ELC in the News

10/25/2010...2010 Annual Report (PDF)

9/09/2010...Spreading the Story of Early Literacy (DOC)

8/26/2010...VPK Registration Dates Announced (WJXT)

8/20/2010...Quality Education Helps All of Us

7/17/2010...Volunteer Spotlight: ELC Board Member John Birney

7/16/2010...Free Pre-K Offers St. Johns County Kids a Way to Get Ahead

2009 Annual Report...Download here.

10/23/2009...Florida's Stimulus Money Helping with Child Care

Victoria Ashley's goal was to graduate as a medical assistant by the time her son, Jayden Portis, turned 1.

But she couldn't afford a child care center for Jayden, and she ended up waiting nine months for financial assistance from the Early Learning Coalition of Duval, a nonprofit that administers state and federal child care subsidy money.

The single mom got off the wait list last week in time to begin the final stretch of her schooling with the help from some federal stimulus money as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - almost $2 million a year in Duval County. That is expected to help the coalition serve about 650 children a year. Read more here.

10/11/2009...Guest commentary: Early Learning Coalition's efforts pay off for community

The Early Learning Coalition (ELC) is the designated agency in Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties for subsidized child care. Yet, few citizens funding this $40 million operation know about it or the work taking place under its umbrella. There are 31 coalitions in the state. By legislative mandate, they administer subsidized child care, known as School Readiness, Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK), and work to improve the quality of early learning programs.The waitress who served you the last time you went out may be a coalition client. Read more here.

02/27/2009... Association of Early Learning Coalitions Awards Florida Senator, Nan Rich, the Early Learning Champion Award

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. June 1, 2009 — The Association of Early Learning Coalitions awarded Florida Senator, Nan Rich (Broward/Miami-Dade) their first ever “Early Learning Champion Award”.

 Senator Rich, whose district covers parts of Broward and Miami-Dade counties, has a long history of advocating for children, families and early learning issues.  She has worked tirelessly this past Legislative Session to ensure more children would have access to health care, by passing a bill to improve “Florida Kid Care”, the state’s children’s health insurance act. 

• Full press release (download PDF)

02/27/2009... Voluntary Prekindergarten Prepares More Students for Success In Key Learning Areas

"Florida Department of Education Commissioner Dr. Eric J. Smith and Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation Interim Director Cynthia R. Lorenzo jointly announced more than 140,000 kindergarteners are better prepared for success in the classroom as a result of Florida's Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program.  According to the 2007-08 VPK Readiness Rates released today, 54 percent of students who completed Florida’s VPK program last year demonstrated overall classroom readiness compared to 42 percent of students who did not attend VPK...."

• Full press release (download)
• VPK Readiness Fact Sheet (download)

09/22/2008...Early Learning Coalition Launches partnership with WIC to promote Dolly Parton Imagination Library

09/22/2008:

Photo caption: David Kastensmidt (right), Nutrition Program Director in Putnam County registers new mother Vita Paltridge (left) and son Dax Paltridge in the new Dolly Parton Imagination Library program, which gives free children’s books to parents of newborns (www.elcpsj.org).

Download high resolution photo here.

07/22/2008...Early Learning Coalition Launches Dolly Parton Imagination Library

09/07/2007...Dawn Bell Appointed As Executive Director of ELC

Media Links and Clips

2009

01/27/2009...VPK Kickoff in Putnam & St. Johns County (St. Augustine Record link)

01/26/2009...Early Learning Advocates Fear Budget Cuts Impact (Times Union story link)

01/08/2009...First Coast News - Dolly Parton Imagination Library

2008

2008 Annual Report - Download here.

12/3/2008...Program Puts Free Books In the Hands of Newborns in Putnam & St. Johns Counties / Palatka Daily News

8/2/2008...Books for Babies /Palatka Daily News

2007

9/18/2007...Dawn Bell new executive director of Early Learning Coalition (PDF)/St. Augustine Record, Online Link

2006

12/01/2006...Governor appoints Pearson to Early Learning Coalition/Ponte Vedra Recorder

03/28/2006...Boca parents: Private daycare is better/Boca Raton News

03/28/2006...Study: Child well-being improving/Boston Globe

03/28/2006...Questions and Answers about the voluntary prekindergarten program/What Is VPK?/Charlotte Sun Herald

3/28/2006...Pre-K gears up for summer/Daytona Beach News-Journal

3/28/2006...Little interest shown for countys free summer pre-kindergarten/Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

03/28/2006...Summer pre-k signups/Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

03/28/2006...Reading Rally: Event stresses importance of early childhood/Palatka Daily News

03/28/2006...Pro-voucher politicians worry about lack of action on issue/Sarasota Herald-Tribune

03/27/2006...'Educational flatline' in math and reading bedevils USA/USA TODAY

2/3/2006...Dawn Bell Makes A Career Out of Caring/St.Johns Recorder