The Children’s Forum is proud to announce our inaugural Forum Forward Corporate Membership program that provides an exclusive opportunity for organizations to collaborate among a cadre of business executives, policy experts, stakeholders, and leaders in the early care and education community! This new level of membership is ideal for organizations that wish to strengthen their early learning impact at both statewide and national levels.

Designed to align with our mission, Forum Forward increases organizations’ early learning influence through promotional services, educational opportunities, and networking events.

For more information, visit the Forum Forward website at https://flchild.com/forum-forward or call 850-487-6300.

The Early Childhood Educator INCENTIVE$ Florida program is now available in Marion County! In partnership with the Early Learning Coalition of Marion County, the INCENTIVE$ program rewards child care teachers for doing what they love – nurturing young minds in child care programs!

INCENTIVE$ provides early childhood educators with annual stipends between $450 and $5,000 as they further their education and maintain continuous employment. The greater their education level, the higher their annual stipend.

Child care teachers may be eligible for INCENTIVE$ if their center or home is a School Readiness or VPK contracted site. Click here to learn more about eligibility requirements.

Appy for INCENTIVE$ today by clicking on the button below or visting incentives-fl.com.

As the organizing partner for Children's Week, we can't wait to celebrate with you February 25 - March 1, 2024.

Please check out some important announcements and event information below to see all the ways that you can join in on the fun!

Did you know that Help Me Grow^® Florida, (HMG), a system administrated by the Children's Forum, promotes the healthy development of children ages 0-8 by providing access to free developmental and behavioral screenings?

Through a centralized access point, HMG supports families by offering developmental monitoring, follow-up services, parenting information and available community resources.

The following success story is one of many that HMG receives from the families they serve. 

Visit https://helpmegrowfl.org/ to learn more about HMG.

The Children’s Forum is excited to announce that the second round of the Florida Early Childhood Advocacy Fellowship (FECAF) is coming in 2024! The program, formerly known as the Early Childhood Policy WORKS Advocacy Fellowship, seeks to elevate voices from within the early care and education field and empower emerging advocates to expand their influence on public policy and decision-making. Through the fellowship, participants will learn best-practices for advocating at the local, state, and national level. 

With the aim to overcome the challenges and barriers facing advocacy and engagement in the field, a group of 15 participants will network and build relationships among each other as well as other leaders in the field. They will collaborate both virtually and in-person.

Advocates at all levels are invited to apply for the Fellowship which will be available early next year. Stay tuned! For more information or to ask questions, please contact our team at ECAdvocacy@thechildrensforum.com or call 850-487-6300.