Curriculum & Instruction/Support Services School Readiness Department. Florida s Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK)

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1 Curriculum & Instruction/Support Services School Readiness Department Florida s Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK)

2 VPK Florida Legislation Florida s Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program (VPK) allows every child who resides in Florida and attains the age of four years on or before September 1 of the school year to participate in a high quality learning experience at no cost to parents

3 VPK Florida Legislation Public, private and faith-based community preschools may offer a 540-hour school year VPK program Florida public schools may offer a 540-hour school year VPK program Public, private and faith-based community preschools may offer a 300-hour school summer VPK program Florida public schools are required to offer a 300 hour summer VPK program

4 Summer VPK To meet the required state mandate of a 300-hour program, Summer VPK was implemented May 31- July 28, students attended a seven and a half hour day teachers were employed for an eight-hour day parents participated in after-school Family Literacy events.

5 Summer VPK Curriculum Let s Begin With The Letter People Curriculum Structured approach to literacy learning that focuses on: Oral Language and Vocabulary Development Print Awareness Phonologic and Phonemic Awareness Alphabetic Knowledge print awareness,

6 Florida VPK Performance Standards DOE Office of Early Learning Physical Health Approaches to Learning Social and Emotional Development Language Communication Emergent Literacy Cognitive Development General Knowledge and Motor Development Standards identify what four year old children should know and be able to do by the end of their prekindergarten year.

7 VPK Online Training DOE has a free five-hour online Emergent Literacy course, at: Provides technical assistance on emergent literacy, language, emergent reading, emergent writing and environment.

8 Summer VPK Assessment Knows First and Last Name Knows Age Follows One Direction Follows Two Step Directions Identifies Rhymes Identifies Beginning Sounds Identifies Letters Recognizes Own Name Writes Own Name Identifies Parts of a Book Imitates Reading June Pre-test 88% 91% 98% 73% 68% 15% 75% 94% 75% 77% 61% July Post test 95% 98% 100% 93% 92% 51% 88% 99% 88% 95% 92%

9 Summer VPK VPK Parent Satisfaction Survey families responded 99% indicated that their children made progress. 99% would recommend the VPK Program to other parents. Teacher Satisfaction Survey - 69 teachers responded 100% would recommend the program to other parents. 95% would want to work again, next summer.

10 Summer VPK Outdoor Play/Gross Motor Activities

11 Summer VPK Writing Activities

12 VPK Challenges Broward s Kindergarten (K) enrollment = 23,445 students 18,545 K students in Broward Public Schools and charter schools 4,900 K students in private schools If the 23,445 K students lived in Florida last year, they would all have been eligible four year old VPK candidates 10,000 four-year-olds, less than half of the eligible VPK population participated in

13 VPK Challenges If your child did not attend a VPK Program, why not? Responses from 3,000 Kindergarten parents included: 772 parents never heard of VPK 524 parents were not aware their child was eligible for VPK 400 parents enrolled in another preschool 147 parents indicated no aftercare program at the VPK location 173 parents indicated VPK was too far from home

14 Additional VPK Challenges State policy prohibits the VPK provider from determining eligibility thus parents must complete the VPK eligibility application process at a community agency not at the VPK school. Information is available at Florida s class-size reduction requirements, limits space in the public schools for the Implementation of a school-year VPK program..

15 Questions? Nancy Lieberman, Director School Readiness Programs or

16 Broward County Public Schools VPK Program