Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH)

The Florida Department of Education's Division of Early Learning is pursuing a single source procurement for the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH) scholarship program through Leon County. The contract, spanning 60 months, aims to administer scholarship opportunities for caregivers, administrators of early childhood programs, family day care home providers, and early learning coalition staff. Specific deliverables include providing scholarships for recipients to earn various credentials such as Child Development Associate (CDA), Florida Staff Credential, associate or bachelor's degrees in early childhood education, and leadership credentials. The procurement is specifically targeting Children's Forum, Inc., which has been the sole licensed entity authorized to deliver the TEACH scholarship program in Florida since 1998. Key objectives include expanding educational opportunities for early childhood education professionals with no participant number limitations. The procurement was posted on August 20, 2025, with a response deadline of September 11, 2025, at 10:00 AM EST. Interested parties are required to email the contact person with a description of services they can provide by the specified deadline.

The procurement appears to be a non-competitive, single source opportunity exclusively designated for Children's Forum, Inc., with no explicit set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises. The contract represents a substantial investment in professional development for early childhood education professionals, with a total contract value of $68,150,000. This total includes an original amount of $50,000,000 ($10,000,000 per fiscal year) and three subsequent amendments totaling $18,150,000 for fiscal years 2023-2026. No specific integration requirements with existing infrastructure or technology are mentioned in the documentation. The procurement is geographically focused on the state of Florida, specifically within Leon County, and targets a comprehensive scholarship program for educational advancement in the early childhood education sector. The lack of competitive bidding suggests a long-standing relationship and proven performance by Children's Forum, Inc. in delivering these critical educational support services.