Families

Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance for Early Education in Hillsborough County

The cost of raising a family adds up fast, and quality child care is often the biggest expense of them all. You should not have to choose between going to work and knowing your child is somewhere safe and nurturing.

It’s easy to check if you qualify and only takes a few minutes!

Check to See If You Qualify
Apply for Financial Assistance

You can also contact us at 813-515-2340

if you need any additional assistance.

What Is the School Readiness Program? 

The Early Learning Coalition (ELC) of Hillsborough County can help connect you with tuition assistance for child care in Tampa and across the county. Through Florida’s School Readiness (SR) program, the state’s subsidized child care program, income-eligible families can have a portion of their child care costs covered. This tuition assistance program supports children from birth through school age. Families who are working, enrolled in school, or actively seeking employment may qualify for child care financial assistance in Hillsborough County.

The program uses a sliding fee scale. Families pay a co-payment based on their income and household size, and School Readiness funds cover the rest, up to an approved amount. This shared-cost approach lets the program help more families across Hillsborough County.

View the Sliding Fee Scale

Your Pathway to School Readiness

Getting help paying for child care is easier than you might think. Here’s how it works, one step at a time.
Answer a Few Questions

Start with our quick online Pre-Qualification questions. In just a few minutes, you will find out whether your household is eligible for help paying for child care. You do not need an account to check.

General eligibility guidelines: 

  • Your child must be between birth and school age
  • Your household income must fall within the program limits
  • You must be working, in school, or actively seeking employment

Not sure if you qualify? Our Child Care Resource and Referral team is always here to help. Call us at 813-515-2340.

Use the Qualification Calculator

Collect the documents you will need for your application. This includes proof of income and proof of Hillsborough County residency. You will be asked for a few more documents later, when you receive your funding offer (see step 5). Downloading the eligibility checklist now makes your daycare assistance application quicker later!

Download the Eligibility Checklist

Go to the Florida Division of Early Learning Family Portal to create your free account, complete the account, and submit it online. Once your application is submitted, you will receive an email outlining your next steps.

If you need help completing your application, we’re here for you! Call our office at 813-515-2340 or visit us in person during business hours, and we will gladly assist you!

What Happens After You Apply?

After you submit your application, you will receive an email outlining your next steps. Because funding is limited, you will be placed in one of two groups:

Waiting list: If funding is not currently available, your name will be added to the wait list. Funding offers go out each week based on priority and the date you applied. 

Funding offer: When a funding offer becomes available for your family, you will be notified by email. You will then submit the documents on the School Readiness Eligibility Checklist (available in both English and Spanish) to confirm your spot. 

After you submit your documents, our team will review them. We process documents in the order they were received. After your application has been approved, you can choose a child care provider and begin care.

If you need help selecting a quality child care center, we can help! Choose one of the following options:

  1. Fill out our online CCR&R Web Intake Form.
  2. Explore the online Quality Child Care Map to find a center near you.
  3. Call our team at 813-515-2340 for help from our team.

Revalidation

If the program is out of funding, you must update your application every six months to stay on the waiting list. We will email you when it is time to revalidate. You must update your application within 30 days of receiving that notice, or you will be automatically removed from the list.

What If I Am Not Eligible Right Now? 

If your income, household size, or other eligibility changes, you are always welcome to reapply!

On the Waiting List or Currently Ineligible? Here Are Your Affordable Child Care Options

If you are on the waitlist for a child care or day care subsidy in Florida, or are currently ineligible, these programs may be available to your family now:

Free VPK Program

If your child will turn 5 by September 1st, they may be eligible for Florida’s free Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program, available at no cost to all eligible families. 

Learn More

Head Start and Early Head Start Programs

Head Start serves children ages 3–5. Early Head Start serves children up to age 3. Both programs are free for qualifying low-income families, including children with special needs.

Learn More
If you need help finding child care right now, our Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) service can connect you with affordable child care services in your area. Please contact us — we are here to help.

Renewing Your School Readiness Benefits (Redetermination)

Once you are enrolled, you must renew your eligibility each year. This is called redetermination. You will receive a notice 45 days before your certificate expires. At that time, you’ll need to upload updated documents, including proof of income, your school schedule, or other required paperwork. Any changes to your household size, address, employment status, or income must be reported to ELCHC within 10 calendar days.

Don’t forget: you are required to sign your child in and out every day. This is a program requirement.

Download the Redetermination Checklist (English)
Download the Redetermination Checklist (Spanish)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a cost to families enrolled in School Readiness?
Yes. Families are assigned a co-payment based on their gross annual income. This is paid directly to the child care provider. In some cases, the co-payment may be waived. Please contact ELCHC for more information.

Why is there a waiting list?
Funding for the School Readiness program comes through the Child Care and Development Fund and is limited. When funds are fully committed, families are placed on a waiting list.

What documents do I need to apply?
You will need proof of income, verification of work or school enrollment, proof of residency, and your child’s birth certificate. Download the full eligibility checklist for a complete list.

Can grandparents or guardians apply?
Yes. Grandparents, legal guardians, and foster families may apply on behalf of eligible children.

View Our Full List of FAQs

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.