Who We Are

The Early Learning Coalition of St. Lucie County is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3)  organization that oversees and funds early education and childcare programs for at-risk and income eligible children. We are regulated by the Office of Early Learning (OEL), a division of the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI).

Our organization was originally known as the School Readiness Coalition of St. Lucie County. It was formed in 1999 in response to legislative mandates responsible for overseeing and funding early childhood and child care programs. In January 2005, the Coalition became the only organization responsible for providing child care resource and referral, eligibility determination and provider payment services to the families and child care providers in St. Lucie County. In addition, the Voluntary Prekindergarten bill was signed into law making preschool available to every eligible 4-year-old child at no cost to parents. We were given sole responsibility for implementing this program in our area. It was at this time the legislature changed our name to The Early Learning Coalition of St. Lucie, Inc.

In the years since our inception, the Coalition has accomplished many goals including expanding programs; collaborating with county offices such as the Health Department and School Board; and partnering with numerous non-profit agencies to better help our local children.

As the Coalition’s responsibilities grew so did our team. Initially, the executive director and a board of 25 community leaders administered Coalition activities. Coalition business is now carried out by 30 staff members and up to 22 board members. The executive director and assistant executive director lead a seasoned management team as well as child care resource and referral specialists, eligibility specialists, administrative specialists, lead fiscal assistant, fiscal and payroll specialist, SR data/contract specialists, VPK data/contract specialst, resource specialists and a Father and Child Connection program specialist.