Early Learning Coalition of Seminole County

School Readiness Provider Contract Application and Contract

School Readiness funding is available to at risk or low-income families through a federal grant.

The process for obtaining a School Readiness Provider Contract has changed for the upcoming year (FY 2011-2012). Each private provider or public school that would like to provide School Readiness (SR) services must apply to become an SR Provider.

This application, SR Provider Contract Application, must be completed and returned, via U.S. mail or delivered to:

Percy Snyder
SR/VPK Provider Enrollment Specialist
Community Coordinated Care for Children (4C)
307 West First Street
Sanford, FL 32771
321-832-6408
PSnyder@4CFlorida.org

New Provider Orientation Meetings will be held on:

February 21, 2012 and April 24, 2012
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Early Learning Coalition of Seminole
239 Rinehart Road
Lake Mary, FL 32746

PLEASE NOTE: It is mandatory that each new provider attend one of these meetings.

If you have additional questions about becoming a School Readiness provider in Seminole County, please contact Percy Snyder.

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.

For reference purposes only, please click here to see a copy of the contract: School Readiness Provider Contract FY 2011-2012

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 Environment Rating Scale (ERS) 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 Environment Rating Scale (ERS) assessment?

There are many ways to prepare before your site is evaluated. Here are some things you can do:

ERS Assessment:

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.
Attend training on ERS.
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 Coalition Quality Service Specialist 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 your program (be sure it is up-to-date and accurate), and have a copy ready for the Assessor the day of the evaluation.
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.

Curriculum Implementation Review:

Read and complete a self-evaluation of the Curriculum Implementation Review prior to the assessment. Make notes on areas you wish to improve.
Attend the Coalition's "Curriculum Implementation" Training.
Inform and prepare all staff about the evaluation.
Discuss the self-evaluation with the Coalition Quality Service Specialist to determine opportunities for improvement.
Prepare all classrooms or home in advance to maximize your scoring potential. All classrooms should have the following available:
- Posted Daily Schedules
- Posted Job Chart (ages 3 and up)
- Six (6) Weeks of Lesson Plans
- Weekly Child Observations

Back to FAQ

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 classroom(s) for at least 2-1/2 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

Back to FAQ

What happens after the assessment?

The summary report identifies each individual score for each category. 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.

Technical assistance will be provided by Coalition staff to help you improve your facility's quality.

Back to FAQ

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, and the Coalition-developed Curriculum Implementation and Character Development Review.

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.
FCCERS: Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale is designed to assess family child care programs conducted in a provider's home.
SACER: School Age Care Environment Rating Scale (SACER) assessment is designed to assess group-care programs for children of school age, ages 5 to 12.
Curriculum Implementation and Character Development Review: This is a Coalition-developed instrument based on the NAEYC's Guiding Principles and best practices.

Back to FAQ

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.

School Readiness Provider Resources

This section is for quick access to forms and resources for School Readiness (SR) Providers. The following documents correspond to the SR Provider Manual, Standard of Operating Policies and Procedures (SOP).

Early Learning Coalition of Seminole County
239 Rinehart Road | Lake Mary, FL 32746
Phone: 407-871-1101 | Fax: 407-871-1100