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Come Visit The Early Childhood Council of Hillsborough County on...
The Early Childhood Council of Hillsborough County, Inc., (ECC) was established in 1983 to increase community awareness and access to services for young children with special needs. Today, ECC continues its rich tradition of advocacy, education, and innovation to benefit all children from birth to age 8 and their families in Hillsborough County.
The Early Childhood Council is driven by its mission to promote the physical, social and emotional health and well being of all young children through leadership, training, early intervention and advocacy. With a diverse Board of Directors consisting of early childhood practitioners, public and private sector professionals and pediatricians, the Council addresses critical issues confronting the early childhood community.
Organizational members of ECC represent families as well as the fields of mental and physical health, early childhood intervention, child care, education, developmental disabilities, child welfare and child abuse prevention. Our strength lies in our collective knowledge, leadership and collaborative approach to planning and problem solving.
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Advocacy
The Early Childhood Council, Inc. was founded over 25 years ago as a forum for federal legislation that would entitle pre-school age children with developmental disabilities to early intervention services. That legislation was successfully enacted, and is now known as Part C. Today, ECC continues to advocate for a comprehensive system of care that benefits all children. The Council participates on several planning bodies including the Leadership Council of Children’s Future Hillsborough, the Children’s Committee, the Hillsborough Local Planning Team, the Plan Development Committee for Maternal and Child Health, and the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health (FAIMH), which supports research and initiatives that promote the social and emotional health of young children.
Education
Early childhood education, training and professional development are hallmarks of the Early Childhood Council’s work. For over 10 years, the Council has hosted an annual regional conference for practitioners, educators and caregivers entitled Meeting the Needs of Young Children and their Families.
In 2008, the Council launched its newest initiative, the Early Childhood Training Institute. Developed in coordination with the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, the Training Institute will plan, coordinate and conduct training for early childhood professionals who wish to gain knowledge and expertise in working with a broad array of children. In general, the Institute seeks to expand the knowledge base and foster understanding of early childhood growth and development concepts as well as to build capacity for greater prevention and early intervention efforts.
Subject matter will focus on enhancing the social and emotional development of young children, both typically developing as well as children with developmental delay or disabilities. In partnership with Council members, workshops will address the continuum of child development and other topics including positive behavior support, social, emotional, and physical development of young children, communication skills, and inclusion.
The Council promotes family involvement in planning and implementing of programs and services. ECC members host a variety of family support groups and activities encouraging families to participate in all Council activities.
Innovation
Perhaps the Council’s greatest strength is innovation. Our staff and members have been instrumental in identifying service gaps, conceptualizing creative solutions to system issues, and developing programs that meet the needs of young children and families. A number of unique and highly successful community initiatives are the result of ECC strategic planning and visioning including the Developmental Screening program, deemed a ‘best practice’ by the Florida Department of Education in 1996. |
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