Our Goals:
- Improve CLASS Scores
- Increase staff retention
- Increase parent satisfaction
- Decrease in Director burnout
- Decrease in staff turnover
- Increased kindergarten readiness scores
Benefits of Joining:
The overall objective of the collaborative is to support the workforce in its ability to deliver a high-quality education for young learners. This will be done by working with individual centers to enhance school leadership and the professional capacities of its teachers.
Providing Real Help & Resources:
This program provides opportunities for sites and programs of any size to gain leadership and professional training, financial guidance, recruitment support, and hire substitute staff to help cover short term staffing needs.
What Others Are Saying ...
The Early Learning Director's Collaborative has been amazing help for my center. The substitutes have been invaluable in filling gaps as we have transitioned into the new school year. I am so glad I found and joined the Early Learning Director's Collaborative!
— Angel G. Early Education Center Director
Working with the Early Learning Director’s Collaborative has been so easy and helpful! We really appreciate the resources and marketing help and are looking forward to having more director’s join so that we can expand our resource network.
— Faye S. Early Childhood Center Director
The ELDC provides opportunities for programs of any size to receive support in the areas of recruitment support, access to a trained substitute teacher pool, operational resources, and expert programming support. Working together as a collaborative the participants of the ELDC will expand their network of professional connections and colleagues.
We may expand our services in the near future. Currently, any childcare provider in Sarasota County can apply to be a part of the Collaborative.
No, joining the Collaborative is completely FREE!
No, there is no obligation. Signing up does not commit you to using the ELDC Sub Service and joining is absolutely FREE. .
Last minute call-offs, staff PTO, staff training, and staff turnover can wreak havoc on your daily operations and payroll. Having access to fully trained and certified staff can help to close the gaps in your staffing plan allowing you to easily adjust your staffing levels to match fluctuating enrollment
The ELDC Substitute rates are all inclusive. When you use a teacher from ELDC you save on training costs, payroll taxes, and benefit costs. In addition, using an ELDC substitute saves you money by reducing overtime costs to cover the vacancy.
The ELDC does extensive screening and background checking of our applicants before they become part of our staff pool. We conduct a detailed interview with the applicants; obtain their criminal clearances; make sure that their health screening is completed; verify their transcripts and E.C.E. course work; verify their employment record, etc. In addition, the ELDC requires each applicant to complete the 45 DCF hours and train under a mentor teacher in each age group before being assigned to a sub shift. As standard practice, all ELDC substitutes are required to carry with them to every assignment a file with all of the necessary documents to prove they fully satisfy all licensing requirements.
The ELDC sensitizes its employees to strictly abide by the guidelines of the school they are in and to execute the teaching philosophy of the school. Therefore, it is the ELDC’s experience that after a very short orientation and instruction period, they can function effectively in their new environments. You can also make the ELDC aware of any key issues the substitute needs to be aware of and the ELDC can convey those to the candidate when the assignment is given.
While prior notice is helpful to ensure a substitute is available for the shift needed the ELDC will do its best to fulfill all requests. Utilizing the EZSchools APP a request can be placed at any time. Once received the ELDC will approve and work with our substitute pool to find the best teacher for the shift.
A substitute can be hired for a 4-hour or 8-hour shift at the specific timing needed by the requesting location. Using the EZSchools APP a center will specify the substitute services needed, teacher’s aide, lead teacher, etc. and the date and time needed.
The ELDC bills customers once per week for use of the substitute service. Invoices show in detail the date and hours each substitute employee worked at your site. All hours that have been approved by the customer are billable.
Substitutes can choose to go work for an ELDC participant after they have completed 200 hours of service to the ELDC. The hiring center must also pay the ELDC a $1,500 placement fee.
Ready to Join a Thriving Community of Directors?
The Collaborative is an innovative approach to ensure early learning professionals have access to the resources needed to prepare children for kindergarten and beyond. The resources the Collaborative is responsible for developing and deploying for childcare providers include, but are not limited to:
- Teacher Recruitment Support to help place qualified candidates into open positions.
- A substitute teacher pool to provide trained temporary support for centers in need.
- Training and professional development for early learning educators.
- Business and administrative support for center directors.