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If you are the parent or caregiver for a young child in Florida, chances are you’ve heard of the Florida Prepaid College Plan. You may have seen posts about it on social media or heard about it from friends and family and may have thought - I’m not ready to think about college yet! Planning is always a good idea, and if you want to start preparing for your child’s future education, there is no better time than during Florida Prepaid’s open enrollment season. Open enrollment lasts from February 1 st to April 30 th - for 2024, plans start at $34 a month, and there is no application fee. New pricing is announced at the start of each annual open enrollment period. Interested in learning more? Check out some quick facts below! What Does the Plan Cover? A Florida Prepaid College Plan allows families to lock in college prices and prepay on a monthly or lump-sum basis. This covers the future cost of college tuition, tuition differential fees, local fees, and an optional fee for dormitory housing. Plans may be used during any academic semester, including summer terms, beginning in the summer of the student’s projected college enrollment year (generally, the year they are expected to graduate high school). If your child graduates from high school early, plans can be modified for early usage. What Schools is the Plan Eligible For? When your child is ready for college, the costs will be covered under your plan type at any Florida College or State University, even if the cost of college is higher than anticipated when your original plan prices were set. What if My Child Attends School Out-of-State or Receives a Scholarship? While Florida Prepaid Plans are designed to be used at a Florida College or State University, the plans can also be applied at other schools nationwide. If your student wishes to attend an out-of-state college or private college, the plan will pay the same amount as it would pay at a public college or university in Florida. If your child receives a scholarship, you can use that together with the prepaid plan to cover even more college expenses; or, you can get a refund for the same amount as the plan would pay at a public college or university in Florida. Every Prepaid Plan is guaranteed by the State of Florida to pay the tuition and fees covered by your plan, so you never have to worry about losing what you paid. Enrolling is easy- visit https://www.myfloridaprepaid.com/ to complete an application! Your student has 10 years from their projected college enrollment date to use the plan. For example, I purchased a plan for my own child when he was a newborn. That means the costs covered by Florida Prepaid are locked in until he is 28 (18 years until he can start college, plus 10 years after that to finish college).  More information and an extensive FAQ section can be found over at https://www.myfloridaprepaid.com . Family resources, upcoming events, and trainings can also be found on our website.

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and as a parent, it is always helpful to be aware of the milestones to expect as your child grows. Parents and caregivers often have questions about their child’s development and milestones. Each child does develop at their own pace. However, if you do have concerns, there are developmental screening resources, as well as supports for children and their families who need them. Developmental Milestones by Age Developmental milestones are skills or actions that most children can do by a certain age. Milestones show how your child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a free Milestone Tracker app that parents can download to easily keep track of their child’s development from 2 months to 5 years: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones-app.html . Resources for Learning More About Your Child’s Development You know your child best. If you are concerned that your child may not be meeting certain milestones, or have questions about the way your child plays, learns, speaks, acts, or moves, don’t wait. Here are some things you can do: Share your concerns with your child’s pediatrician. The Inclusion Warm line service is available to any parent and early care and education provider who requests information related to disabilities and special needs of children birth to five years old. Call 1-88-620-9190 or visit https://www.elcpalmbeach.org/inclusion ; our Early Intervention and Inclusion Services Department will provide information and resources to all who reach out. Visit www.cdc.gov/actearly or call 1-800-CDC-INFO for a free Learn the Signs, Act Early parent kit, and to get additional resources in your area. What to Ask Your Child’s Doctor When you schedule the appointment, tell the staff that you have concerns about your child’s development that you would like to discuss with the doctor. Write down your questions and concerns and take them with you to the appointment. Before you leave the appointment, make sure you understand what the doctor tells you and what to do next. If you do not understand something, ask the doctor to explain it again. Remember, developmental milestones account for an expected range of skills and shouldn’t be viewed as exact deadlines. However, if you have any concerns at all, there is no harm in setting up an appointment with your child’s doctor or visiting us at https://www.elcpalmbeach.org/inclusion for more resources.  Acting early can improve your child’s academic and social success. Also, having peace of mind by knowing you are prepared to support your child will do wonders for their developmental health!

As parents, we want our children to be happy, healthy, and life-long learners. A great way to grow those little minds is by reading to them! Research in early brain development shows that there are some things parents and caregivers can do right away when it comes to introducing your child to books. You can start by letting babies simply hear your voice, and then by giving your baby durable board or bath books to hold. Even if the books end up in your baby’s mouth (which they probably will), this will encourage their interest and allow them to turn the pages by themselves. Below you’ll find more information on what babies learn when we read to them. Start Reading at an Early Age When you read aloud to your baby, it may not seem like much is happening; in fact, you are building language, imagination, literacy, and social-emotional skills! When you read aloud to your baby, they may begin to babble and imitate your words, as well as smile at the sound of your voice! Reading aloud together also counts as a great bonding experience, and introduces concepts such as numbers, letters, colors, and shapes. The more stories you read to your baby, the more words they will hear, and the better they’ll be able to communicate! Parents and caregivers can also: Talk to your baby about what they see around them, whether you’re at home, running errands, or on a walk. Soon enough, they’ll start to connect the words with the objects you point out. When taking a break from reading, try rhyming, singing, or just cuddling with your baby throughout the day. This will teach them that words can be used in many fun, different, and playful ways! Make reading part of your nighttime routine. Reading a book before bed can help to soothe your baby, especially if you read a calming story in a low, comforting voice. Finding the Right Book for Your Baby While it doesn’t matter what you read to your baby, there are certain books that little ones seem to prefer. Here’s what to look for when picking out a book for your baby: As mentioned above, durable board and bath books work best for babies who have curious mouths, new teeth, and lots of drool. Books that have plenty of color, simple objects, and pictures of faces can be more appealing for babies. Books that contain familiar, repetitive, and rhyming text work great at piquing and holding your baby’s interest. How Does Early Reading Help Your Baby’s Development? Every time you read to your baby, they will learn new words and how they are used. They will learn that they can explore books by tasting and touching them, and that if they do something, another thing will happen; for example, if they point at a picture, mom or dad will tell them what the picture shows. Listening is a big part of learning and understanding language, and reading together with your baby will help them connect books with positive experiences. As they grow, they will be likely to pick out books and read on their own! Remember, reading for a just a few minutes at a time is okay, and don’t worry if you don’t finish the story! Babies and young children can only sit still for a short time. Let them decide how much or little time you spend reading together. You don’t need to read every page- you can switch books or stay for a few minutes on your baby’s favorite page. Let your child explore books in ways that interest them, and let the experience be a great one!  Happy reading! For free resources and activities on reading aloud to babies and young children, visit https://www.readaloud.org/index.html . For more resources and tips, please connect with our socials and the Powerof15 reading campaign: https://www.readaloud.org/whyanationalcampaign.html

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.

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!

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!

Black History Month is a great time for you and your family to celebrate African American heroes who have made a difference in our world. Through conversations, books, and activities, we can teach our children the importance of black history in our community and beyond. Connecting through Reading and Activities By kindergarten, many children have heard of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and how he was an advocate for peace and equality. You can also seek out books that celebrate other public African American figures, such as civil rights activist Rosa Parks, former President Barack Obama, and Poet Laureates Amanda Gorman and Maya Angelou. The local libraries have many books and activities. as well as read-alouds and other activities that feature different cultures and races. Here are some other criteria to consider when looking for books that celebrate Black History Month: Check out books written by black authors or illustrators- this is a fun and easy way to help children start exploring the experiences of characters from different backgrounds. Historical biographies of black public figures are great choices; however, you can also look for contemporary stories that celebrate black culture and experiences. Many libraries in Palm Beach County have great resources and events for Black History Month! Check them out here https://pbclibrary.bibliocommons.com/v2/events?programs=646657d115e0d23700a26282&_gl=1*1ci5q8o*_ga*ODkyMDE1NTcuMTcwNDM3OTAzOQ..*_ga_G99DMMNG39*MTcwNjI4NDE2My40LjAuMTcwNjI4NDE2My4wLjAuMA and stay tuned to the Coalition’s Facebook and Instagram pages for more on Black History Month. Palm Beach County has many activities available for all ages. Check out: Celebrate Black History in The Palm Beaches

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February is National Children’s Dental Health month! In addition to being good for smiles, healthy teeth help children to chew and speak clearly. Even babies and young children should have their teeth brushed and their gums cleaned, so that one day, their baby teeth can make way for healthy adult teeth. In addition to brushing well, you can help keep your child’s teeth healthy by limiting sugary foods and drinks, and steering clear of sticky foods. There are easy ideas to ensure your child’s smile stays shiny and strong. Fun Tips for Brushing Teeth For some young children, brushing teeth is a learned skill. And as they get older, children may want to brush their teeth themselves, but don’t yet have the skills to get to all their back teeth. My child is at the stage of wanting to do everything himself, but he’s not great at brushing his own teeth, and is usually more interested in squeezing out way too much toothpaste. Here are some ways you can help make brushing fun and efficient: Choose toothbrushes with colors and characters that your child enjoys. For example, my child loves his Spiderman toothbrush. You can also buy toothpaste in a flavor your child likes- many come in flavors such as watermelon, cherry, or mint. Your dentist will tell you what the appropriate amount of toothpaste is depending on your child’s age- for many, it’s just a smear or pea-sized amount. Find a song that’s around two minutes long, and dance along while you brush your teeth until the song is over. This turns the act of brushing teeth into a dance party! Have your child look at their teeth in the mirror and count them. Practice different poses and smiling in the mirror and explain that brushing helps keep teeth nice and strong. Grab a stepstool and let your child stand over the sink while brushing and rinsing. If they want to brush their own teeth, go back over them yourself once they’re done. Going to the Dentist All new experiences will require some getting used to. For kids going to the dentist for the first time, it can be helpful for them to know what to expect. Here are some tips on how to prepare: It’s recommended that children visit the dentist when their first tooth comes through. Take this time to find a pediatric dentist that fits your family. Let the staff know that it is your child’s first time. ·Make the appointment at a time of day when you know your child will be feeling their best. This could be in the morning after a good night’s rest, or in the afternoon after a healthy lunch. Read books and show children pictures of what a dentist’s office looks like. Talk to them about the bright lights, the chair that moves up and down, and the trays of instruments that the dentist will use to look at their teeth. Model Good Dental Behavior You are your child’s first teacher, and the best thing you can do to promote good dental health is by taking care of your own teeth! Here are some things to keep in mind: Be calm and confident when taking your child for their visit.  Brush your own teeth twice a day, and floss once a day. Brush your teeth together with your child. By being a good role model, we can show our children that everyone brushes every day! Brushing well, eating healthy foods, and scheduling regular dental check-ups go a long way in ensuring your child has a healthy mouth. For more resources on dental health, check out our Family Resources page!