Re-imagining Early Care and Education
Children’s Services Council is re-imagining the resources we offer programs and families who participate in formal child care to create better experiences and services for children and families in our community.
Currently, CSC offers scholarships to families to access child care, as well as professional development scholarships for teachers to earn their degrees. CSC also provides technical assistance and other supports to some child care programs to increase the quality of care. Since some of these supports are ending in fall 2024, we are engaging with child care providers, families and the community to help us make decisions about services and supports that can best prepare all children for kindergarten.
Community Engagement Findings
May through September 2023, CSC held a series of engagements to include the community's voice in decision-making. CSC received feedback from 577 residents (291 child care professionals and 286 parents/caregivers) through both in-person and virtual small group discussions, as well as individual interviews and online surveys.
After analyzing the information gathered, CSC staff identified four primary themes: Child Care Accessibility; Child Development and Wellness; Parent-Teacher Relationship and Mutual Support; Recruitment and Retention of Staff.
Please click here to read a summary of the Engagement Brief.
Resident Advisory Committee Updates
In October 2023, CSC formed a Resident Advisory Committee (RAC) of families, child care providers, teachers, and staff to analyze the information gathered during this re-imagining process and recommend new services. The RAC now consists of 15 Palm Beach County residents who will help CSC determine how best to repurpose more than $7 million in CSC funding.
Once they are done analyzing the data and understanding the feedback from community, the group (which meets twice a month) will begin prioritizing next steps. Stay tuned for more updates.
Upcoming Community Events
CSC is sharing the findings of the 2023 Community Engagements with the public during the following dates/times:
In Person (In English)
Feb. 17, 10-11:30 a.m.
CSC - 2300 High Ridge Rd., Boynton Beach, FL 33426
Feb. 23, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
CSC - 2300 High Ridge Rd., Boynton Beach, FL 33426
Feb. 29, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
PBSC - 1977 SW College Dr., Belle Glade, FL 33430, Room CRA 20
Virtual Zoom (In English)
Feb. 8, 12-1:30 p.m.
Feb. 15, 6:30-8 p.m.
March 1, 12-1:30 p.m.
En Persona (En Espanol)
Feb. 17, 2-3:30 p.m.
CSC - 2300 High Ridge Rd., Boynton Beach, FL 33426
Virtual Zoom (En Espanol)
March 1, 12-1:30 p.m.
Please use one of the links below to register:
For more information about Reimagining ECE with CSC please email reimaginingece@cscpbc.org.