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Florida's Voluntary Prekindergarten Program: Promoting Safe Social & Learning Skills for 4-Year-Old

Updated: Jul 28, 2023

Designed to prepare preschool children for kindergarten, Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) is a free, standards-based prekindergarten program for 4-year-olds in Florida. This voluntary program offers preschool children opportunities for social, emotional, and physical development. In addition to building a strong foundation for kindergarten, VPK also enhances children's reading and math skills.

Florida's Voluntary Prekindergarten Program

The Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten Program was implemented to provide free quality prekindergarten programs to Florida's 4-year-olds. The program is developmentally appropriate, standards-based, and follows the Department of Education guidelines. There are several public and private institutions that offer VPK services. Some providers are also faith-based. To find a VPK provider, the office of early learning maintains a list of approved providers. Parents can also enroll their children in VPK by using Florida's Early Learning Family Portal.

VPK classes are staffed by qualified teachers who follow the Department of Education guidelines. This enables teachers to provide individual attention to children, which helps to enhance the quality of education. Classes are also small and manageable, which helps the children to develop social skills. Children who can cooperate and participate in group activities are more likely to do well in group projects.

Parents may enroll their children in VPK in the spring, summer, or school year. In the school-year program, a child can attend up to 540 hours of instruction in 180 days. These hours can be taken in half-day or full-day sessions. In the summer program, children can attend up to 300 hours of instruction in 30 days.

The Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten program is supported by district resource teachers who write countywide lesson plans. They also assist teachers in implementing the program in classrooms.

The Florida VPK program has high curriculum standards and uses educational materials that are appropriate for each stage of a child's development. The curriculum focuses on nurturing a child's interests, encouraging them to explore new vocabulary, and promoting language, math, and reading skills. These skills are essential for success in kindergarten.

The Florida VPK program offers students opportunities to learn to share, sharing of belongings, social skills, and more. It also helps children develop cooperation and self-confidence. This prepares children to succeed in kindergarten and other school-related activities.

The Florida VPK program is administered by the Early Learning Coalition of Orange County. To enroll a child in the program, parents can complete an online application. They will also need to provide a current copy of the child's birth certificate and a working email address. The application can also be obtained from the school that the child will attend. After submitting the application, parents may print a blank copy and bring it to the school. Once the application has been accepted, parents can provide the school with the yellow copy and the child's birth certificate.

Parents can also enroll their child in a VPK program at a private provider. There are many faith-based and care-based institutions that are eligible to deliver the VPK program. These institutions are also able to meet the required instructional hours. The office of early learning maintains a list that lists providers that are approved by the Department of Education. If you live in Florida and your child turns four years of age by September 1st, your child is eligible to participate in Florida's FREE Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) education program. Nowtech Academy's VPK Pembroke Pines or Miramar provides a safe, enriching environment. We would love to hear from you.

If you're searching for a VPK for your child in Pembroke Pines, NowTech Academy is definitely a great choice!


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