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From Play to Possibilities- Explore the ELCHC Q2 Newsletter

The latest Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County newsletter is here, and it’s packed with exciting updates!  From program highlights to an inspiring employee spotlight, we’re sharing all the ways we’re supporting early learning in our community. Plus, find new resources to make family engagement fun and get tips to boost early literacy at home. Dive in and discover how we’re turning play into endless possibilities for our youngest learners!

Why Play Matters

Day of Play

We’re thrilled to share the success of our recent Winter Day of Play event hosted at Jackson Springs Community Center with 20 community partners and over 350 attendees. Day of Play is more than just fun and connecting to local resources—it’s a chance for families to discover the power of play-based learning. Families in attendance received books, tambourines, and other play-focused resources to spark learning and fun at home. Through hands-on activities and meaningful connections, parents learn how play supports their child’s growth, learning, and success.

Lissette Godwin, Manager of Program supports at the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County, shares that play provides the opportunity for children to develop a variety of skills that they will use throughout their lives, such as encouraging social-emotional skills, gross and fine motor development, cognitive development, language, and communication and arguably the ability to just have fun. Day of Play remains just that, a wonderful opportunity for families across our county to play, connect, and to just have fun.

Family Engagement

Last November, we celebrated Family Engagement Month, also known as Florida Family Engagement in Education Month, a time to honor the vital role parents, caregivers and families play in supporting their children’s education. As a coalition, we participated by creating a calendar filled with creative and fun activities designed to help families bond while boosting their child’s growth.

From hands-on learning games to meaningful conversations, these play-based learning activities are an exciting way for parents to engage in their child’s development, making education a shared experience. Family engagement is at the heart of early education, and we’re excited to continue empowering families to be active participants in their little ones’ growth and success.

Building Bright Futures

The Power of Early Literacy

The most significant brain growth happens between birth and age five, with the brain tripling in size during the first year alone and becoming nearly fully developed by the time a child starts kindergarten. (SOURCE: What’s Going on in There? : How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life.) Literacy plays a vital role in this early brain development. Research from neuroscientists at Stanford University ( Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) highlights that a child’s reading ability is closely linked to the growth of the brain’s white matter tracts.

The Early Learning Coalition is dedicated to supporting literacy through impactful programs. One such initiative, Literacy All Year (LAY), supports early literacy education within the classrooms. 

This program equips educators with training to enhance phonemic awareness and emergent literacy skills such as reading and writing. It also provides classrooms with valuable resources, including Big Book stands, a comprehensive Big Book Collection, listening centers, and book sets on CD, ensuring children have access to the tools they need to thrive. How do you help your child build strong literacy skills- PLAY!

Connecting Play to Literacy

Big Discoveries with Small Ideas

Watch how even the smallest ideas can lead to big discoveries through play! In this fun and informative video, board member Dr. Jacquelyn A. Jenkins takes us on a journey of creative learning, pulling items from her bag and demonstrating the countless ways we can engage with children to spark imagination and support early literacy.

This video was shared last October during Head Start Awareness Month and offers inspiring ideas for parents, educators, and caregivers to encourage playful learning at home and in the classroom.

Meet the Team

REGISTRATION

All registrations for IECP learning events and workshops are completed online. Registrations are received on a first-come, first-served basis and seating is limited. An account to our online platform is required for all learning event registrations regardless of cost or type of payment used.

PAYMENT

Payment, if required, can be made online at the time of registration.

REGISTRATION CANCELLATION POLICY

Registrants have up to 48 hours before a scheduled learning event to cancel. A refund will be made to the online account on file.

LEARNING EVENT CANCELLATION POLICY

The event sponsor reserves the right to cancel a learning event due to low registration. If a session is cancelled, those registered will be contacted by email and notified of the cancellation. A credit will be applied to the online account on file.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

You are encouraged to log on virtually or arrive in person 5-10 minutes prior to the start time of your learning event. Participants arriving more than 15 minutes late WILL NOT BE ADMITTED TO THE SESSION. Partial in-service credit may be offered, if applicable. Make-up sessions WILL NOT BE OFFERED for any learning event. 

ANTI – DISCRIMINATION POLICY

The IECP and ELCHC shall not discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability/handicap, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or age in any aspect of a learning event, training workshop or professional development. The ELCHC also reasonably accommodates individuals with disabilities, handicaps and/or religious beliefs.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA)

Any person with a disability/handicap requiring reasonable accommodations should call 813.515.2340 no later than seven business days prior to the scheduled learning event.

LEARNER SECURITY POLICY

The ELCHC strives to protect the privacy of learners that attend our learning events. Because each learner must register through our online learning platform, each record is restricted from public access. Learners can obtain a copy of their certifications as well as their own demographic/contact information provided. For online support, learners may call 813.515.2340 for assistance accessing their records. Learners are required to verify their Identification at all learning events by showing a state or government issued ID with photograph.

PROPRIETARY INTEREST POLICY

Individuals who participate in ELCHC’s learning events have the right to know about the proprietary interest a trainer/ instructor may have in a product or service prior to attending. All trainers/instructors are required to disclose proprietary interest in any produce, instrument, device, service and/or materials discussed at an event training, program, or workshop, as well as the source of any compensation related to the presentation.

CEU AWARD POLICY

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) may be awarded for all learning events three hours or longer in duration. Learning events less than three hours will be awarded in-service hours upon completion. CEUs will be awarded upon successful completion of the learning event. To successfully complete the learning event, learners must arrive on time, attend all required sessions, be an active participant and complete all related assignments and/or surveys as defined by the trainer/instructor. Online training must have an engagement score of 75% or more. For all online training – CAMERAS MUST BE ON – NO EXCEPTIONS. Participant’s names for online training must match the name provided at registration.  Any required assignments or surveys will be outlined in the Training Description on our online platform. Learners are encouraged to contact trainers/ instructors with any questions and/or clarification needed regarding the successful completion of assignments or surveys. In-service hours will be awarded in place of CEUs if the learner does not meet the requirements of successful completion as defined by the instructor/trainer.
* Trainings may be recorded for educational purposes.

ACHIEVEMENT BONUS

To earn an achievement bonus, you must be teaching in Hillsborough County and meet all the requirements of the course, including pre/post assessments, homework assignments, reflection, and LMS instructor evaluation (if applicable). Each individual is limited to four training achievement bonuses per training cycle, and bonuses will not be given for previously completed coursework. Additionally, a W9 form must be submitted, and the address on the form must match the address on your LMS account. If you have any questions, please contact Abbey Landa at alanda@elchc.org.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Upon the successful completion of a learning event/training participants will receive a Certificate of Completion that can be retrieved from their individual online LMS account.

CHILD CARE

All learning events/training sessions are designed for adult audiences. We ask that all registrants make the necessary childcare arrangements to meet the minimum requirements for participation in the learning event. Childcare is not available.