What is School Readiness (SR)?

Florida’s School Readiness Program (SR) offers financial assistance to eligible low-income families for early education and care so they can become financially self-sufficient and their young children can be successful in school in the future. Even before children attend prekindergarten, they gain from experiences that help them enter school ready for kindergarten. Services vary based on individual needs and range from developmental screening to child assessments for children ages birth to school-age. The SR program is funded primarily by the federal Child Care and Development Fund Block Grant. The Division of Early Learning (DEL) is the lead administrator for the SR program at the state level and partners with 30 local early learning coalitions statewide and Redlands Christian Migrant Association to deliver SR services and supports statewide.

For an overview of School Readiness, check out the SR Fact Sheet in English (PDF) and SR Fact Sheet in Spanish (PDF).

Benefits of SR:

• Help prepare young children to start kindergarten ready to learn.
• Helps working families afford high-quality early learning services.
• Keeps parents in the workforce and/or participating in educational or training activities.
• Provides parents information about child development, early childhood screenings and family well-being.
• Parents can choose from private centers and schools, public schools, and family childcare homes.

Who is Eligible for SR?

• Parent(s) must be working or participating in an educational activity such as attending college or trade school at least 20 hours per week.
• Gross income must be at or below 150 percent of federal poverty level for family size.
• Families must pay a copayment for child care based on income and family size.
• Other children may be eligible if they have special needs or are at-risk of abuse, neglect or abandonment, or if their parents are homeless, victims of domestic violence or are low-income migrant families or farm workers.

How to Apply for SR?

Parents must:

• Apply for services in the Family Portal
• Read about Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards

To learn more about eligibility criteria, contact your county’s early learning coalition or call the Child Care Resource and Referral Network at 1-866-357-3239.