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Tandem is partnering with the Early Learning Coalition of Pasco & Hernando (ELCPH) to give providers across Pasco and Hernando counties a stronger set of tools for keeping classrooms staffed and growing their teams.
This partnership goes a step further than coverage. As of July 1st, ELCPH providers have access to fee-free substitutes, ongoing workforce education, and accredited professional development for their full-time staff. We've structured it that way for a reason.
"We are excited to launch the TANDEM Program for our early childhood professionals," said ELCPH Executive Director Steve Knobl, Ph.D. "Staffing shortages continue to create additional work, stress, and challenges for childcare providers across our community. Through TANDEM, our goal is to support providers with practical and sustainable staffing solutions that help strengthen their programs, support their workforce, and ensure children continue to receive high-quality early learning experiences. We are proud to bring this initiative to our provider community and look forward to the positive impact it will have on the early childhood workforce."
Staffing stability isn't just a center problem. It's a community one.
When a classroom is fully staffed, a director isn't pulled off the floor to cover. A teacher isn't carrying a second group of children on top of her own. A family isn't getting a call at 6 a.m. asking if they can keep their child home today.
Reliable child care is what lets parents show up to work. It's what lets working families in Pasco and Hernando stay on the trajectory they're building for their kids. When centers can't keep classrooms open, the cost lands on families first, and on the local economy not far behind.
It also lands on children. The earliest years are the ones that shape the most. Consistent caregivers, consistent routines, and consistent learning environments are the foundation of healthy early development. Every day a classroom is short-staffed is a day that foundation gets a little less stable.
This partnership is about building the version of Pasco and Hernando's early learning system that families, employers, and children deserve. Centers that stay open. Teachers who stay in the field. Classrooms that show up for the kids in them every single day.
ELCPH identified the same pattern Tandem has seen across the state. Centers struggling to fill open shifts. Teachers leaving the field within their first few years. A workforce that needs more than competitive wages to stay.
We partnered to give ELCPH providers tools that address all three at once. Reliable substitute coverage for the days that fall apart. Ongoing education for the directors managing it all. And professional development for the people doing the actual work in front of children.
For Tandem, this partnership is part of a broader commitment. We want every provider in Florida to have access to compliant substitute teachers and the workforce tools that support them. Staffed classrooms mean quality education for children from birth to five, and that's the outcome we're building toward, one coalition at a time.
Substitute coverage helps when a classroom needs a teacher. Professional development helps the teachers already there stay, grow, and do the work better. You can't have one without the other for long.
That's why this partnership includes accredited trainings designed specifically for infant, toddler, and preschool educators. The trainings are accessible from a provider's Tandem account and free for all of their educators. One CEU is awarded per training, too, so they'll help with annual PD requirements. Win-win.
It builds on work ELCPH is already doing. Through the Promise Institute, the coalition already brings in-person and online learning to early educators across both counties. This partnership adds another layer to it. That reflects a belief ELCPH holds out loud: every child, caregiver, and teacher deserves the best resources to succeed.
If you're new to Tandem, here's the short version. We're a staffing platform built exclusively for child care. Every teacher in our pool has been screened and credentialed against Florida's specific compliance requirements before they can be booked for your program.
A few things worth knowing:
You set the rate. Centers decide what they pay their substitutes. That protects pay equity on your team and keeps your costs well below traditional agencies.
You pick your requirements. When you post a shift, you set the requirements. We match you with people who actually meet them.
You don't pay until they work. No subscriptions. No monthly minimums. No placement fees if you decide to hire one of our teachers full-time after 120 hours together.
Compliance is handled. We do the background checks, the screenings, the verifications. You don't have to chase paperwork.
ELCPH providers get three concrete benefits as part of the partnership:
1. Fee-free access to Tandem. You'll only pay the substitute's hourly rate. ELCPH covers Tandem's administrative fee on every shift you book.
2. Quarterly workforce webinars. Best practices on staffing, retention, onboarding, and workforce stability, with experts from across the industry. Registration is available through ELCPH.
3. Professional development for your staff. Accredited trainings designed for infant, toddler, and preschool educators, available directly through your Tandem account.
Each benefit addresses a different layer of the same problem. Substitutes close the immediate gap. Webinars sharpen how directors lead their teams. Professional development invests in the teachers already in your classrooms.
We've built a dedicated landing page for ELCPH providers with everything you need to get started: join-tandem.com/partners/elc-pasco-hernando.
Centers in Pasco and Hernando: Visit our partnership page at join-tandem.com/partners/elc-pasco-hernando to create your free Tandem profile, start booking substitutes, and unlock your professional development trainings. There's no commitment and no upfront cost.
Teachers in Pasco and Hernando: Download the Tandem app to begin your onboarding. We'll walk you through every compliance step required to start booking shifts at centers in your area. Get started at join-tandem.com/childcare-workers/how-it-works.
Tandem is a purpose-built staffing platform for the child care industry. We connect licensed centers with vetted substitute teachers and permanent hires across five states, with compliance, credentialing, and payments built into the platform. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Tandem serves child care programs across Florida, Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Learn more at join-tandem.com, or visit our ELCPH partner page at join-tandem.com/partners/elc-pasco-hernando.
About the ELCPH: The Early Learning Coalition of Pasco and Hernando Counties, Inc. is a 501c3 organization and one of 30 Early Learning Coalitions in Florida. Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program is for all children who are four years old on or before September 1. School Readiness provides subsidized childcare for low-to-moderate-income working families. The nonprofit service providers over 10,000 children between infancy and twelve years old, working with over 300 childcare providers in both counties. Learn more by visiting Elcph.org.
Join the child care centers that trust Tandem to keep their classrooms fully staffed, every day.
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