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Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County
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Family Resources

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Enroll Your 4-Year-Old in Florida VPK

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Age of Learning

Build Skills to Support Children's School Readiness

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Family Resources

LEARN MORE

Explore ELC's Brand New Blog

LEARN MORE

Enroll Your 4-Year-Old in Florida VPK

LEARN MORE

Age of Learning

Build Skills to Support Children's School Readiness

LEARN MORE

How Can We Help?

voluntary pre kindergarten
child care resources & referral
school readiness
early head start

The Early Coalition of Palm Beach County provides services to both families and child care providers, including School Readiness child care services, enrollment in Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK), and access to numerous early education resources. The Coalition is a nonprofit organization that incorporates local private and public partnerships to meet children’s needs.

The Blog

By Arielle Tuan 18 Mar, 2024
As parents and caregivers, we naturally want our children to succeed in everything they do. However, learning how to overcome setbacks is also a valuable skill. When kids know that everyone struggles sometimes, even grown-ups, they’ll be able to gain the self-confidence to try again. Whether it’s learning how to ride a bike, completing homework, or reading a new book, it helps that we guide our children and teach them if they don’t succeed the first time, to try again! Celebrating success while managing expectations and high emotions can be challenging. Some of the tips below may be helpful in making sure your child is confident in school and in life! Boosting Your Child’s Self-Esteem Between the ages of 3 and 5, kids start to develop of sense of self and how they fit into the world around them. By building their self-esteem and self-confidence at this stage, we can teach kids how to believe in themselves and show them that they are important. Here are some ways to help boost their self-esteem: Let them lead. Encourage children to engage in self-directed (or independent) play. This will encourage them to come up with their own ideas and will give them more confidence when playing with friends in the classroom. Notice their efforts. Point out and celebrate when you see your child working hard at something. This can help them enjoy themselves in the moment, rather than focusing on the outcome of their goal. Model confidence yourself; set a good example for your kids by showing them that not everything has to be perfect. You can tell them that you get frustrated too, but that it is important to learn from mistakes and try again! It’s Okay to Make Mistakes! Celebrating Disappointments and Successes Learning new things can be frustrating! A little empathy goes a long way to help kids gather their courage to try again. Let your kids know that it’s okay to feel frustrated, and either offer suggestions on how they can try again or suggest taking a break. For example, if they were building a big block tower which then fell over, your child may need to wait until they are less frustrated before trying again. Calming big emotions often needs to happen before children can problem-solve. When they do succeed in building a big tower, you can celebrate their achievement! You can also: Use descriptive praise to show kids that you are giving them your full attention and that you see how hard they’re working. For example, instead of “Good work!” try “Good work figuring out how to share your toy with your friend!” Help your child focus on what has gone well rather than what went wrong. If they were practicing riding a bike, but kept falling over, stay positive; let them know you’re proud of them for learning a new skill and that you can see they’re working hard. Continue showing unconditional love and share that love often. Tell your kids that you are proud of what they accomplished and of who they are. By sharing our love, their confidence will soar! How Confidence Can Help in the Classroom When kids work through challenges, both big and small, they are building skills needed to learn how to persevere in a task. This isn’t a skill that kids are born with, but rather, one that they develop as they continue to experience and practice new things throughout their life. Learning how to keep going will be helpful in school classrooms as kids encounter new subjects and new tasks. When children can name goals that they want to accomplish (for instance, reading a chapter book for the first time, or figuring out a math problem on their own), it will help them to focus their attention, and find ways that they can reach their goal. Learning that results aren’t always right away and that some things take extra effort is an important skill that will help them thrive as they learn. When kids have opportunities to learn and succeed, they will feel confident to take on bigger challenges as they grow. Whatever children do, when they have the love and support of caring adults by their side, they will do great things- from preschool all the way through life! For more parenting tips and ideas, keep up with with our Family Resources page and stay tuned for future workshops that will help your child to grow and succeed.
By Arielle Tuan 15 Mar, 2024
Finding quality care for your child may seem like a simple task, but many parents (myself included) are quickly surprised by all the factors involved when choosing quality child care. Once you decide on which type of child care setting is best for you, many parents then must consider the cost and location, followed by making sure the child care staff are properly trained, whether or not the home or center is licensed, and if the environment is the right fit for your child’s needs. Here are some things to keep in mind when “shopping” for child care. Types of Child Care & How to Find a Site Before starting your search, you’ll want to determine which program’s setting meets your child’s needs (such as a home environment versus a classroom setting), the size of the program, and the space and hours it has available. Child Care Centers - Centers can serve children of a variety of ages and can include full and part-time care. Child care centers may be right for you and your child if you prefer a structured, classroom-like environment with groups of children their same age, a wider variety of equipment and activities, and many adults present. Family Child Care Homes-Family Child Care providers care for a small group of children in their own private residence. Family child care homes may be right for you and your child if you prefer a home-like setting and small group size, and more consistency. Head Start and Early Head Start Programs- These programs are free and federally funded, and they are designed to promote school readiness for families that meet income eligibility requirements. To learn more about Head Start and Early Head Start, visit us here: https://www.elcpalmbeach.org/EHS . To find the child care option that’s best for your family, you can start by calling the Early Learning Coalition Child Care Resource and Referral line at 561-514-3300 to receive information about choosing child care and a personalized child care listing. Review the information provided for each site, including their licensing status, inspection reports, and quality ratings. You can then contact the individual centers you are interested in and find out about their availability, hours of operation, and cost of care. Finally, schedule a time to visit the center to experience the environment firsthand. Questions to Ask & Things to Look For Is the program licensed? Licensing is the main way states and territories regulate child care to ensure children stay healthy and safe. Not all child care options are required to be licensed, so it is important to check what the status is for the program you are considering. Does the program accept financial assistance, or participate in any financial assistance programs? Ask about teacher to child ratios, education, and training requirements for staff. Do program staff undergo background checks as part of the hiring and screening process? Does the program provide meals or snacks? What are the program’s pick-up and drop-off procedures, safety measures, and emergency planning procedures? After visiting the child care site, ask yourself how you felt- did you feel welcomed? Were the children happy and engaged in age-appropriate activities? Which of the providers that you visited made you feel the most comfortable? You can download a tip sheet of additional things to look, listen, and ask for at your child care center here: https://childcare.gov/consumer-education/choosing-quality-child-care-tip-sheets . Additional resources are also available at the Division of Early Learning’s website: https://www.fldoe.org/schools/early-learning . Resources & Financial Assistance If you need assistance paying for child care, there are programs that can help. You may be eligible for vouchers, certificates, or subsidies. Some local nonprofit organizations and child care providers may also offer fee assistance or scholarships.  The Coalition’s Child Care Resource and Referral team are always available to provide you with information, financial advice, and any other questions you may have! Visit us online at https://www.elcpalmbeach.org/child-care-resource-referral or call 561-514-3300. We are here to help you every step of the way!
By Arielle Tuan 26 Feb, 2024
If you are a parent with a child attending Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) in Florida, you may soon hear about something called the FAST Assessment. FAST stands for The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking. It is the assessment for Florida for VPK through grade eight in Math and VPK through grade ten in Reading. The Star Early Literacy Test is the version of FAST used in all Florida Voluntary Pre-K programs. It is aligned with Florida state standards. It is used to understand each child’s knowledge, skills and abilities in early literacy and math skills. The STAR helps VPK teachers meet each VPK student where they are and plan learning activities. FAST Assessment Overview The FAST is given three times during the VPK year: In the fall, winter, and spring. The assessment is typically taken online, with the child using a computer or tablet, and is most often administered in the fall, winter, and spring of the school year. Your VPK Provider can answer more specific questions on how the assessment is given. Here are some other FAST facts: Their score will indicate one of the four reading levels: Early Emergent Reader, Late Reader, Transitional Reader, and Probable Reader. The FAST assessment will assess skills such as general readiness, phonics, vocabulary, and early numeracy. How Can I Prepare My Child? When thinking about your child’s assessment, it’s good to remember that every child learns and develops at their own pace. You can always speak to your child’s teacher and VPK program for more information about what they are doing in the classroom. Some general tips include: Reading aloud together for at least 15 minutes a day. Talk with your child and ask questions that encourage them to talk. Count and sort everyday items at home. Resources The Coalition is here to support you in getting your child ready for VPK and kindergarten! Parent workshops, such as Anytime is 3Ts Time, are available for you as parents and caregivers with tools that promote the development of children ages zero to three, using the 3Ts (Tune In, Talk More, Take Turns). Our Play & Learn Groups help children learn through play and practice being with their peers. The skills learned through these workshops can help your child as they navigate both the classroom environment and the FAST assessment. Current and upcoming trainings can be found on our Family Resources page. Assessments are important tools that will give you a lot of useful information about your child. You will discover how your child learns best and what they are on track to learn next. If you have any questions, reach out to your child’s VPK provider or give us a call at 561-514-3300; we are here to support you and your child!
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“It is excellent because it provides our children with the necessary knowledge to enter kindergarten ready. My children have learned a lot and have provided me with support tools for the home so that the work is carried out as a team.”

Yajaira Lora,

Parent (on VPK)

ELC Resources

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Why Early Child Care is Important

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Why VPK Matters


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Helping Your Child Prepare for Kindergarten

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Applying for Services


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Our Lending Libraries


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Tech in the Classroom



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