Early Learning Florida provides early childhood educators the tools to provide the highest quality of education and care to young children. Through Early Learning Florida, educators gain access to online courses and professional development supports that help to enhance program quality, improve teaching skills and strengthen student outcomes. Since the establishment of Early Learning Florida, more than 30,000 Florida teachers have been served with more than 400,000 hours of content completed.

The Helios Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to creating opportunities for Arizona and Florida individuals to succeed in postsecondary education, has donated $2 million to expand and enhance Early Learning Florida efforts. Building upon previous investments by the foundation, the donation will help Early Learning Florida:

1. Enhance the capacity of the Early Learning Florida system by integrating new, innovative technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), to more effectively personalize content for early childhood professionals and coaches;
2. Customize the place-based Early Learning Florida work for Pinellas County to build on the increased impact in Hillsborough County; and
3. Expand the early language and literacy focus of Early Learning Florida courses by further developing and extending the University of Florida’s Literacy Matrix, a literacy online professional development system, to create comprehensive, high-quality early language and literacy professional development for teachers of children birth through grade three.

Through these advancements, Early Learning Florida expects to further its reach to early childhood educators, deepen its direct impact on educators and children, particularly in the Tampa area, and further promote the importance of early language and literacy.