About us

Welcome to the Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County! We are a nonprofit agency focused on high-quality early care and education – working with families and child care providers to prepare children to enter kindergarten ready to succeed – in school and in life.

A Message From Our CEO

It is well known that early education and school-age care help to prepare children for kindergarten and ensure academic success. The ELC partners with over 500 preschools, family child care homes and school age care providers to deliver education and enrichment programs that set a lifelong trajectory. The ELC supports parents in preparing
their children for kindergarten by making quality early learning programs affordable and accessible. Additionally,
ELC supports providers through training, coaching and curriculum supports. When our children succeed, our
whole community benefits. We don’t profess to have all the answers, but know that we are in this together.
The ELC is committed to stabilizing our early learning workforce, rebuilding capacity in
child care and assisting families.

Lindsay Carson, Chief Executive Officer

***

Mission

Revolutionize early learning to inspire children, engage families, and elevate educators.

Vision

All children will confidently enter kindergarten ready for success in school and in life.

***

Our Executive Team

Our Team

ADMINISTRATION & OPERATIONS

Tasheka Williams
Director of Human Resources
twilliams@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4427

Wonetha Hall
Communications Director
whall@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4430

Tamara Hernandez
Executive Assistant 
thernandez@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4446

Argie Kontodiakos
Information Systems Manager
akontodiakos@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4474

Maureen Just
Quality Assurance Coordinator
mjust@elcpinellas.org
(727) 545 – 7537

IT & FACILITIES

Patricia McAvoy
Manager, IT & Facilities
pmcavoy@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4443

Toni Gjonaj
Facilities Assistant
tgjonaj@elcpinellas.org
(727) 545 – 7534

FINANCE

Carol Lenas
Grants and Contracts Administrator
clenas@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4425

Jennifer Murphy
Senior Finance Specialist  
jmurphy@elcpinellas.org
(727) 548-1492

Eva Stoddard
Finance Specialist
estoddard@elcpinellas.org
727-400-4428

Marianne Czarnatowicz
Purchasing Agent
mczarnatowicz@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4445

Kelly Hammill
Finance & Fraud Specialist
khammill@elcpinellas.org
727-400-4480

PROVIDER REIMBURSEMENT

Rhonda Collier
Reimbursement Supervisor
rcollier@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4475

Adam Jetmore
Reimbursement Specialist
ajetmore@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4462

Bre Ferguson
Reimbursement Specialist
sferguson@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4421

Firouzeh Saffari 
Reimbursement 
Specialist
fsaffari@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4448

Karen Keene
Reimbursement Specialist
kkeene@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4476

Marva Florence
Reimbursement Specialist
mflorence@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4477

Melissa Russ
Reimbursement Specialist
mruss@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400-4433

Tanya Burbee
Reimbursement Specialist
tburbee@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400-4438

PROVIDER CONTRACTS & COMPLIANCE

Tina Fetzer
Program Supervisor – Provider Contracts
tfetzer@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4470

Amanda Urdal-Wenzel
VPK Provider Contract Specialist
aurdal@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4466

Ashley Fairburn
Provider Contract 
Specialist
afairburn@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4491

Kayla Boland
Provider Contract Specialist
kboland@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4447

Melody Fernandez
Provider Contract Specialist
mfernandez@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4412

Melissa Sevos
School Readiness Contract Specialist
msevos@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400-4415

Destiny Woodward
Admin Specialist II
dwoodward@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4417

PROVIDER SERVICES

Angela Tufts
Provider Services Manager
atufts@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4435

Kristen Burns
Admin Specialist II
kburns@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4461

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Jaime Holevas
Program Supervisor – Professional Development
jholevas@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4432

Damaris Rosado James
Professional Development Trainer
drosado-james@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4453

Kathy Moss
Professional Development Trainer
kmoss@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4457

Liz McClendon
Professional Development Trainer
lmcclendon@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4403

Mallory Akers
Professional Development Trainer
makers@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4490

Zoe Turner
Professional Development Trainer
zturner@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4420

Sharon Dennany
Admin Specialist II
sdenanny@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4431

QUALITY PROGRAMS

Camille Mendez
Program Supervisor – Quality Programs
cmendez@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4436

Shrieka Hollis
Program Supervisor – Assessment
shollis@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4406

Amanda Houston
Quality Programs Coordinator
ahouston@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4467

Carol Terrazas
Quality Programs Coordinator
cterrazas@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4416

Celeste Dukes
Quality Specialist – Assessor
cdukes@elcpinellas.org
(727) 554-6789

Jamie Acevedo
Quality Specialist – Literacy
jacevedo@elcpinellas.org
(727) 548 – 1471

Kenneth Buchanan
Quality Specialist – Literacy
(727) 400-4464
kbuchanan@elcpinellas.org

Denise Wiggins
Quality Specialist – Assessor
dwiggins@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4439

Linda Townsend
Quality Specialist – Assessor
ltownsend@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4451

Suzanne Silkie
Quality Specialist – Assessor
ssilkie@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4493

Brandi Crosby
Quality Specialist – Coach
bcrosby@elcpinellas.org
(727) 914-3720

Brittney Wilson
Quality Specialist – Coach
bwilson@elcpinellas.org
(727) 545.5810

Fatima Bichoutar
Quality Specialist – Coach
fbichoutar@elcpinellas.org
(727) 914-3785

Jaquanda Jordan
Quality Specialist – Coach
jjordan@elcpinellas.org
(727) 914-3783

Laura Garcia
Quality Specialist – Coach
lgarcia@elcpinellas.org
(727) 914-3785

Robin Pentz
Quality Specialist – Coach
rpentz@elcpinellas.org
(727) 914-3784

SCREENING & INTERVENTION

Kelley Miller
Program Manager
kmiller@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4454

MaryGrace Califano
Program Supervisor
mcalifano@elcpinellas.org
(727) 545 – 7535

Behavior Specialists

David Drumm
Behavior Specialist (North County)
ddrumm@elcpinellas.org

Michelle Althof
Behavior Specialist (Mid-North County)
malthof@elcpinellas.org
(727) 554-6782

Aoy Santavysuk
Behavior Specialist (Mid-County)
asantavysuk@elcpinellas.org
(727) 914.3781

Jennifer Bragdon
Behavior Specialist (Mid-County)
jbragdon@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4455

Arin Taylor
Behavior Specialist (South County)
ataylor@elcpinellas.org
727.545.7533

Andrea Linquanti-Guisto
Behavior Specialist (South County)
727.554.6771
Melissa Cooley
Behavior Specialist (South County)
mmiller@elcpinellas.org
(727) 914.3782

Development Specialists

Rafika Blanco
Developmental Specialist (North County)
rblanco@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4441

Linda Sauter
Development Specialist (North County)
lsauter@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400-4471

Wendy Oliveras
Developmental Specialist (Mid-County)
woliveras@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4405

Chantell Walker
Development Specialist (South County)
cwalker@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400-4456

Marli Chouinard
Development Specialist (South County)
mchouinard@elcpinellas.org
(727) 554-7915

 

Lorrie Auger
Inclusion Specialist
lauger@elcpinellas.org
(727) 545 – 7536

Anjanette Ellwood
Admin Specialist II
aellwood@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4452

 

FAMILY SERVICES

Maureen Just
Family Services Manager
(727) 400 – 4499

Cindy Green
School Readiness Program Supervisor
cgreen@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4422

Nicole Lewin
School Readiness Program Supervisor
nlewin@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4478

Adrian Dixon
Family Services Specialist
adixon@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4494

Adriana Evans
Family Services Specialist
aevans@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4418

Brandie Williams
Family Services Specialist
bwilliams@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4469

Claudia Willingham
Family Services Specialist
cwillingham@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4442

Fay Carter
Family Services Specialist
fcarter@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4492

Laurie Weinbrecher
Family Services Specialist
lweinbrecher@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4498

Lois Jenkins
Family Services Specialist
ljenkins@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4402

Ryan Mangelsdorf
Family Services Specialist
rmangelsdorf@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4434?

Shenee Campbell
Family Services Specialist
scampbell@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4463

Kimberly Marn
Training Coordinator
kmarn@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4423

Lillian Acevedo
Admin Specialist I
lacevedo@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4468

 

VPK, WAITLIST, CCRR & OUTREACH

Stephanie Richards
Family Services Supervisor
srichards@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4495

Edith Bradley
Family Services Specialist, CSR
ebradley@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4414

Tylisha Frazier
Family Services Specialist
tfrazier@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4479

Erin Yeager
Family Services Specialist, CSR
eyeager@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4459

Alyn Reyes
Eligibility Specialist
areyes@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4496

Beth Walker
Eligibility Specialist
bwalker@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4437

Karin Surber
Eligibility Specialist
ksurber@elcpinellas.org
(727) 400 – 4419

 

Join Our Team
Accountability. Innovation. Inclusion. Knowledge. Empathy.
These five core values shape ELC’s work culture and reflect who we are and how we operate – inside the office and outside in the community. We’re looking for dedicated, dynamic, and creative individuals who are looking to make a difference in the lives of children, families, and providers of Pinellas County.

Financials

We believe and practice transparency, efficient spending, and ethical accounting. We invite you to read through our annual reports and financial statements to get a full understanding of the reach and results that our community’s support helps make possible.

View Reports

 

2536 Countryside Blvd Suite 500, Clearwater, FL 33763

Hours of Operation: M-F, 8:00am – 5:00pm

Processes and Procedures


A. Placements

I. General: 

  1. Appointment Phone Script and Process
  2. BG1-11 Outreach and Enrollment Process
  3. Placement 30-30 Plan
  4. Browsing
  5. Keying Placements
  6. Sib-Adds
  7. Interview Flow
  8. Terms and Conditions in the Family Portal Account


II. Waitlist:


III. CCAA Process:


B. Enrollments


C.
Redeterminations

I. Processing Redeterminations: 


II. Rejections for Redeterminations:


III. Other/General Redetermination Information:


D. Reestablishment Periods/Reviews


E. Transfers


F. Suspended Enrollments


G. Coalition Transfers


H. Social Security


I. SR Plus-Local Funding

Annual Report

Annual Report