Thrive By 5 A$CEND Program
Terms and Conditions

This document serves as the Terms and Conditions for Educator’s participation in The Children’s Trust Thrive By 5 A$CEND Salary Supplement program (A$CEND). A$CEND is The Children’s Trust salary supplement program for early learning educators in Miami-Dade County that work for programs participating in The Children’s Trust’s Thrive by 5 Early Learning Quality Improvement System (QIS).  

By participating in the A$CEND and accepting funding from The Children’s Trust, Educator expressly agrees to: 

• Adhere to all policies and procedures set forth in the Thrive by 5 A$CEND Handbook.
• Provide an environment conducive to quality learning for children and engage in quality improvement activities in partnership with Thrive by 5 partners.  
• Participate in the Miami-Dade Professional Development Registry (PDR) and submit or update personal information, employment information (i.e., hourly wage, position title, hours worked, ages served), education, and credentials and follow all PDR data requirements.  
• Complete and submit all required or requested documents.
• Regularly update all knowledge and training information in the PDR.
• Provide timely notification to The Children’s Trust via A$CEND application of any changes to the Educator’s employment that could impact Educator’s participation in A$CEND, including but not limited to a change of employment, change of licensure, or change of ownership of early learning programs participating in the Trust’s Thrive by 5 Early Learning Quality Improvement System. 
• Allow The Children’s Trust to periodically solicit feedback on A$CEND from participants in the program for the purpose of continuous quality improvement and system refinements.
• Cooperate and participate in all research evaluations of A$CEND and the Thrive By 5 QIS.
• Provide information about The Children’s Trust Book Club for children birth to five and assist families in enrolling for the same.
• Comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including but not limited to background screenings, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as may be amended from time to time, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as may be amended from time to time. 
• Enroll in ACH (Associated Clearing House)/direct deposit for payment of the salary supplement by The Children’s Trust using the A$CEND application. The ACH enrollment terms and conditions are located at The Children’s Trust ACH terms and conditions.
• Update bank account information associated with direct deposit account upon submission of salary supplement application, if applicable.
• Permit The Children’s Trust to conduct periodic data quality reviews and on-site verification of employment. 

By participating in A$CEND, Educator expressly understands and agrees to the following: 

• This agreement is subject to availability of funds, as determined in the sole discretion of The Children’s Trust. 
• The Knowledge and Training Pathway, CLASS composite score and longevity in the field as determined by the PDR will be used to determine an Educator’s A$CEND award. 
• Awards are based on information contained in the PDR at the time of application submission.
• Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) scores based on a formal observation conducted through a Thrive by 5 partner agency will be accepted for CLASS A$CEND award.
• Longevity is determined through an educator’s original enrollment in the PDR. Demonstrate an improvement in the quality of teacher – child interactions as indicated by Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) scores
• The Children’s Trust is authorized to publicize aggregate data regarding A$CEND participation. 
• Falsifying data is cause for Educator’s termination in the A$CEND program and repayment of funds to which Educator is not entitled.  
• Educator is only a recipient of funding support and is not an employee, agent, or instrumentality of The Children’s Trust.
• There are no intended or unintended third-party beneficiaries to this agreement.
• The Children’s Trust is a governmental agency and abides by the Public Records Law, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, and as such, may be required to provide information about A$CEND program participants in response to a public records request absent a qualifying exemption of which the Educator informs The Children’s Trust.

The Educator may terminate their participation in the Thrive By 5 A$CEND program with or without cause at any time by notifying The Children’s Trust through the A$CEND application or in writing via email at Thriveby5@thechildrenstrust.org.

In the event Provider fails to comply with any of the Terms and Conditions of this Agreement, in the sole determination of The Children’s Trust, The Children’s Trust may withhold or suspend payment and/or terminate Educator’s participation in A$CEND.  

Indemnification: Educator shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless The Children’s Trust and its officers, employees, agents and instrumentalities from any and all liability, losses or damages, including reasonable attorney’s fees and costs of defense, which The Children’s Trust or its officers, employees, agents or instrumentalities may incur as a result of any claim, demand, suit, cause of action or proceeding of any kind or nature arising out of, relating to, or resulting from the performance of this Contract by Educator. 

Educator shall pay all claims and losses in connection therewith and shall investigate and defend all claims, suits or actions of any kind or nature in the name of The Children’s Trust, where applicable and in the discretion of The Children’s Trust, including appellate proceedings, and shall pay all costs, judgments and reasonable attorney’s fees which may issue thereon. Educator agrees that any insurance protection required by this Contract or otherwise provided by Educator shall in no way limit the responsibility to indemnify, keep and save harmless and defend, The Children’s Trust or its officers, employees and agents. 

The provisions of this section on indemnification shall survive the expiration or termination of this agreement.