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Miami Dade College Fall 2011 Registration is now Open

Miami Dade College Fall 2011 Registration is now Open. Download the flyers for more information.

• Spring 2012 Flyer - English
• Spring 2012 Flyer - Spanish
• Spring 2012 Flyer - Creole

Legislative Decisions Impacting Early Care and Education Programs

While Florida's 2011 legislative session has officially come to an end, the House and Senate's approval of a $69.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2011-2012 will begin July 1. This final budget provides less funding than last year, and early care and education programs were not spared among the devastating cuts made across the board to Florida's most vulnerable populations. On a positive note, The Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Early Childhood^® Scholarship Program was fully funded at the $3 million level. Although T.E.A.C.H. was spared among budget cuts during this year's legislative session, the following programs experienced significant cuts that affect Florida's children and families:

Voluntary Pre Kindergarten (VPK) programs, which provide free, high-quality prekindergarten services to all four-year-old children in Florida, were cut by $30 million which includes a reduction in the School Year Base Student Allocation from $2,553 to $2,383. In addition, student-teacher ratios were increased and VPK administration and program support was reduced to 4 percent.

School Readiness, which provides subsidized child care to low-income families so that they can continue to work, will operate on $68 million less than the current year budget. This reduction will impact child care for nearly 15,000 children. The final school readiness allocation does not restore $38 million in federal stimulus funds.

We must remain committed to Florida's children and ensuring that they have the opportunity to participate in high-quality early care and education and afterschool programs. Access to other vital services is also critical in preventing and ameliorating other potential problems that, if left unaddressed, will be more costly in the future. The research affirms that investing in early care and education and quality afterschool programs are important strategies in boosting the economy, preparing children for success in school and in life, increasing academic success and reducing juvenile delinquency and later school dropout. On those points, we must remain steadfast in our resolve to make children our priority.

Mark your calendar for the NAEYC 2011 Annual Conference and Expo

The 2011 NAEYC Annual Conference & Expo will be held November 2-5 in Orlando, FL at the Orange County Convention Center. Registration for the conference will begin July 1, 2011 with early bird registration available through September 9, 2011 and regular registration available from September 10 through October 7, 2011. Registration will be available after that time but rates increase with each registration period. More information about the conference can be found at http://www.naeyc.org/conference/.

Nova Southern University Early Childhood Education Program

Nova Southern University is offering ECE Credit Classes for Limited English Practitioners and classes for your National CDA Credential. Contact your Quality Counts Career Advisor to request a scholarship application before February 24th.

Quality Counts Career Center Practitioners are thankful and already exercising the child development knowledge in in our Community Centers.