Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County

What Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County does

The Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County (ELCHC) is a Tampa, Florida-based nonprofit established in 2000 that serves as the statutorily designated local administrator for Florida's Division of Early Learning programs in Hillsborough County. It is the third-largest early learning coalition in Florida, operating on an approximately $126 million budget with 100+ employees and a 29-member legislatively established Board of Directors. ELCHC's core product set comprises School Readiness financial assistance (income-based sliding scale subsidies), free Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) for 4-year-olds, Child Care Resource & Referral services, developmental screening via the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, and early intervention support. Supporting programs include the Hillsborough Infant & Toddler Initiative (HITI), the iSpy Tampa Bay STEM partnerships with local cultural attractions, On My Way To Kindergarten transition support, and the Institute for Early Childhood Professionals (IECP) which offers IACET-accredited training.

ELCHC's service delivery is built on a portfolio of digital portals: a Family Portal for household enrollment and eligibility, an ELC Provider Portal for contracted child care providers, the state-administered DEL Portal and QPS system, and the Renaissance Learning Star Early Literacy platform for VPK progress monitoring. The organization operates without a unified proprietary software platform, instead orchestrating state- and county-level systems for subsidy administration, attendance tracking, and developmental assessment. Its technology function is overseen by a Chief Information Officer and focuses on systems integration and operational reporting rather than proprietary product development.

Revenue is dominated by government funding. The Florida Division of Early Learning provides the primary stream for School Readiness and VPK, supplemented by a $34 million ARPA Discretionary Grant funding 26 strategic initiatives during the 2023-2024 period. Community donations from individuals, organizations, and businesses provide a marginal third stream. In 2023-2024, ELCHC disbursed $12 million in direct financial support, served 18,962 children in School Readiness and 11,620 children in VPK, and provided financial support to 3,019 early childhood educators. The organization reports 97% of funding directed to programs (3% to management and general expenses). Its go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer channels (Family Portal, website, phone support) with a channel-partner model through contracted child care providers spanning private, public school, family child care home, and faith-based categories.

Name

Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County

Legal name

Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County

Website

https://elchc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County is a Tampa-based nonprofit that administers Florida's School Readiness subsidies, free Voluntary Prekindergarten for 4-year-olds, child care resource and referral, and early intervention services for families and contracted providers across Hillsborough County on a ~$126 million budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Childhood Development (ECD) & Pre-Primary Education (BPADAKAB), Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction (EDACAFAG), ECE Leadership & Administration Training (Directors/Owners/Supervisors) (EDACAIAD)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Voluntary prekindergarten programs
• School readiness services
• Child care resource referral
• Early intervention support

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. State Funding - Division of Early Learning: Primary funding from the state of Florida's Division of Early Learning to administer School Readiness and VPK programs locally.
2. Community Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals, organizations, and businesses. The Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County is funded in part by the state of Florida's Division of Early Learning. EIN# 59-3626.
3. American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Grants: ARPA Discretionary Grant funding of $34 million supporting 26 strategic initiatives including educator compensation, training, and program improvements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County (ELCHC) is a non-profit organization that administers state-funded early childhood education programs in Hillsborough County, Florida. It delivers School Readiness financial assistance, the free Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program for 4-year-olds, Child Care Resource & Referral services, and Early Intervention support. Services are delivered through contracted child care providers, online portals, and direct family engagement.

Product overview

The Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County operates a portfolio of early childhood education programs administered locally under Florida's state-mandated framework. The core offerings include School Readiness (subsidized child care), Voluntary Prekindergarten/VPK (free preschool for 4-year-olds), Child Care Resource & Referral (family navigation services), and Early Intervention Support Services. Supporting programs include the Hillsborough Infant & Toddler Initiative (quality improvement for providers serving infants/toddlers), iSpy Tampa Bay (STEM partnerships with local attractions), On My Way To Kindergarten (transition support), and the Institute for Early Childhood Professionals (professional development with IACET accreditation). The organization does not offer a unified software platform but rather administers government-funded programs through various state and local portals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Readiness Program
• Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK)
• Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R)
• Early Intervention Support Services
• On My Way To Kindergarten Program
• Hillsborough Infant & Toddler Initiative (HITI)
• iSpy Tampa Bay Program
• VPK Progress Monitoring (FAST/Star Early Literacy)
• Institute for Early Childhood Professionals (IECP)

Quantifiable outcome

• Children who participate in VPK are more 'ready' to enter kindergarten than those who do not participate.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Florida AquariumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerELCHC partners with the Florida Aquarium for the iSpy Tampa Bay Program, which provides science and nature-based play experiences for preschoolers aged 3-5. Children and families visit the aquarium as part of the learning adventure program.
• Glazer Children's MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartneriSpy Tampa Bay Program partner providing engaging play-based learning activities for preschoolers. The museum serves as one of the partner attractions for hands-on STEM experiences.
• Zoo Tampa at Lowry ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartneriSpy Tampa Bay Program partner offering science and nature-based learning experiences for preschoolers. The zoo provides educational visits as part of the early literacy and STEM program.
• MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartneriSpy Tampa Bay Program partner providing STEM-focused learning experiences for preschoolers aged 3-5 through interactive exhibits and educational programs.
• Hillsborough County Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner for VPK program delivery and kindergarten transition initiatives. Public schools offer VPK programs and work with ELCHC on school readiness initiatives.
• Florida Division of Early Learning (DEL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level oversight agency for School Readiness and VPK programs. DEL provides funding, policy guidance, and program standards that ELCHC administers locally.
• WEDU (PBS)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with WEDU for PBS Social and Emotional Learning training programs. WEDU provides training content and resources for early childhood educators on SEL topics like friendship and responsibility.
• Renaissance LearningcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides Star Early Literacy assessment platform used for VPK Florida's Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) progress monitoring. The technology platform helps track student progress in early literacy and math skills.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County: Direct peer: a fellow Florida state-designated Early Learning Coalition administering the same School Readiness, VPK, and child care resource & referral programs in neighboring Pinellas County. Operates with the same regulatory mandate and funding model as ELCHC.
• Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe: Direct peer: another Florida ELC administering state-funded School Readiness and VPK programs. Comparable in mission, revenue model (government funding), and service portfolio; the largest ELC in the state, providing a useful scale benchmark for ELCHC.
• Early Learning Coalition of Orange County (CEO)/Osceola: Direct peer: Florida ELC delivering the same School Readiness/VPK framework in central Florida, with a comparable multi-million-dollar operating budget and provider network management model.
• Early Learning Coalition of Duval: Direct peer: Florida ELC serving Duval County with the same regulatory mandate, programmatic focus on VPK/School Readiness, and nonprofit governance model as ELCHC.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Board of Hillsborough County: A major funder and partner of ELCHC focused on Hillsborough County child welfare; serves as a county-level grantmaker for early childhood programs. Comparable as a local public-body funder of ECE services with broader scope than ELCHC.
• Child Care Aware of America: National nonprofit that supports state/regional child care resource & referral networks and advocates for ECE funding. Broader incumbent in the same space as ELCHC's CCR&R function, but operating at the federal level rather than as a single-county administrator.
• National Head Start Association: National membership organization representing Head Start/Early Head Start grantees providing center-based ECE to low-income families. Operates the federal program that overlaps with ELCHC's School Readiness targeting underserved children.

Emerging players

• Parents as Teachers: National home-visiting and parent education model focused on early childhood development. Similar mission (kindergarten readiness, parent support, early intervention) and overlapping age range (birth-5) but operating through a different delivery model (home visits vs. ELCHC's provider-based subsidies).
• Bay Area Early Steps (Part C IDEA): Hillsborough County early intervention program for children 0-3 with developmental delays (federal Part C). Operates in the same geography and overlapping developmental screening space as ELCHC's Early Intervention Warm Line/ASQ services.

Others

• Suncoast Credit Union: Major financial partner/funder of the iSpy Tampa Bay program with a VP of Community Impact on ELCHC's board. Comparable only in the sense of being a corporate funder enabling ECE programs in the Tampa region; not a service provider or competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4Ao9Ahx6G2IhMdfX4m4IBA
• Facebookfacebook.com/ELC-of-Hillsborough-129516513776090
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/early-learning-coalition-of-hillsborough-county?trk=tyah&trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Acompany%2CclickedEntityId%3A1965336%2Cidx%3A2-1-2%2CtarId%3A1455749701737%2Ctas%3DEarly+Learning+Coalition+of+Hillsbo
• Instagraminstagram.com/elchillsborough/?hl=en
• Xx.com/elchillsborough

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County