Provide Your Input! - AWI Rule Promulgation - School Readiness & VPK
Rules that govern Florida's early learning system affect you. These rules are being promulgated by the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI). During the promulgation process, there are opportunities for public comment and input to assist the Agency with the development of these rules. Please download the AWI Rule Promulgation for more information.
School Readiness Information for Providers
School Readiness funding is available to at risk or low-income families through a federal grant.
For inquiries about becoming a School Readiness provider in Seminole County please contact:
Kerri Leslie
Community Coordinated Care for Children (4C)
Early Learning Services Manager
307 West First Street
Sanford, FL 32771
Telephone: 407-532-4171
kleslie@4corlando.org
Other services available to School Readiness Providers include Screening and Assessments for children, Technical Assistance, Child Care Resource and Referral, Conferences and Trainings. You will enter into an agreement with 4C to become a School Readiness provider.
School Readiness Curricula
School Readiness Providers are required to use developmentally appropriate curriculum approved by the Early Learning Coalition. For more information please view the documents provided below.
List of Approved Curricula.
Use the following Curriculum Guidelines, as provided by the Early Learning Coalition of Seminole.
Declare the curriculum you use with the Curriculum Declaration Form.
If you wish to request approval of a curriculum not on the Approved Curricula list, please use the Curriculum Exception Request Application.
School Readiness Assessments FAQ
Throughout the year 4C visits School Readiness providers to conduct assessments of the program. Below are some frequently asked questions about the tools which are used.
- How can providers prepare for the assessment?
- What can providers expect on the day of the assessment?
- What happens after the assessment?
- How does the Coalition measure/identify quality?
- What are environment rating scales?
How can providers prepare for the assessment?
There are many ways to prepare before your site is evaluated. Here are some things you can do:
- Read and study the ERS workbook that applies to your site. Spend time reviewing the subcategories carefully and make notes on the items that need improvement.
- Inform all of your teachers and substitutes about the rating scales and the evaluation process so they know what to expect.
- Participate in a "self evaluation" prior to the visit.
- Talk to your technical assistance staff about the evaluation, and get their opinion of how your site can score higher.
- Prepare your classroom or home in advance to maximize your scoring potential.
- Inform the Evaluator in advance of how many classrooms and children are being served per age group, and make available an extra copy of your daily schedule. Complete a roster sheet for each classroom in you program (be sure it is up-to-date and accurate), and have a copy ready for the Assessor the day of the evaluation.
What can providers expect on the day of the assessment?
The Evaluator/s usually arrive unannounced depending on the time each program begins or classroom being observed, since it must be done during the time of the day when children are most active and most present.
The Evaluator will observe that classroom for at least 2 to 3 hours, and will not be in communication with the director, children, or lead teacher during this time to answer questions. They will observe the indoor and outdoor spaces, activities, materials and the interactions for each classroom. They will remain as unnoticeable as possible while in the classroom or in your home.
Occasionally, more than one Evaluator will observe a classroom or home at the same time to ensure interrater reliability (IRR). Interrater reliability is the percentage of validity between two evaluators and their individual scores. Seminole County Evaluators are expected to maintain an 85% interrater reliability score to ensure fairness and accuracy.
At the end of the Evaluation, the lead teacher or director may be asked to participate in an exit interview that is necessary for additional scoring information for indicators not observed (this interview will take approximately 15-30 minutes), and should be done during a time when the lead teacher can be relieved (nap time is usually the most opportune time). Some topics to be reviewed during this interview could include:
- Schedules
- Curriculum
- Personal Needs
- Parent / Teacher provisions
- Or any of the indicators that cannot be detected during the observation
What happens after the assessment?
The summary report identifies each individual score for each category, as well as a written report on items scoring less than a 5. This report is designed to give specific feedback in areas that need improvement, so that childcare providers and directors can enhance quality programs in their facilities or homes.
For each observation, an Evaluator will prepare a detailed summary report that identifies strengths and areas in need of improvement. The completed report is kept on file at 4C and shared with Coalition as needed.
Technical assistance will be provided by staff from the 4C to help you improve your facility's quality.
How does the Coalition measure/identify quality?
In Seminole County, quality is measured with the Environment Rating Scales (developed by Harms, Clifford & Cryer) - an instrument that rates quality by objective observational methods. There are four environment rating scales, each designed for a different segment of the early childhood field.
- ECERS-R: Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Revised Edition
is designed to assess group programs for children of preschool through kindergarten age, 2.5 through 5. - ITERS-R: Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale Revised Edition
is designed to assess group programs for children from birth to 2.5 years of age. - FDCERS: Family Day Care Environment Rating Scale
is designed to assess family child care programs conducted in a provider's home. - SACERS: The School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale
is designed to assess group-care programs for children of schoolage, 5 to 12.
These scales are internationally recognized for their validity and reliability and are based on research that supports best practices when providing developmentally appropriate environments for young children. The scales assess levels of process quality.
Process quality simply measures the interactions within a group. These could be interactions between children and staff, staff and parents, and other adults, and among the children themselves. But it also includes the interactions that children have with their surroundings and the features (space, schedules, and materials) of the environment that affect those interactions.
What are environment rating scales?
The Environment Rating Scales are tools that can be used to assess early education provider's ability to address three basic needs. These needs are constant across childhood-regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, or socio-economic background. We must consider all three of these basic needs when developing early education programs, when evaluating the quality of such programs, and when designing initiatives to improve them. According to Dr. Thelma Harms, one of the authors of the Environment Rating Scales, all children have three basic needs:
- Protection of health and safety.
- Building relationships with children, parents, extended family, and community.
- Opportunities for stimulation and learning from experience.
No one component is more or less important than the others, nor can one substitute for another. It takes all three to create quality care. Each of the three basic components of quality care manifests itself in tangible forms in the program's environment, curriculum, schedule, supervision and interaction, and can be observed. These are the key aspects of process quality that are included in our environmental rating scales.
239 Rinehart Road | Lake Mary, FL 32746
Phone: 407-871-1101 | Fax: 407-871-1100