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Established in 1983, the ECC is one of the leading early childhood organizations in the Tampa Bay area providing information and referral services, prevention and early intervention, and training and advocacy to the community. With its long tradition of innovation and strategic planning, the ECC develops programs to meet gaps within early childhood services.
ECC is unique in that it was a grass roots organization built on advocacy and collaboration through volunteer efforts. After 24 years of volunteer partnerships, the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County granted funding to the ECC to develop its administrative infrastructure and become a staff driven 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Today, the ECC continues to grow its membership while managing four primary programs: the Developmental Screening program, Kid Connection Network, Care Options and the Early Childhood Training Institute.
The Early Childhood Council’s programs have significant impacts on young children and families. One example is the Developmental Screening program which helps to improve a child’s chances for school readiness and early school success through early identification of developmental delays, disabilities and or learning disorders. In cooperation with the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS), the ECC partners with over 35 early childhood agencies to offer free screening of children birth through age five throughout Hillsborough County in key developmental domains such as speech/language, hearing, vision, cognition, motor and social/emotional development.
The ECC has over sixty community partners that provide a network of services and supports for children and families in a variety of disciplines including information and referral, early care and education, early intervention, child welfare, child abuse prevention and infant mental health. The ECC acts as a coordinating council for agencies serving young children, and provides a communication forum for addressing the most critical issues in early childhood.
Videos from our 25th Anniversary Developmental Screening Celebration - This is why we screen...
With the rising incidence of young children who experience social/emotional/ mental health challenges due to ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other developmental and/or behavioral issues, there is significant need for trained and experienced professionals with the credentials and expertise to work with them to achieve positive outcomes. The Training Institute provides workshops designed for all levels of professionals who work with children from birth to eight years of age. Through its Infant Mental Health training series, the ECC provides key technical assistance to community providers on such topics as understanding child development, relationships and attachment, sensory processing issues and diagnostic classification. For a current schedule of training workshops including the next ECC Conference, please consult the ECC website at: http://www.ecctampabay.org/training/.
The Early Childhood Training Institute has three primary goals: (1) to increase awareness and expand the knowledge base in the community with respect to early childhood development and infant mental health; (2) to increase the expertise of early childhood professionals and caregivers; (3) to advance advocacy efforts for early childhood and infant mental health. Registration fees for workshops are used to cover the costs of the training.
For more information on the Early Childhood Training Institute, please contact Stephen C. Martaus at: (813) 837-7871 / or Email
Many children with behavioral or developmental disabilities are missing vital opportunities for early detection and intervention before Kindergarten. In the United States, 17% of children have a developmental or behavioral disability such as autism, intellectual disabilities, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. In addition, many children have delays in language or other areas, which also impact school readiness. However, less than 50% of these children are identified as having a problem before starting school, by which time significant delays may have already occurred and opportunities for treatment have been missed.
Early identification and intervention is crucial for children to enter Kindergarten prepared to learn from the very first day. Without this invaluable screening, children often go undiagnosed until a year or two into elementary school which puts them behind academically, socially and often emotionally as well. The ECC’s Developmental Screening Program, in partnership with the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS), provides free screening for developmental delays or problems with behavior to approximately 1,800 children from ages 0-5 annually. Screening occurs in several key developmental domains including speech & language, hearing, vision, cognitive, motor skills and social-emotional development.
The Care Options programs works with child care providers, VPK to ensure that children with special needs or behavioral issues are properly cared for and educated. Care Options has been providing training, technical assistance and mental health consultation to community child care centers for over 20 years to ensure that children are able to remain in a chosen educational center despite their challenges. Care Options is also working with the school district’s Early Learning Coalition/School Readiness Program and the Children’s Board as the community lead for the System Wide Inclusion and Supports Initiative (SWIS), a project that seeks to increase the number of child care providers who are competent to provide high quality care to young children with challenging behavior, physical challenges and/or developmental delays. ECC’s Inclusion Warm Line, another component of Care Options, is a resource and assistance phone line for child care providers who are serving young children with special needs.
Care Options takes a comprehensive and inclusive approach to working with children, families and child care centers.
For more information on Care Options, please contact Shabel Hastings at: (813) 837-7903 or Email
The Early Childhood Council welcomes individual and agency memberships.
