Recruitment – Training and Bonuses New Hires – ADGSB & ADGTP
For employees hired after July 1, 2023, ECS will reimburse providers for the cost of 45 hours of DCF Health and Safety training and CPR training. ECS will also reimburse up to $58 for new hire background screening and offer stipends to newly recruited staff who meet hours worked and training benchmarks, while funding is available. Funding for background screenings and new employee stipends is extremely limited and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
Parent Engagement – Improve Kindergarten Readiness Rates –VPK FAST Parent/Teacher Conferences Stipend
Providers may apply for a stipend of $20 per parent/teacher conference to discuss the child’s FAST (Florida Assessment of Student Thinking) scores. Conferences are encouraged to be held after each assessment period up to 3 times per year.
1.Download the FAST Parent/Teacher Conference Roster below (complete one per teacher/classroom). 2. Make sure you are logged in to WebAuthor. If you do not have a WebAuthor Account, you will need to a) register b) be placed in permissions group to apply 2. Complete the application when you have completed the entire roster for the period (see conference due dates below) Please do not upload rosters until you have completed all of the conferences for the period. You complete the application at that time. 3. Upload completed roster.
Conference 1 (FAST Period One Deadline): due before 11/30/2023
Conference 2 (FAST Period Two Deadline): due before 3/31/2024
Conference 3 (FAST Period Three Deadline): due before 5/31/2024
Providers will complete an electronic application for each assessment period listing each child and obtaining the parent’s electronic signature to qualify for the stipend. Remote conferences will qualify since the parents are able to sign off remotely (For remote conferences-please provide the parent with a roster with their information and signature to sign and return to the provider). OCA: ADGKR
Download the FAST Parent/Teacher Conference Roster
Supplies and Classroom Materials Grant (This Grant has Closed)
To qualify for the grant, providers must be physically located in Baker, Bradford, Clay, Nassau, Putnam, or St. Johns Counties. Each program that is contracted for School Readiness will receive $2,500 per classroom and each VPK only provider will receive $2,500 per VPK classroom. Providers with both programs will receive on $2,500 grant per classroom. You are not obligated to spend $2,500 in each classroom. Providers must complete the form by clicking the button above. Please see your email for full grant requirements and approved materials list.
The Workforce Initiatives Bonus is for training stipends for staff as well as retention bonuses for those staff taking the trainings. The deadline for this bonus is May 1, 2024. Payroll documentation showing that the stipend was paid to the staff must be turned in no later than June 10th. Failure fail to turn in payroll documentation, the amount of the stipends without proof of payment will be deducted from future School Readiness and/or VPK payments.
Grant is now closed. This is a stipend for VPK classrooms to receive one 10″ tablet up to $500 for FAST Assessments.
