Although the Coalition has been sponsoring the Child Care WAGE$^® FLORIDA Project (WAGE$^®), the Florida Children’s Forum has been administering the WAGE$^® project on our behalf from their offices in Tallahassee.  After careful consideration, the Coalition has made the decision to discontinue participation in this program so that we can administer a similar program locally that will better meet the needs of our community and support our Coalition’s goals more effectively.

As a commitment to continued education and professional development, the Coalition will be releasing the Education and Retention Incentive (E.R.I.) program to new participants that will also offer stipends similar to the WAGE$^® project in July 2007.  The primary goals of this project are to improve the quality of early care and education in Osceola County by reducing teacher/provider turnover and encouraging the continued education of child care teachers in Osceola County through education-based salary supplements.

We thank you for your understanding as we transition to the local E.R.I. program and look forward to your continued interest in professional development!