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Quality Classroom Support

High-quality early childhood education does not happen by accident. It happens when educators have the right tools, guidance, and support.

You are balancing instruction, behavior support, documentation, and family communication every day. Our role is to help you strengthen quality in ways that feel manageable and meaningful.

This page brings together the classroom supports available to help you improve instruction, strengthen child outcomes, and build confidence in your practice.

CLASS Support

Interactions Matter! That’s why the state of Florida uses the Classroom Assessment Scoring System, known as CLASS®. It’s a proven way to rate quality by measuring positive teacher-child interactions in a childcare setting.

Research shows higher CLASS® scores demonstrate better social-emotional, cognitive, and academic outcomes for a child.

In Sarasota County, CLASS® assessments are performed by trained, certified observers. Assessments are done at child care sites and family child care homes that accept VPK and/or School Readiness children. CLASS® scores range from 1-7, with 7 as the highest

Our professional development workshops are designed to help you strengthen engagement, instructional support, and classroom organization in ways that feel realistic and achievable.

View Local CLASS Scores

Through training and coaching, you will:

  • Enhance positive teacher-child interactions
  • Build language-rich environments
  • Improve instructional support strategies
  • Gain real-life, practical techniques you can use immediately

This is not about evaluation. It is about growth. When interactions improve, children’s outcomes improve.

Developmental Services

Strong development doesn’t happen by chance, it happens when we catch things early and respond with the right support.

We partner with educators and families to identify a child’s developmental progress, address concerns, and build strategies that help every child thrive in the classroom and beyond.

Child Screening & Early Intervention

Every child in the School Readiness Program (birth to age five) receives an annual developmental screening designed to give a clear, timely snapshot of their growth.

These screenings are required as they serve as an important tool. When used consistently, they help track progress over time, flag potential delays early, and guide next steps before challenges become barriers.

We use trusted, research-based tools called ASQs:

  • Brookes Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ®-3)
  • Brookes Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ®:SE-2)

 

These tools are:

  • Family-friendly and easy to complete
  • Designed to highlight both strengths and areas of concern
  • Actionable, so you know what to do next

Screening information is sent to School Readiness families directly in the Family Portal when they enter the ELC program. If a parent does not complete the ASQ, then the screening can be completed by the provider. Results are always shared with parents to support informed, collaborative decision-making.

Warm Line Support

When challenges show up in the classroom, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Our Warm Line gives educators direct access to specialized guidance on real, everyday situations, so you can respond with confidence and clarity.

Through the Warm Line, you get:

  • One-on-one consultation on developmental and behavioral concerns
  • Practical strategies to support social-emotional development
  • Guidance on working effectively with families
  • Support for adapting curriculum, environments, and daily routines
  • Tools to better serve children with developmental needs and disabilities

This is hands-on, real-world support. Contact our Warm Line team at 941-954-4830 x231.

Fill Out Our Warm Line Request Form

Coaching & Consultation

Sometimes you need more than just a training. You need someone to walk through a challenge with you.

Our coaching and consultation services provide individualized support tailored to your classroom or program.

Coaching can support you with:

  • Challenging behaviors
  • Social-emotional development
  • Classroom organization
  • Instructional strategies
  • Inclusion practices

If you are ready for targeted support, complete our Coaching Inquiry Form and a member of our team will follow up with next steps.

Submit a Coaching Inquiry

Classroom Resources

You should not have to reinvent the wheel.

ELC offers access to practical resources to support your daily work, including:

  • Informational articles
  • Warmline materials
  • Parent communication tools
  • Required forms and documentation
  • Scholarship information such as T.E.A.C.H.
  • DCF online training links

We also communicate regularly through email, digital newsletters, and the provider portal to keep you informed about training opportunities, credential pathways, and important updates.

If you are looking for something specific, contact our office. We are here to help.

Literacy & School Readiness Support

Literacy development begins at birth, as babies start building language skills by listening to voices, sounds, and words around them. These early interactions lay the foundation for later pre-reading and then reading & writing skills as children grow.

We offer tools and guidance to help you build strong early literacy foundations through:

  • Language-rich classroom strategies
  • Early reading and vocabulary development
  • Intentional play-based learning
  • Family engagement around literacy

Our literacy initiatives are designed to align with kindergarten readiness expectations while remaining developmentally appropriate.

When children build strong language and literacy skills early, they enter preschool and kindergarten prepared and with confidence.

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