Florida’s School Readiness Program (SR) offers financial assistance to eligible low-income families for early education and care so they can become financially self-sufficient and their young children can be successful in school in the future. Even before children attend prekindergarten, they gain from experiences that help them enter school ready for kindergarten. Services vary based on individual needs and range from developmental screening to child assessments for children ages birth to school age.
What is School Readiness (SR)?
The SR program is funded primarily by the federal Child Care and Development Fund Block Grant. The Division of Early Learning (DEL) is the lead administrator for the SR program at the state level and partners with 30 local early learning coalitions statewide and Redlands Christian Migrant Association to deliver SR services and support statewide.
Benefits of SR
- Help prepare young children to start kindergarten ready to learn.
- Helps working families afford high-quality early learning services.
- Keeps parents in the workforce and/or participating in educational or training activities.
- Provides parents information about child development, early childhood screenings and family well-being.
- Parents can choose from private centers and schools, public schools, and family childcare homes.
Who is Eligible for SR?
- Parent(s) must meet the purpose of care requirements- a single parent must be working or participating in an educational activity such as attending college or tradeschool at least 20 hours per week or disabled. If it’s a two-parent household both parents must be working or participating in an educational activity such as attending college or tradeschool for a combined total hour of at least 40 hours per week or disabled.
- Gross income must be at or below 150 percent of federal poverty level for family size.
- Families must pay a copayment for child care based on income and family size.
- Other children may be eligible if they have special needs or are at-risk of abuse, neglect, or abandonment, or if their parents are homeless, victims of domestic violence or are low-income migrant families or farm workers.
School Readiness Match Program
The Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County now has the authority to serve a new category of families and children using a combination of local funding and State matching funds. The qualification requirements for the School Readiness Program still exist, except families can now initially earn between 150% of FPL and 75% of SMI and be eligible for services.
Child Care Resource and Referral for Child Care – Call 850-595-5915 or email ccrr@elcescambia.org
Date of last Wait List Pull: February 12th 2024