Business Alliance for Early Learning
More about the Business Alliance Florida Chamber COVID-19 Resource Center
Family Resources for Learning at Home
The Business Alliance for Early Learning was established to work with business leaders from around the state to better understand and tackle a number of issues impacting children ages 0-8. Preparing our youngest students to learn establishes a foundation for future success.
Parents are a child’s first teacher and as families across Florida remain at home during this unprecedented time, many parents are not only full time parents but full time teachers, and often working from home full time. In an effort to provide families with additional support, the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Business Alliance for Early Learning has developed a list of resources for our youngest learners, collected from corporate foundations, state and federal agencies, and other non-profit organizations.
We hope the activities, online books, articles, games and videos below will be useful in connecting with your children, with activities that are fun and educational, as well as offering resources on how to discuss and deal with COVID-19 and the daily challenges.
Florida Department of Education
The Department of Education has developed a website that includes state-level resources for early learning birth-five, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college. This website also includes food-related resources, free internet & communications providers, virtual classroom sites, and resources for helping children understand COVID-19. Click here.
Florida Office of Early Learning
For children from birth to 4 years old, this website provides activity ideas, videos, free apps and links to additional websites to use at home. Click here.
The Association of Early Learning Coalitions
The AELC supports each of Florida’s 30 Early Learning Coalitions and the unique populations they serve. Parents and caregivers can visit aelcfl.org to locate their respective Early Learning Coalition and learn more about the tools being provided on a local level.
Florida Grade-Level Reading Campaign: Early language and reading supports for parents and providers serving ages birth through 3rd grade. Click here.
Back to School Resources
Activities and Online Resources
Headstart | Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center
An activities booklet that contains fun activities for parents and children to do together at home. Click here.
PNC Grow Up Great®
– Family activities, ideas and resources for children from birth through age five. Click here for tips from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood on how families, parents, and caregivers can relieve children’s insecurities and fears during these stressful and challenging times.
– Sesame Street® Learning Resources – Free bilingual resources developed in partnership with Sesame Workshop – the creators of Sesame Street® – to help parents, caregivers and educators enhance learning opportunities for young children.
Vroom
Offers a variety of tools available to download for free, as well as a mobile app that provides easy access to daily “brain building” activities. Click here.
National Association for the Education of Young Children
– Research-based resources, tips and ideas for families—from child development to reading, writing, music, math, and more! Click here.
– Ten Prop Box Ideas: Mini Learning Centers at Home. Click here.
Online Books
Unite for Literacy Library
Free digital access to picture books, narrated in many languages.
Audible Stories
Free stories for kids of all ages where they can listen to hundreds of Audio titles across six different languages – English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Japanese.
Free Online Videos and Games
PBS Kids
– PBS online games. Click here.
– PBS KIDS Play and Learn Science App – Includes hands-on science projects with everyday materials, along with online science games and explorations
National Geographic Kids
Games, videos, brain boosters and more. Click here.
KidLit TV
Videos, activities and podcasts designed to help reinforce an appreciation of reading. Click here.
Parent Resources
The Children’s Movement of Florida
Click here for a list of resources and links for Floridians navigating a changing society in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Early Learning Center of the Big Bend
A variety of resources including how to talk to kids about COVID-19, links to Leon County food and financial resources.
Early Learning Network
A Conversation with Dr. Marina Bers about young learners, technology and learning at home. Hosted by the ISTE Early Learning Network, this 30 minute video includes a conversation with Dr. Marina Bers, Professor and Chair, Eliot-Pearson Dept. of Child Study & Human Development; Dept. of Computer Science; and Director, DevTech Research Group at Tufts University, on how early learning professionals can help coach or inform parents or families about technology and children during this time at home. Click here.
The Hechinger Report
Article: Stuck at home with young kids due to the coronavirus? Here’s what to do—and not to do. Click here.