If you are a parent to a three or four year old, you may have been hearing terms like “Kindergarten readiness” and “VPK” coming up more and more in your parent circles, and for good reason. We in Florida are lucky enough to have many great community organizations in support of preschool education and early childhood services! Specifically, we are blessed to have the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program – a state funded program that offers free prekindergarten to all four year olds in the state of Florida. This article will give you the basics you’ll need to know to take advantage of this great program and to find a provider that fits your needs.
The VPK program is run locally through the Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach (http://www.elcpalmbeach.org/how-to-register) in conjunction with the Office of Early Learning(http://www.floridaearlylearning.com/parents.aspx). The VPK Specialized Instructional Services Education Program takes place outside a traditional classroom setting and is for 4-year-olds with special needs who have current individualized educational plans from their local school districts. In order to participate in the VPK program, parents must obtain a VPK voucher through the Office of Early Learning website - http://www.floridaearlylearning.com/parents.aspx . Parents can begin the voucher application process online in January of the year of enrollment. In order to complete the application, you will need to upload a copy of your child’s birth certificate as well as documentation showing proof of residency.
The VPK program offers 560 hours of preschool instruction to all qualifying children during the school year or 300 instructional hours over the summer. Parents who have children with birthdays after September 2nd need to find out the specifics regarding enrollment, to see if their children are eligible for enrollment this fall or the following school year. Most schools and day care providers that offer VPK break the 560 hours into five 3-hour days per week, with wrap-around care provided at an additional charge. However, how the hours are offered is left up to each individual provider. Some preschools, like the one I manage, break the hours up into three 6-hour days per week (say Monday, Wednesday, Friday) for the duration of the school year, while others may offer all of their VPK hours during the Fall semester, then charge a fee for students to continue their program in Spring. Providers that offer the summer program are more limited. You can find a list of VPK providers through the E.L.C Resource and Referral Page: http://www.elcpalmbeach.org/childcare-referrals . To find out if a VPK program is meeting expectations for kindergarten readiness, you’ll want to look at their Readiness Rates for the past few years at https://vpk.fldoe.org/infopages/parentinfo.aspx .
Once you find the program that fits your lifestyle and needs, you will sign your voucher and submit it to your provider when you register. Once you sign the document, you are agreeing to make sure that your child attends a minimum of 80% of the 560 program hours for the year. The state deducts payment for students that miss more than 20% of the contracted time for the year. This program is an amazing opportunity to prepare your child socially, emotionally and academically for the adventures they will face in Elementary School. Take advantage of the opportunity and give your child the best leg up possible for their long exciting journey ahead.
For more information on Community programs that provide assistance to families with young children, visit:
The Early Learning Coalition: www.elcpalmbeach.org/
ChildFind: www.palmbeachschools.org/ese/fdlrscf.asp
Chidlren’s Services Council of Palm Beach: www.cscpbc.org/
Office of Early Learning: http://www.floridaearlylearning.com/parents.aspx
Palm Beach County Head Start: http://lsf-hsehs.lsfnet.org/Pages/Home-PalmBeach.aspx
Article Written by Anastasia Chandler, First United Methodist Preschool Director.
