Message From the President
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| Phyllis Kalifeh |
Dear Members Partners and Friends,
The dust has finally settled in Tallahassee after the wild whirlwind of the legislative session. I'm proud to announce that the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Early Childhood® Scholarship Program, operated by the Children's Forum, was fully funded at the $3 million level -- no increase or decrease but regardless, we're thankful. With more than 3,000 scholarship participants, the program has a substantial impact. We would like to extend a special note of thanks to the following legislators for their support of T.E.A.C.H. and the early learning appropriations budgets: Sen. Stephen Wise, Rep. Rich Glorioso, Sen. Mike Fasano, Rep. Greg Evers, Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla and Gov. Charlie Crist.
In addition to providing the early care and education workforce with scholarship opportunities to work towards an A.S. degree and various credentials, the Forum fully supports the implementation of a statewide career advancement system. The Agency for Workforce Innovation- Office of Early Learning and Palm Beach State College are spearheading this effort that will be known as Florida's Early Care and Education Professional Development System. The goal of the project is to create a unified, seamless and integrated system for child care practitioners that will encourage child development and lead to school success. Components of the system include Florida's core competencies, a team master trainers, a professional registry, career pathways, tools and training and community collaboration. The Forum looks forward to working with all stakeholders and marketing the career advancement system.
Although challenging economic times may be ahead, we are optimistic about the future for the early childhood and afterschool workforce. Without a doubt, educated practitioners with specialized training in the field are central to quality early learning and afterschool experiences. We look forward to sharing information about how these changes and opportunities can positively impact Florida's children.
Best,
- Phyllis Kalifeh, President and CEO
