4C - School Readiness
4C - School Readiness in Orlando: Subsidized Child Care at Ladybird Academy of Dr. Phillips
4C - School Readiness in Orlando helps working families pay for licensed child care. Ladybird Academy of Dr. Phillips accepts School Readiness. You can use your approval toward full-day child care in Dr. Phillips. The order matters. First, get your eligibility from the Early Learning Coalition. Then call our front desk at (407) 412-6908 to ask about openings.
The Program
School Readiness, Formerly Called 4C, Helps Orlando Families Fund Child Care
At our Gold Seal day care center, your child learns every day with the Abeka curriculum and Saxon Math. We serve children from 6 weeks old through school age (5 to 12).
School Readiness is the program many Orlando parents still call 4C. If a neighbor tells you to “apply for 4C,” this is what they mean. Knowing the current name helps you search for the right forms and avoid outdated advice.
School Readiness is a Florida program, run locally by the Early Learning Coalition. It helps pay for child care while parents work or attend school.
School Readiness can help families in Bay Hill and Sand Lake who need full-time care. That might mean:
- An infant, starting as young as 6 weeks
- A toddler who is working on potty training
- A school-age child who needs care before and after school
Before you plan, know that Ladybird Academy of Dr. Phillips offers full-day programs only. If you need part-day care, we’re not the right fit. If you work full days, our schedule lines up with what School Readiness is built to support.
- Program School Readiness
- Formerly 4C
- Run by Early Learning Coalition
- Care Full day only
Apply First
Your Family Applies for School Readiness Through the Early Learning Coalition
The Early Learning Coalition handles School Readiness applications for Orlando families. You apply through the coalition, not through the day care center. We can’t approve or deny your eligibility.
Florida rules set who qualifies. Those rules can change, so check the coalition’s Family Portal for the current requirements before you apply.
Apply early. A review takes time, and a late application can push back the day your child starts care. This matters most if your job start date is already set.
Many families in Dr. Phillips have moved here from the Northeast or the Midwest. If that’s you, School Readiness may be new, and your home state may have used a different program name or a different process. Start with the coalition’s requirements, not with what worked back home.
Then Enroll With Us
Bring Your Eligibility Certificate to Ladybird Academy of Dr. Phillips
Ladybird Academy of Dr. Phillips accepts School Readiness. Once you’re approved, you choose your provider, and we are one of your options.
To start enrollment, bring your eligibility certificate and your child’s records. Our front desk can tell you which records we need.
Before you decide, schedule a tour to see the rooms where your child will spend the day: the infant room, the toddler classes, or the Pre-K classroom. While you’re here, look at how the building is secured. We use key fob check-in, coded door locks, and a phone in every classroom. We also require ID from any adult we don’t know at pickup.
Ask our front desk about current openings. Parents tell us their concerns get answered the same day. After you enroll, our open-door policy lets you visit anytime during operating hours, with no notice needed.
We are at 6809 Daisy St, Orlando, FL 32819. Our Dr. Phillips center is 2.6 miles (about 13 minutes) from Universal Studios. We are the closest day care to Universal Studios Orlando, which makes us an easy stop for parents who work at the park.
Ask About Openings
(407) 412-6908 drphillips@ladybirdacademy.com6809 Daisy St, Orlando, FL 32819
Monday – Friday, 6:30 AM – 6:30 PM
Schedule a Tour
Named Curricula
Your Child Learns From Abeka and Saxon Math Every Day
Ladybird Academy of Dr. Phillips teaches with named, structured curricula. Your child’s lessons follow the Abeka curriculum and Saxon Math. Saxon Math builds early math skills in small steps, so each new idea rests on one your child already knows.
Your child also learns in hands-on spaces, each built for one kind of learning:
- Art Studio
- Science Lab
- Library
- Computer Lab
The day includes more than desk work. We teach phonics and early literacy, S.T.E.A.M., and conversational Spanish from age 2. Infants and toddlers learn sign language, which can give them a way to communicate before they can talk. Children can also join ballet and dance or soccer.
Meals come from our on-site nutrition program. Our own cook prepares breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack on site each day.
Central Florida summers are hot, and afternoon thunderstorms are frequent. Shaded playground equipment helps your child keep playing outside in the heat, and our water play area gives children a way to cool off. When storms roll in, play moves indoors to the Library, the Art Studio, and Playtown, our dramatic play room.
Built for Shift Work
Hours From 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM Fit Shift Work Near International Drive
Ladybird Academy of Dr. Phillips opens at 6:30 AM and closes at 6:30 PM, Monday through Friday. We are closed Saturday and Sunday.
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Opens 6:30 AM
You can drop off at 6:30 AM before an early shift.
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Closes 6:30 PM
Pick up as late as 6:30 PM after a long one.
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Closed Weekends
We are closed Saturday and Sunday.
Dr. Phillips sits near Orlando’s tourism corridor. Theme parks, International Drive, hotels, and the Sand Lake Road Restaurant Row are all close by, and many parents who work there keep early, late, or shifting hours. A center that opens at 9:00 AM doesn’t help a parent who starts breakfast service at 7:00.
Our hours give you room on both ends of the day. You can drop off at 6:30 AM before an early shift and pick up as late as 6:30 PM after a long one. Shifts don’t always stay the same week to week, and our flexible scheduling helps when your hours change. Talk with our front desk as soon as you know a new schedule is coming.
School-age children ride our bus to and from Palm Lake Elementary and Bay Meadows Elementary. Before school, they can arrive here at 6:30 AM. After school, they get homework help, snacks, and outdoor fitness until you arrive.
Follow the Day
Parents Track Kindergarten Readiness With Cameras, App Updates, and Teacher Messages
Ladybird Academy of Dr. Phillips gives Orlando parents three ways to follow their child’s day. You can watch live classroom cameras, get real-time updates through our app, and message your child’s teacher directly.
These tools help you do more than check in. Use them to watch for developmental milestones, such as:
- Early math skills, like counting and sorting
- Language, including new words and longer sentences
- Social-emotional learning, like sharing, taking turns, and handling big feelings
If you notice a gap, message the teacher. A short talk early is easier than a surprise later.
When your child turns 4, ask us how free Florida VPK (Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten) fits with your School Readiness care. Florida VPK is free for eligible 4-year-olds. At our center, VPK runs during the school year only, so plan ahead for how summer care will work. VPK leads into kindergarten readiness, and we support your child’s transition to kindergarten and celebrate it with preschool graduation.
Your work schedule doesn’t stop for the summer, so plan your care for all 12 months. Schedule a tour, or call us at (407) 412-6908 to ask about openings and talk through how School Readiness and VPK fit your family’s year.
Schedule a Tour
Come See Where Their Adventure Begins
Walk the classrooms, meet our team and bring every question on your list. You’ll know quickly whether Ladybird Academy of Dr. Phillips feels right for your family.
- See the classroom for your child’s age
- Meet the teachers and our director team
- Learn how check-in, cameras and daily updates work
Prefer to talk? Call (407) 412-6908
Thank you!
Your tour request is on its way. Our team will contact you soon to confirm a time. Need us sooner? Call (407) 412-6908.
