Normally during the legislative session, we find ourselves fighting for our legislators to pay attention to Early Learning. That is not the case this year. There has been more legislative activity with Florida’s Early Learning System since the inception of the School Readiness statute over a decade ago.

This legislative session began with the release of a report from the Auditor General’s report which had 32 findings and recommendations for improving Florida’s early Learning System, none of which recommended changing Florida’s current system. Many of the findings were due to human error in a very paper dependent system, and the inability for state data systems to communicate.

There are currently two bills in the Senate and four bills in the House that impact the Early Learning system. Many advocates and stakeholders have been actively involved in the legislative process to help legislators understand the impact of draft bill language. There have been many conversations about supporting...

Recently, the ELC launched a new parent education campaign simply titled, Everybody's A Teacher. It is about just that... No matter who you are, what job you hold, how old you are, or if you have your own children or not, YOU are a teacher. Young children look to the people around them for clues about the world and themselves. Everyone in the life of a child is a teacher. Are you teaching the children you impact positive things?

You don't have to be standing in front of a blackboard to be considered a teacher. You can have easily have a positive impact on a child's development. Simply listening to their stories, asking them questions, getting down on their level, or sharing a book, says to a child, "You are important, you matter". At the same time, it is easy to have a negative impact. The simple roll of your eyes or negative body language speaks loudly to children.

We as a society used to live by the "it takes a village" concept. It seems that we have gotten away from...

This week I have spent hours at our state capital building educating our legislators on those exact questions. Florida's Office of Early has recently moved from the Agency for Workforce Innovation and will now be housed under the administrative umbrella of Florida's Department of Education. With that move, a new group of our state lawmakers is now looking at the best interests of our youngest children. They too are asking the same questions... What are Early Learning Coalitions all about? What difference do they really make?

I love being asked these questions... It gives me an opening to talk about the critical work we do with our children, families, and child care providers. Early Learning Coalitions do matter, and we do make a difference and here are a few reasons why:

Early Learning Coalitions….

1. ACTIVELY engage the local community in early childhood issues.
2. Provide training and support to child care providers.
3. Provide support and critical resources to families.
4. Identify children...

Picture a newborn baby…. They are so vulnerable, so helpless. They depend on others in getting their basic needs met. In many ways, they are a blank slate; equipped with everything they need to be successful – just waiting for someone to fill them with all of the love, support, and guidance they need.

Now, picture a 5 year old kindergartener; vibrant, active, curious, and independent in many ways. They have their own personality – they may be shy and quiet or outgoing and gregarious. Some ask a lot of questions, others wait to be told what to do. They can run, climb, sing, play, cry, laugh, and express themselves verbally. They have their own thoughts, feelings, and opinions about the world around them.

Who that newborn baby becomes is dependent on the environment around them… their interactions, their experiences, and opportunities. People are the key to helping children become a confident 5 year old ready to take on the world. Everyone in the life of a young child is a teacher…....

Okay, so I'm sure you can tell I Googled quotes on customer service... it's either Google or Coach Jimbo :). I wanted to end the week with a few reminders about what providing good cusotmer service is all about.

This past Monday we saw a record number of families in our offices. 109 alone just in the Leon office. While it is great that we were able to service that many families, it is critical that we do not get overwhelmed by the volume and focus on quantity rather than quality of service.

We are a HUMAN SERVICE agency, providing a service is what we do. We don't have to sell our service, it is something that people need. But that does not mean we can become lazy with the manner in which we provide that service.

Another quote I liked.... "To my customer, I may not have the answer, but I'll find it. I may not have the time, but I'll make it." - Unknown.

Upholding and promoting the customer guarantee is part of every single person's job employed by the ELC, including mine....