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Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County
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Champions for Early Learning Breakfast

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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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Champions for Early Learning Breakfast

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Family Resources

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Explore ELC's Brand New Blog

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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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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 25 Mar, 2024
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!
By Arielle Tuan 22 Mar, 2024
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
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.
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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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