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Choosing a
quality child care provider, Voluntary
Prekindergarten (VPK) provider or other early
education or after school program for your child is
one of the most important decisions you will ever
make as a parent. We understand how important
it is to you and your family that you have the
knowledge you need to make an informed decision.
With the information we provide, we hope that you
will be able to select a quality program you are
most comfortable with that matches your family's and
child's needs.
Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) services
are free to anyone residing or seeking early
education services in Florida, including care for
children of all ages and those with disabilities
and/or special health care needs.
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What is Early
Learning?
Early learning, child care, day care, preschool, early
education--these are all terms that are used to describe
programs that provide care and education for children
outside their own home. We know that children are actively
learning wherever they are--at home, in early learning
programs, and communities. Parents are undeniably children's
first and most important teachers. With this in mind, we
work hard to maintain a quality early learning system with
programs that respect families' individual needs.
What are the Benefits of Early
Learning?
Young children need meaningful
learning opportunities to develop skills, sense of self, and
a foundation for learning throughout life. Good programs
offer activities and services to promote each child's
physical, social, and emotional development, as well as
children's cognitive development.
Children who attend high quality early
learning programs have competencies in:
- Self-control,
- Social skills, and
- Have a higher motivation for learning.
They also gain other essential skills such
as:
- Language,
- Math,
- Literacy, and
- Problem solving.
Having participated
in quality early learning programs, children develop a love
for learning and have meaningful experiences to apply as
they learn more complex concepts. Families benefit too as
they access needed services and receive the support they
need to ensure the well-being of their children.
Is Early Learning Right for my Family?
Making decisions about the care
and education of your child is a very personal matter. There
are many options:
- In home care or nanny/au pair care;
- Neighbor, family, or friend care;
- Family child care; and
- Center-based care.
Within these options,
families can make choices that are most appropriate for
their individual needs. Some families may prefer family
child care, where care is provided to a small mixed-age
group of children in a person's home. Other families may
prefer center-based care, where children are in small groups
with children their approximate age. Families can also make
choices between part-day and full-day programs; or
faith-based and non-parochial programs; as well as many
other program features provided to fit the individual needs
of each family.
Additionally, there
are support services and programs available to children and
families including
School Readiness
Assistance for eligible
families; and
Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK),
a publicly-funded education program free for all eligible
four-year-old children.
To help answer your questions and concerns
about child care, Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) or other
related topics and/or have information mailed to you, staff
are available Monday through Friday, from 8:00am to 5:00pm @
1-866-357-3239 toll free.
A
Family Guide for Early Education and Child Care Options
A Quality Checklist for Evaluating Early Care and Education
Programs
In order to view some
of the documents on this site you will need to have the free
Adobe Acrobat Reader
installed on your computer.
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