Attending Early Learning events and workshops is a fantastic way to enhance your professional development in the field of early childhood education. To ensure a smooth and beneficial experience for all participants, it’s important to be familiar with the guidelines and policies in place. This document outlines the key policies for registering, attending, and participating in our early learning events.
Registration for Early Learning Events
To participate in any of our enriching early learning events and workshops, all registrations must be completed through our online platform. We operate on a first-come, first-served basis due to limited seating availability, so we encourage you to register early to secure your spot. Creating an account on our online platform is mandatory for all learning event registrations, regardless of whether there is a cost associated with the event or the payment method used. This helps us manage registrations effectively and keep you informed about event details.
Payment Policies
If a fee is required for an early learning event, payment can be conveniently made online during the registration process. Our secure online payment system ensures a smooth and safe transaction, allowing you to finalize your registration quickly and easily.
Early Learning Event Cancellation Policy
We understand that unforeseen circumstances can arise. If you need to cancel your registration for an early learning event, you may do so up to 48 hours before the scheduled start time. Upon cancellation within this timeframe, a full refund will be credited to the online account you have on file with us. This policy allows us to manage attendance and offer your spot to another interested participant.
In the event that the event sponsor needs to cancel an early learning event due to insufficient registration numbers or other unforeseen circumstances, we reserve the right to do so. If a session is cancelled, all registered participants will be promptly notified via email. In such cases, a full credit will be applied to your online account on file, which can be used for future early learning events.
Attendance Policy
To maximize your learning experience and ensure sessions begin promptly, we encourage all participants to log on virtually or arrive in person 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time of your early learning event. Please be aware that participants arriving more than 15 minutes after the session’s start time WILL NOT BE ADMITTED. This policy is in place to minimize disruptions and ensure a focused learning environment for everyone. Partial in-service credit may be offered in certain applicable situations for late arrivals, however, make-up sessions WILL NOT BE OFFERED under any circumstances for missed early learning events.
Anti-Discrimination Policy
The Early Intervention and Childhood Program (IECP) and Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County (ELCHC) are committed to providing inclusive and equitable early learning opportunities. We strictly adhere to a non-discrimination policy, ensuring that no person is discriminated against based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability/handicap, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or age in any aspect of our learning events, training workshops, or professional development programs. Furthermore, the ELCHC is dedicated to reasonably accommodating individuals with disabilities, handicaps, and/or religious beliefs to ensure everyone can fully participate in our early learning initiatives.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), we are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities who wish to participate in our early learning events. Any person requiring specific accommodations due to a disability or handicap should contact us at 813.515.2340 no later than seven business days prior to the scheduled learning event. This advance notice allows us sufficient time to arrange the necessary accommodations to support your participation.
Learner Security Policy
Protecting the privacy of learners attending our early learning events is of utmost importance to the ELCHC. As registration is managed through our secure online learning platform, each learner’s record is protected from public access. Learners have the ability to access and obtain copies of their certifications and review their demographic/contact information provided during registration. For online support or assistance in accessing your records, please call 813.515.2340. To ensure the security and verification of participants, learners are required to present a state or government-issued photo ID at all in-person early learning events.
Proprietary Interest Policy
To maintain transparency and ethical standards, individuals participating in ELCHC’s early learning events have the right to be informed about any proprietary interest a trainer or instructor may have in a product or service discussed during the event. All trainers and instructors are obligated to disclose any proprietary interest they may hold in any product, instrument, device, service, and/or materials discussed during a training event, program, or workshop. They are also required to disclose the source of any compensation they may receive related to the presentation to ensure full transparency for all participants in our early learning programs.
CEU Award Policy
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are awarded for all early learning events that are three hours in duration or longer, recognizing the time and effort invested in professional development. Learning events lasting less than three hours will be awarded in-service hours upon successful completion. CEUs are granted upon successful completion of the learning event, which requires participants to arrive on time, attend all required sessions, actively engage in the learning process, and complete any related assignments and/or surveys as defined by the trainer or instructor. For online training sessions, participants must maintain an engagement score of 75% or higher to demonstrate active participation. Furthermore, for all online training events – CAMERAS MUST BE ON – NO EXCEPTIONS. Participant names displayed during online training must match the name provided during registration for verification purposes. Any required assignments or surveys will be clearly outlined in the Training Description available on our online platform. Learners are encouraged to contact trainers or instructors directly with any questions or requests for clarification regarding the successful completion of assignments or surveys. In-service hours will be awarded in place of CEUs if a learner does not meet the requirements for successful completion as determined by the instructor or trainer. Please note that training sessions may be recorded for educational and quality improvement purposes.
Achievement Bonus
An achievement bonus is available to recognize and reward educators committed to early learning within Hillsborough County. To be eligible for an achievement bonus, you must be currently teaching in Hillsborough County and fulfill all course requirements. These requirements include pre and post assessments, homework assignments, reflection activities, and LMS instructor evaluations (if applicable to the specific early learning event). Each individual is eligible for a maximum of four training achievement bonuses per training cycle, and bonuses are not awarded for coursework that has been previously completed. To receive an achievement bonus, a W9 form must be submitted, and the address provided on the form must match the address associated with your LMS account. For any inquiries regarding the achievement bonus, please contact Abbey Landa at [email protected].
Certificate of Completion
Upon successful completion of an early learning event or training program, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion. This certificate serves as official documentation of your participation and professional development hours. Certificates can be easily retrieved from your individual online LMS account at any time.
Child Care
All of our early learning events and training sessions are specifically designed for adult audiences seeking professional development in the field. Therefore, we kindly request that all registrants make necessary childcare arrangements to ensure they can fully engage and meet the minimum participation requirements for the learning event. Please note that childcare services are not available on-site during our early learning events.
We are dedicated to providing high-quality and accessible early learning opportunities. By understanding and adhering to these policies, you can help us create a positive and productive learning environment for everyone involved in advancing early childhood education.
