Early Childhood Development
Making a Difference in Early Learning
The first 1,000 days of a child's life are the most critical, which is why programs in this area are intended to foster social, behavioral and academic skills, offering screenings and crucial early intervention services for children identified with developmental or behavioral issues.
Our early intervention portfolio includes supporting specialized psycho-educational autism assessments, short-term intervention for children who don't meet the criteria to receive state-funded services, and summer programming for children ages birth to 5 with developmental disabilities who receive school-year services.
Our Thrive by 5 initiative was formed in response to research showing that early reading experiences, opportunities to build vocabulary and literacy-rich environments are the most effective ways to support the development of prereading and cognitive skills, so children are reading at or above grade level by third grade.
We know that most young children are in some form of outside care. That's why our Early Learning Quality Improvement System was created to elevate the quality of child care in Miami-Dade County. We work hand in hand with early learning programs and their staff to reach high standards.
Families Forward
While School Readiness subsidies cover families with incomes up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level, Thrive By 5 Families Forward Child Care Scholarships cover families with incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level. Parents can use the scholarships to enroll children in high-quality programs, based on CLASS assessments, and those programs would benefit from increasing enrollment.
To fulfill eligibility requirements, an application for school readiness must be submitted prior.
A$CEND
Ascend is a salary supplement award program designed to increase retention, educator practice and compensation. The Ascend program rewards early childhood educators by collectively recognizing education, ongoing professional development, teacher-child interactions and longevity as demonstrated pathways of competency in their roles.
Ascend supplements are available to early learning educators employed at Thrive by 5 programs in Miami-Dade County.
Jump Start
The Jump Start program offers infant and early childhood mental health consultation to build the capacity of child care providers to support children’s social-emotional development and manage challenging behaviors to decrease preschool expulsion and teachers’ job-related stress. The Jump Start program is housed at the University of Miami Mailman Center for Child Development in the Miller School of Medicine.
ElevatEd
Coming Soon!
Connecting Assessments with Intentional Teaching - CAIT
The Connecting Assessments with International Teaching (CAIT) program provides free assessment training and implementation support to early childhood educators and administrators throughout Miami-Dade.
The United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education manages, coordinates and provides Teaching Strategies GOLD® assessment training to use results to improve student outcomes and progress.
Does my program qualify?
CAIT works with center-based programs and family child care homes in low-income census tracts serving 30 percent or more children who receive school readiness subsidies.
Have a Question?
We're here to help! If you have any questions or need more information, our FAQ section has answers to the most common inquiries about our programs, funding opportunities, and more.
