Message from
the President & CEO

August 2008

We are pleased to announce that as of the end of July, the number of children with Certificates of Eligibility for VPK rose above 15,000!  Compared with figures from a year ago, there are over 2,000 more children with certificates for the 2008-2009 School Year program.  On that note, I would like to highlight the fine work that the Coalition's VPK Department has been doing to get private centers certified, and the excellent job that Miami-Dade County Department of Human Services has done in registering children for the program.  It is through this collaboration with the early care and education community and our other partners that we can truly make a difference for the children of Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
 
When I became President/CEO of the Early Learning Coalition, I promised you a heightened level of communication, accountability, and transparency.  I have worked hard to keep that promise and thank you for your ongoing support and collaboration.  I hope that you will share in my excitement about our new Performance Dashboard.  This tool allows visitors to our website, including parents, educators, providers, community leaders, and others, to review enrollment numbers, contract measures, and performance metrics.  We sincerely hope that you will find this tool useful and that you contact us if you have any questions or comments.
 
Lastly, we constantly look for better ways to communicate with the network of providers in both counties served by the Coalition.  We commonly communicate through:
 
1. News Alerts
2. Board Committee Meetings
3. Monthly Provider Business Meetings
3. Town Hall Meetings
4. Onsite visits
5. E-mail and Fax blasts
 
Please take a moment and inform us of any other ways that we can improve our communication with you.  Your comments and suggestions are always appreciated.  Write to us at info@elcmdm.org. 
 
I remain at your service.  
 
Sincerely,
 
Evelio C. Torres, President & CEO