Provider Monthly Newsletter

Welcome to the 2026-2027 Program Year

WELCOME, TAMI!

We’d like to introduce our new VPK Contract Specialist, Tami Radecki! Tami joined our team in mid-August and will be working with our VPK providers in North Pinellas County.

Tami will be reaching out to providers and making herself available to assist you. Please join us in welcoming Tami to the Early Learning Coalition and the VPK community!

VPK PERFORMANCE METRIC DESIGNATIONS FOR 2025-2026

All providers participating in VPK for the 2025-2026 program year had access to their new Performance Designation on August 14. If you have questions or would like to review the various designations and any additional improvement plan requirements, please visit the State’s Accountability Page.

VPK PM 1 TESTING WINDOW IS OPEN

For everyone who has started their 2026-2027 VPK program year, we are currently in the PM 1 testing window. Please remember that you must test all enrolled VPK children before the end of the testing window.

The PM 1 window is the first 30 instructional days of your program. We are working on linking your automated email notifications about testing windows to the State’s data, so you should begin receiving those notifications soon.

Remember to check your SPAM or JUNK folders regularly for these automated notifications and other emails from the Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas (ELCP).

VPK EMERGENT LITERACY

For those of you who have been participating in VPK for the past five years, we want to remind you that the Emergent Literacy rule requires educators to complete additional Emergent Literacy coursework every five years.

Some providers will need to complete the additional five hours of coursework during this program year, if you have not already done so. Please verify your expiration date and ensure you have completed and uploaded your documentation in the application before the expiration date. Your DCF Transcript should reflect completion of this coursework before the
deadline, so please access and complete the coursework early. Remember, this requirement applies to LEAD TEACHERS only. If you have questions or would like to review the various designations, please visit the State’s Accountability Page.

CONTRACT QUESTIONS?

You are always welcome to contact your Contract Specialist directly. However, if you have a general question, please send it to our contracts@elcpinellas.org inbox.

Your Contract Specialists spend a good deal of time in the field, so if you have a pressing issue, email is often the best way to reach us.

Join us for CLASSy Conversations, our exciting series, on the last Tuesday of each month. These live, virtual sessions foster familiarity with CLASS for new staff and ensure seasoned members stay sharp to avoid CLASS drift LEARN MORE HERE.

Welcome to this month's edition of "CLASSy Accreditation Corner." We are excited to share some simple yet effective strategies for enhancing classroom quality, boosting CLASS scores, and positively impacting child outcomes. Click HERE for September's edition.

Behavior Buzz

A safe place in the classroom provides students with a designated area where
they can pause, regroup, and practice calming their bodies when they feel
overwhelmed. Having this space can help students recognize their emotions,
build self-regulation skills, and return to learning when they are ready.

A safe place should be comfortable, inviting, and located in a quiet area of the classroom while still allowing the student to remain supervised. Consider including soft seating, calming visuals, sensory tools, books, breathing exercises, or other age-appropriate items that help students relax.

It is also important to teach students how and when to use the space, emphasizing that it is a tool for regulation—not a play space or a place for punishment or avoiding expectations. When thoughtfully implemented, a safe place can create a more supportive classroom environment where students feel understood, secure, and ready to learn.

Pictures above are courtesy of Write Start and Speer YMCA.

Early Intervention Services is excited to kick off 2026 with a BRAND NEW e-course from Conscious Discipline!  We will be offering “Responding to Anger & Rage” (at no cost) to individuals working in our School-Readiness and VPK contracted programs.  This e-course comprises over nine hours of video content and a 70-page workbook.

Responding to Anger & Rage e-course description: Intense emotions require an equally intense focus on healing. Gain a better understanding of rage and anger’s differences, origins, and impact, and explore solutions for managing yourself, de-escalating intense situations, and facilitating recovery and healing for all involved.

Due to limited space, those who sign up to take the course will have 30 days from
the date of registration to complete and submit their certificate of completion to mcalifano@elcpinellas.org.  If the course is not completed within the 30-day time frame, the individual will be removed from the course to make room for the next participant. 

To register, please submit the following to Program Supervisor MaryGrace
Califano at mcalifano@elcpinellas.org including contents below:

• First and last name

• School-Readiness contracted or VPK contracted program you are employed at

• Email address (where you will receive the e-course invitation and correspondences) 

 Any questions? Contact mcalifano@elcpinellas.org.

At 36 months (3 years), toddlers experience major developmental leaps, showing greater independence, imagination, and sociability. These milestones are broken down into four key areas: communication, cognitive, physical, and social-emotional development.

Communication & Language

• Conversational skills: Talks in 3- to 4-word sentences, asks “who,” “what,” “where,” and “why” questions, and can hold a brief back-and-forth conversation.
• Vocabulary: Has a vocabulary of up to 1,000 words, and strangers can generally understand about 75% of what they say.
• Self-identification: Can state their first name and age.

Cognitive & Learning

• Problem-solving: Can complete simple 3- to 4-piece puzzles, match objects by shape or color, and sort basic items.
• Playtime: Engages in make-believe and imaginative play with themes and roles.
• Comprehension: Follows two- to three-step related instructions (e.g., “Get your shoes and put them by the door”).

Physical Development

• Gross motor: Runs with coordination, jumps with both feet, climbs stairs using alternating feet, and kicks a ball forward.
• Fine motor: Can copy or draw a circle, turn book pages one at a time, and use a fork and spoon.
• Self-care: Puts on some loose clothing independently, such as sweatpants or a jacket, and can use the potty.

Social & Emotional

• Interaction: Plays alongside and begins to actively interact and play with other children.
• Independence: Shows a wide range of emotions, separates easily from familiar caregivers at drop-off, and enjoys helping with simple household tasks.
• Sharing: Begins to understand “mine” versus “theirs,” although sharing can still be difficult.

Contributions from CDC & St Jude  

Have concerns? Looking for ideas to support a child's development?Please share our free developmental screening page with your non-School Readiness families. The Help Me Grow team will follow up with them to review the results and connect them with helpful resources and supports.

Call/Text: (727) 454-4547 

Email: HMGP@elcpinellas.org  

Visit: elcpinellas.org/helpmegrow  

Please refer any non-School Readiness children ages 0–5 whom you would like to have screened for development and behavior. We still have openings for our September event!

ASQ UPDATE:

Please check the Provider Portal frequently to see if you have any screenings due.

 Please be aware of the required DUE DATE column. Completing the
Developmental Screenings before the due date is necessary to avoid
progressive enforcement due to noncompliance.

 When a screening request is due within 15 days of the due date, it goes into a YELLOW status. 

Screening requests are considered past due on the due date and go into RED status. Once past due, providers will be sent to enforcement to ensure ASQ completion.

ATTENTION: If a screening due date falls on a weekend or holiday, please submit it by the preceding business day to avoid being marked past due.

 Call Anjanette at (727) 400-4452 with ASQ questions or for assistance with ASQs.