Florida's Early Learning Roadmap

Implementing Florida's Early Learning Roadmap

Launched in Fall 2023 following nearly two years of collective work, Florida’s Early Learning Roadmap is an actionable roadmap for the future of early learning policy and funding in the third-largest state. Mothers, fathers, educators, center owners and directors, advocates, and state policy experts worked collaboratively to plan the future.

Nearly 1,000 Floridians helped create the Roadmap, a document that grew out of more than 100 conversations with parents, educators, and others all across our state. The steering committee who drafted it was made up of 70% parents and educators.

Today, continued planning and implementation we put forward is lead by our advisory board.

Florida's Early Learning Roadmap

After traveling throughout the state hosting more than 65 listening and feedback sessions engaging 850+ Floridians, our Steering Committee (made up of 70% parents and educators) worked collaboratively to create an actionable roadmap for the future of early learning policy and funding in our state.

Download Florida’s Early Learning Roadmap

The Future Call

The Future Call is a bi-weekly community conversation for Floridians interested in supporting our youngest learners and the adults who help them thrive. It’s an opportunity to share successes and best practices aligned to the recommendations in Florida’s Early Learning Roadmap and to collaborate for continued progress.

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Florida's Early Learning Roadmap

The 4 Key Components

We put forward 41 recommendations across four key components.

Thriving Parents

All parents—including mothers, fathers, and other caregivers—and families can access the resources and support they need to help their children thrive, including mental health resources, caregiver support systems, and affordable year-round early learning that meets their children's unique developmental needs

Impactful Learning Experiences

Every teacher has the tools to provide every child with engaging, hands-on, high-quality, developmentally appropriate, differentiated, and purposefully playful early learning experiences that foster the magic of exploration and learning as the foundation for healthy early childhood development and school readiness.

A Respected Workforce

The teachers and directors who are the backbone of the early learning system are recognized, respected, and supported with training, competitive compensation, and benefits that help them make a living as career early learning professionals.

A Well-Coordinated, Resourced, & Data-Driven System

All parents, educators, and other family service providers work together, communicate regularly, and coordinate effectively in an aligned, well-funded, data-driven, accessible, and effective early learning system that supports the growth, development, and overall success of all young children in Florida.

Our Advisory Board

Florida's Early Learning Roadmap Advisory Board

The advisory board is leading the charge to turn the Roadmap into the state’s reality. Established in January 2024, the group of about 40 people representing diverse communities from across the state is tasked with strategizing and implementing the recommendations.

Our Advisory Board is comprised of a diverse group of Floridians. They represent:

Parents and families with young children impacted by the state's early learning services
Key state and regional agencies that impact and/or administer the current public early childhood systems
Child care and health providers who support essential educational, health, developmental, or social-emotional supports for young children and their families
Advocates and leaders who work on early childhood systems and policies in Florida

Advisory Board Members

Cari Miller, Division of Early Learning, Tallahassee
Damon Francis, Parent, Spring Hill
Dawn Montecalvo, Guadalupe Center, Immokalee
Denise Brown, Parent, Jacksonville
Denise Liriano, Parent, Spring Hill
DJ Lebo, Early Learning Coalition of Flagler and Volusia, Daytona Beach
Dr. Herman Knopf, Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies, UF., Gainesville
Dr. Sharon Miller, King's Kid Christian Academy of Tampa, Inc., Tampa
Erin Smeltzer, Children's Forum, Tallahassee
Heather Siskind, Jack and Jill Center, Ft. Lauderdale
Jennifer Coleman, Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County, Palm Beach
Jesyca Blaine, Parent, Tavares
Kayla Miranda, Parent, Crawfordville
Kimberly Singer, Head Start, Statewide
Kissha Ballard, Kissha's Little Ones Child Care, LLC., Orlando
Madeleine K. Thakur, The Children's Movement, Miami
Maria Somera, Parent, Sarasota
Mary Huffstetter, St. Lucie Public Schools, Port St. Lucie
Mia Jones, Children's Trust of Alachua County, Gainesville
Michelle Forrest, Community Action Program Committee - Head Start, Pensacola
Miracle Wilson, Parent, Daytona Beach
Molly Grant, Association of Early Learning Coalitions, Tallahassee
Nadeige Theresias-Josil, Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center, North Miami
Paloma Prata, Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions, Tallahassee
Pamela Hollingsworth, Early Learning Coalition of Miami Dade and Monroe, Miami
Paula Moujalli, United Way, Miami
Russell Scoates, Small World Daycare & Learning Center, Gainesville
Sandi Bisceglia, Former Elementary Teacher and Pre K-8 Principal, Florida Keys/Islamorada
Sasha Pack, Early Childhood Educator, Palm Coast
Simone McDaniel, Parent, Tallahassee
Tamara Tener, Florida Family Child Care Home Association, Crystal River
Toshiko Pinckney, Early Childhood Educator, St. Petersburg

Advisory board members work together to strategize and implement the recommendations in Florida's Early Learning Roadmap. Each one participates in one of our four working groups.

Working Groups

Thriving Parents

The Thriving Parents working group advances the Future Project Roadmap strategies focused on ensuring parents and families with young children are connected to the community, can access the resources they need when they need them, and are supported as partners and leaders in improving outcomes for children.

Focus:

Comprehensive resource guides for families
Create support group(s) statewide
Develop parent advocacy and leadership training

Early Educators Workforce

The Early Educators Workforce working group advances the Future Project Roadmap strategies focused on increasing training, support, compensation, benefits, and career pathways for early learning professionals.

Focus:

Rule change to increase paid professional development days
Create more reliable CLASS assessors and trainers in the field
Inform Informal Pathways Project Advisory Committee Report and Implementation
Expand professional development wage incentive programs across the state

Public Awareness & Recognition

The Public Awareness and Recognition working group advances the Future Project Roadmap strategies focused on raising awareness and increasing understanding among policy makers and the public about the importance of high-quality early learning, developmentally appropriate practice, and the value of early learning teachers through a series of public awareness and recognition efforts.

Focus:

Develop and launch a statewide public awareness campaign
Engage state and local policy makers as champions
Expand community recognition for early educators

System Transformation

The System Transformation working group advances the Future Project Roadmap strategies focused on creating a well-funded, high-quality, data-driven early learning system that connects families to additional services.

Focus:

Increase funding levels for early learning programs
Expand program eligibility to match Florida's economic reality
Document the true cost of quality care
Move towards a fully-funded high-quality early learning system

How we got here

Listening Tour: April-November 2022

Conducted 40 "Let’s Talk!" sessions in 22 counties.
Inclusive approach with virtual and Spanish and Haitian-Creole sessions.

Drafting the Roadmap: September 2022-April 2023

A diverse committee selected through a competitive process.
Activities included developing a shared vision and drafting the roadmap.

Community Feedback: May-June 2023

Conducted 25 community meetings to receive feedback.
Over 450 participants provided feedback for roadmap refinement.

Learn more about what led to this work

Paving the Road to Early Learning Success - Community Feedback Sessions

Steering Committee retreat in Orlando - Dec. 9, 2022

Colorful banner introducing Let's Talk sessions across the state

Our "Let's Talk!" listening sessions have taken us all across the state and into the virtual sphere. We had so many partners and friends help us invite participants for these intimate discussions--usually over dinner. Here's a look at where we've been. (Our virtual sessions are not pictured but included parents in the Keys, and home visitors and Spanish-speaking parents across the state.)