Center-based educators
Child care facilities, directors, teachers, staff, and participating School Readiness or VPK programs.
NAHCENational Alliance for Home-Based and Center-Based EducatorsApply for MembershipFlorida First · National Next
Weather and education updates for every Early Learning setting.
Verified Florida operational information first, followed by national weather readiness and federal education tracking for home-based and center-based educators.
Family child care homes
Licensed or registered educators operating child care from an occupied residence.
Large family child care homes
Licensed home programs operating with the required staffing and larger authorized capacity.
1 · Florida Weather & Operations
Weather readiness comes before the school day.
Last verified September 9, 2026. Weather conditions and local closure decisions can change quickly. Follow your local emergency-management office, licensing authority, coalition, and school district for site-specific direction.
Protect children and staff during extreme heat
Use the National Weather Service heat guidance to plan hydration, shaded outdoor play, frequent cooling breaks, and indoor alternatives. Review staff supervision and transportation procedures before heat alerts are issued.
Provider action:Make sure families know how your program will adjust outdoor time and pickup procedures during heat advisories.
Open National Weather Service heat guidance →Keep your emergency plan ready throughout hurricane season
Review family contact information, emergency supplies, medication and attendance records, power-outage procedures, and reopening communications. A weather watch or warning is not automatically a child care closure; follow local authorities and your written plan.
Provider action:Send families one clear message stating where official closure or reopening notices will be posted.
Open National Weather Service hurricane guidance →Check conditions for your county—not a statewide headline
Florida programs should use an official forecast and alerts for their exact location. Conditions may differ widely between counties, especially during thunderstorms, tropical weather, flooding, and heat events.
Provider action:Bookmark your local National Weather Service office and county emergency-management page for the person responsible for opening or closing your program.
Find your National Weather Service forecast →2 · Florida Education & Legislation
Florida requirements and changes to know
Last verified September 9, 2026. Always confirm how a requirement applies to your program with your licensing authority or Early Learning Coalition.
VPK PM1 testing window is open
Pinellas VPK providers that have started their 2026–2027 program year should complete PM1 testing for every enrolled VPK child by the end of the program’s first 30 instructional days. Check ELCP emails—including spam or junk folders—for notices tied to your site’s testing window.
Local provider alert:This is a Pinellas provider deadline notice, not a new statewide law. Confirm your site-specific dates with the Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County.
Read the official Pinellas provider newsletter →Check your five-year literacy renewal date
After completing the initial required emergent-literacy coursework, VPK lead instructors must complete an additional approved emergent-literacy course every five years to maintain VPK instructor eligibility. Review each lead teacher’s training transcript and plan ahead for any approaching five-year date.
Evergreen reminder:This is a recurring credential-maintenance reminder, not an announcement of a new statewide law. Verify the teacher’s individual record and current approved course options before the renewal date.
Review official VPK professional-learning guidance →Child care and Early Learning changes
CS/CS/CS/SB 1690 became Chapter 2026-140. Among its provisions, Florida law now uses “family child care home” terminology, extends certain residential-property-insurance protections to large family child care homes, changes some parent-information requirements, and establishes the Florida Child Care Fund.
Who may be affected:Centers, family child care homes, and large family child care homes—although individual provisions differ by setting.
Official enacted-bill status →Current health, safety, and assessment rules
Personnel working in a School Readiness program must complete preservice training within 90 days of initial employment with any SR provider and cannot have unsupervised contact before completing the required preservice training. Teaching Strategies GOLD remains the sole approved ongoing child-assessment instrument for the assessment differential.
Who may be affected:Contracted School Readiness centers, family child care homes, and large family child care homes.
Official SR provider guidance →Special-needs differential training
Florida’s provider guidance says that beginning July 1, 2027, staff participating in the School Readiness special-needs differential must meet training requirements involving early identification, inclusive practices, and continuing education.
Planning note:Providers using or considering the differential should review the official guide early and confirm implementation details with their coalition.
Review advance requirements →3 · National Weather & Education
National readiness and federal legislation tracking.
Last verified September 9, 2026. National notices are informational; state licensing rules, contracts, and local emergency directions still control daily program operations.
Build a portable emergency plan
All programs can use the National Weather Service’s preparedness guidance for heat, severe storms, floods, winter weather, or hurricanes. Keep the plan adaptable to your local hazards and the needs of children in your care.
Educator action:Review your emergency contacts, evacuation/reunification procedures, accessible supplies, and family communication method at least once each season.
Open National Weather Service safety guidance →A proposal is not a federal requirement
Federal education and child care proposals can affect future funding or policy, but they do not change provider obligations unless they complete the federal legislative process and any required agency implementation is issued.
Alliance standard:We will identify the bill number, current status, and the affected program before describing a federal proposal to educators.
Track federal bills on Congress.gov →Use the official source for federal program guidance
The federal Office of Child Care provides Child Care and Development Fund information, policy resources, and state plan materials. Florida providers should still follow Florida’s licensing and School Readiness directions first.
Educator action:Use national guidance for context, then confirm any operational requirement with the Florida agency or coalition that administers your program.
Open the federal Office of Child Care →Official Source Desks
Where updates are verified
These are the primary pages the Alliance will check before preparing an educator notice.
Florida DCF
Child Care Licensure
Licensing pathways, laws, rules, applications, and program information.
Open DCF licensing →Florida DCFProviders & Staff
Background screening, credentials, training, forms, and provider resources.
Open provider resources →Division of Early LearningEarly Learning Providers
School Readiness, VPK, professional learning, assessments, and guidance.
Open DEL resources →Florida LegislatureOfficial Bill Tracker
Current bill text, actions, votes, final status, chapter numbers, and effective dates.
Track Florida bills →U.S. CongressFederal Bill Tracker
Bill text, sponsors, actions, votes, and enactment status for federal proposals.
Track federal bills →