Florida’s School Readiness Program
Financial assistance, parental support, and early learning opportunities for eligible Orange County families
Besides loving their children, parents and guardians are responsible for meeting their family's basic needs, such as food and shelter. As in many societies, parents need to work to provide these things and require dependable child care to make this happen. ELCOC recognizes that quality affordable daycare and early childhood development programs can be expensive and often outside the reach of some families.
The good news is that Florida's School Readiness Program, administered in Orange County by ELCOC, helps to end this frustrating cycle.
The program provides eligible families financial assistance to enroll their children in quality child care and early learning programs. It is a win for the whole family: potentially disadvantaged children will be prepared to enter kindergarten ready to learn, while parents can work toward becoming financially independent.
The School Readiness Program also recognizes parents as their child's first and most important teachers and role models.
In addition to providing financial childcare assistance, the program strengthens the family by providing information on parenting and child development and opportunities for parents to engage with their child's early education.
The School Readiness Program includes:
- Parent training on child development milestones and family well-being
- Screening to assess each child’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development and recommend any necessary resources and assistance
- Referrals to any needed health and educational specialists
- Opportunities for parental involvement
- Child care services based on individual needs, which may include:
- extended day and extended year care
- after-school care
- school-age child care
- Assistance locating and choosing a child care provider through the Child Care Resource and Referral services (CCR&R)
The School Readiness Program works in cooperation with other programs for young children, such as Head Start, Early Head Start, and the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program.
Which child care providers participate in the School Readiness Program?
All participating providers must meet standards established by Florida’s Office of Early Learning as well as state and federal health and safety requirements.
Parents can choose to enroll their children in a variety of qualified early learning centers, including:
- private child care centers and schools
- faith-based child care centers
- public schools
- family childcare homes