Miami-Dade Voters "Give a Great Gift" to Children, Say "Yes" to The Children's Trust
Children's Trust Logo

Miami-Dade County voters gave a huge "thumbs up" to children and families by voting Tuesday to reauthorize The Children's Trust. More than 85 percent of voters approved the referendum to permanently establish The Children's Trust as the children's services council for the county. In 2002, voters approved The Children's Trust on a five-year, temporary basis with the understanding they could vote again in 2008 on whether to make the organization permanent.

''Voters - in overwhelming numbers from every corner of our community - have given a great gift to the children of this generation and generations to come,'' David Lawrence Jr., chairman of The Children's Trust board, told the crowd of supporters and well-wishers who attended a victory celebration Tuesday night at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.

Lawrence said The Children's Trust will continue to help as many Miami-Dade children as possible with programs whose goals range from raising health awareness and teaching nonviolence to promoting the arts and honing students' job skills. The chairman urged, too, that the victory would serve to help the effort to provide health care to the tens of thousands of Florida children who lack it.
~ Submitted by The Children's Trust of Miami-Dade County

On behalf of all Children's Services Councils in Florida, the FCSC congratulates The Children's Trust and the hundreds of providers it funds. You are true heroes for the children and families in your community.

QRS Challenge Dismissed
On Tuesday, the Early Learning Coalition (ELC) of Duval County received good news about an administrative challenge issued against them by the Florida Association for Child Care Management (FACCM). FACCM challenged the ELC's quality rating system, know as "Guiding Stars," claiming that the ELC, as a state agency, did not have the authority to establish a Quality Rating System (QRS) system without going through state administrative procedures for rulemaking under Chapter 120.52(15), F.S. The hearing officer held that FACCM did not have standing and the ELC is not a state agency for the purpose of Chapter 120. This was a very important decision for advocates who seek quality improvement in child care and for the Children's Services Councils who heavily invest in QRS in their communities. ELC leaders and others involved are to be commended for their thorough preparation and commitment to prevailing in this challenge.

FAN Offers Lights On Afterschool Mini-Grants
In support of the National Lights on Afterschool Celebration, the Florida Afterschool Network (FAN) is pleased to offer its 3rd annual Lights On Afterschool mini-grants. The Lights on Afterschool statewide event is scheduled for Thurs., Oct. 16. FAN is offering support through mini-grants to local afterschool programs to help offset event costs. The mini-grants are intended to support local afterschool program efforts to celebrate Lights on Afterschool. Download the application form and instructions.

Early Childhood and Early Learning Combine Calendars
The Early Childhood Association of Florida and the Office of Early Learning (OEL) have established a statewide, two-year calendar and posted it on the OEL's web site. The calendar was created to prevent the scheduling of conflicting dates for important meetings and trainings. The calendar is available to child care and early learning professionals to share information about conferences available throughout the state. Groups are encouraged to check the calendar before scheduling meetings that might detract from statewide meetings or events. The OEL will post calendar items for any group coordinating an event that is open for general registration. To submit a calendar item, please send the event title, date, time, event contact, location and event description (including web site and phone) to Deborah Rogers, Consumer Relations Analyst, at deborah.rogers@flaawi.com. View the calendar HERE.

Fay Delays Explore Adoption Promotion, New Date Set
Tropical Storm Fay postponed a Heart Gallery media event in Tallahassee last week intended to promote Gov. Charlie Crist's Explore Adoption campaign. The event, organized in partnership with the Governor's Office of Adoption and Child Protection, will now be held Sept. 4 at the Mary Brogan Museum. The event will feature a photo gallery full of children's photos provided by Heart Galleries across the state. Florida's Heart Gallery exhibit will be on display through October. Anyone interested in the media event or viewing the exhibit is encouraged to attend. Many of the Heart Galleries are funded by their local Children's Services Council.

Scholarship Program in Florida Celebrates 10 Years of Service
This year, the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Early Childhood® Scholarship Program is celebrating 10 years of service in Florida. T.E.A.C.H. helps to improve the education, compensation and retention of the early childhood work force. Administered through the Children's Forum, and funded through The Agency for Workforce Innovation Office of Early Learning (OEL), T.E.A.C.H. provides scholarships for early care educators and center directors to work toward earning an Associate's degree or credentials in early childhood education.

To date, 22,084 T.E.A.C.H. scholarships have been awarded to 14,633 participants. Of these recipients, 5,683 have earned their Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or equivalent and 435 have graduated with their Associate degree. For more information about T.E.A.C.H, please call 877-FL-TEACH or visit www.thechildrensforum.com/teach.htm.
~ Submitted by the Children's Forum