Paths to Professionalism (ELC)

Seminole State College has received a grant that will be used to help educate childcare professionals and improve early childhood literacy and math skills.

Funding for the grant helped Seminole State launch the "Path to Professionalism" program, a series of workshops for child-care professionals aimed at increasing their knowledge of early literacy and math skills.

Seminole State also will launch a pilot project for family and parent awareness and education called "Let's Read Together." The program will be offered at nine centers and three local library branches and will promote early literacy in the home. Seminole State will also provide on-site observations and evaluations at these nine participating centers and provide parents with a two-hour family literacy workshop.

Nana Robertson, professor and program manager of Seminole State's Early Childhood Education Program, said studies have shown that by the age of three, children with limited exposure to early literacy may be behind language skills by as much as 30 million words as compared with those children who were given opportunities for rich literacy experiences.

"What we are hoping to do is make the parents aware of the importance of reading to their children," Robertson said, "so all children are on the same page as they start school."

Seminole State offers A.S. degrees in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Management. A recent agreement allows A.S. graduates to enroll into the University of Central Florida's Bachelor of applied Science in Early Childhood Education. Degree-seeking students may also earn technical certificates in Childcare Center Management Specialization and Early Intervention Specialist. Seminole State also offers a vocational Early Childhood Professional Certificate and students may also obtain a National Child Development Associates credential.

The Early Learning Coalition is the local policy body responsible for overseeing early childcare and education services in Seminole County. The coalition works collaboratively with Central Florida Coordinated Care for Children (4C) and a network of more than 300 public and private providers to ensure children receive high quality, developmentally appropriate services needed to enter school ready to learn. The coalition also funds before- and after-school services for children under the age of 13.

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