Digital Worlds (DW), in partnership with the UF Lastinger Center for Learning and the state of Florida, is happy to announce its production of Early Learning Florida (ELFL) has successfully moved from beta testing to a statewide launch set for Jan. 4, 2016.
ELFL is an online learning system to help equip and educate early learning practitioners on best practices when working with children, while meeting with state of Florida standards and Early Learning state competencies.
DW first launched its ELFL test pilot in March 2015, with almost 250 users in four partnering regions of Florida, known as Early Learning Coalitions (ELCs). This launch included two fully developed courses with three varying models of each course including online-only interaction, once-a-week group meetings and one-on-one meetings with an instructor.
Over the summer, the DW team made improvements and delivered a soft launch in October 2015 to 400 users and seven partnering ELCs with over 15 course offerings.
For its state-wide launch, ELFL will offer over 65 classes to 1,600-2,000 enrolled users throughout an eight-week period, and will partner with 30+ ELCs across the state, said DW’s Associate Director for Business Development and head of ELFL project management, Tim Difato.
“Launching ELFL to a majority of ELCs in different regions of Florida has been a landmark goal we’ve been pushing for since the program’s inception,” Difato said. “Our target goal is to reach 55,000+ users in the state of Florida.”
This incentivized program aims to train early learning practioners to reshape infant-toddler and VPK growth and development, he said.
Digital Worlds is excited to move forward in course production as the team begins producing monthly English and Spanish courses to serve bilingual learners in Florida in upcoming months.