time with a vendor offering Professional Development training for child care providers.
- All provider staff must participate in live coaching, live instruction/training, virtual instruction/training, individual and group instruction, and other competency-based skill development exercises.
Timeline
- The last day to apply has been extended to April 19, 2024
- All training activities must be completed by June 15, 2024
- Documents must be uploaded by June 30, 2024
Mini Grants are available to contracted child care programs for the purchase of equipment, supplies, and classroom materials. Each provider would have the opportunity to select equipment and resources that fit the needs of their child care program.
Categories from which providers can choose from include:
- Purchase of business administration software to help providers run operations (e.g. ProCare, Brightwheel)
- Educational Field Trip Experience (e.g., Tallahassee Museum or Challenger Learning Center)
- Family Engagement Event
- Equipment to upgrade or replace outdoor play equipment
- Safety equipment and materials to prepare for natural disasters
- Purchase of developmentally appropriate software to support early learning and family engagement (e.g. MarcoPolo)
Please Note:
- Eligible purchases must be made on or after July 1, 2023 and before May 31, 2024
- Award Amount: Based on facility capacity, up to $10,000 max.
- Proof of Purchases must be uploaded by June 7, 2024
- Any unused funds will be required to be reimbursed to ELC Big Bend.
ELC Big Bend’s implementation strategy for increasing/building the supply of child care providers will be focused on the seven counties that ELC Big Bend serves – with a major focus on the rural counties of Gadsden and Jefferson -by offering mini-grants to new providers. For many new providers seeking to establish centers or family child care programs, accessing this support is essential to offset the financial burden of start-up and licensing costs.
- Applications must reflect the actual start-up cost for a new child care facility.
- Applications are based on the date that an ELC SR and/or VPK contract was signed
- Provider will need to show proof of start-up costs. This includes licensing costs after 90 days of operation, cleared background screening costs after 90 days of employment, business yard signs, cleaning supplies, and/or learning materials.
- Existing child care providers do not qualify for this grant.
