Professional Development Grants



The purpose of the Professional Development Grant is to help make professional development opportunities, that might not otherwise be affordable, to child care programs who serve Manatee County School Readiness students.   

The objective of the Professional Development grant will include, but is not limited to, monetary support to attend early childhood conferences (i.e., One Goal Summer Conference, Early Childhood Association of Florida, NAEYC, etc.); to attend trainings related to the field of early childhood education; or to complete college credit courses at local learning institutions such as: MTI, STI, NOVA Southeastern University, or USF.  

Manatee County programs that currently serve School Readiness subsidized children are eligible to apply for the Professional Development Grant.  Applications for this grant will be on a first come, first served basis and a total of no more than $100.00 will be available per early childhood educator per year. 

Interested individuals will be required to complete an application and submit proof of enrollment in a class or college course, a completed registration form for an appropriate conference, or documentation (training advertisement or flyer) for an early childhood training. 

This grant issues reimbursement only (it will not pay upfront). When we review your application, you will receive a pre-approval letter to let you know that you have been provisionally approved for the grant reimbursement. With this letter will also come a reflection form.

To receive reimbursement, you must submit proof of payment, proof of attendance, the reimbursement claim form, and complete the reflection form within two weeks of the event’s end. Reimbursement will only be issued for registration fees/tuition. The ELC will not reimburse for meals, travel, parking, or incidentals related to the conference/training/college course.

If you are interested in our Professional Development Grants or have any questions about the program, please call the Early Learning Coalition at (941) 757-2900 extension 250 or submit an electronic request for information.