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What
is VPK?
The Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) program is
FREE to all families in Florida and does not have any income
requirements or restrictions.
VPK prepares four year-old children for
kindergarten through quality programs that include high literacy
standards, accountability, appropriate curricula, substantial
instructional periods, manageable class sizes and quality
instructors. VPK providers are certified through the Early Learning
Coalition of Polk County Florida.
If you live in
Florida, and your child turns 4 four years of age by September 1,
your child is eligible to participate in Florida's FREE Voluntary
Prekindergarten (VPK) education program.
VPK legislation was
signed into law by Governor Jeb Bush on January 2, 2005. This law
created a program to prepare every Florida four-year-old for
Kindergarten and to build a strong foundation for their continued
educational success.
The VPK program
will better prepare Florida’s young children for a successful
Kindergarten experience by focusing the Department of Education’s
efforts on early literacy. This legislation assigns
responsibilities for the day-to-day management of the program to
the Office of Early Learning (OEL); licensing and credentialing to
the Department of Children and Families (DCF); and the creation of
standards, curriculum, and accountability to the Department of
Education (DOE). All three agencies are working together to provide
leadership and support to the local early learning coalitions,
school districts, and public and private providers to ensure the
successful implementation of effective prekindergarten education
programs for Florida’s four-year-old children.
2015 Summer
VPK
2015/2016 School-Year VPK
2016 Summer VPK
ELIGIBILITY
A child is eligible
for VPK for the current school year or current year's summer program
if the child is four years old on or before September 1, 2014.
If your child was
BORN September 2, 2010 - September 1, 2011, they are eligible for
the 2015 Summer VPK Program if they did not participate in the
2015-2016 VPK School-Year Program.
If your child was BORN September 2, 2010 -
September 1, 2011, they are eligible for the 2015-2016 School Year
Program.
If your child was BORN September 2, 2011 -
September 1, 2012, they are eligible for the 2016 Summer VPK
Program if they did not participate in the 2015-2016 VPK
School-Year Program.
Children may participate in the VPK program
one (1) time before they are eligible to enter kindergarten.
Once a child is eligible to enter
kindergarten, they are no longer eligible to participate in VPK.
If you aren't sure our child's eligibility or
if you have more questions about VPK, please give us a call at
Beacon Hill (863)682-7910 in Lakeland, Florida.
Highlights of the VPK Program
•VPK is FREE for all children who live in
Florida and who turn 4 years of age by September 1 of last year
•No registration fee
•Parents may choose a participating private
child care or public school provider
•Early language and literacy focus VPK
Curriculum
•Focuses on reading, writing and social
skills
•Prepares children to be ready for
Kindergarten VPK Program Options
•Option 1: school-year VPK - 540
instructional hours. School-year VPK
•Option 2: summer VPK – 300 instructional
hours.
Summer VPK
VPK Providers
•Parents have the option of choosing the provider
that meets their own family’s needs
•Options include: private and faith-based
child care centers, private and public schools and licensed family
child care homes
•All VPK providers must meet high standards
required by law
VPK Instructors
•Ratios are 1 instructor to 10 children
•Class size will not exceed 18 children in
the school-year program, and will not exceed 10 children for the
summer program
•All VPK instructors must have a minimum of a
child development associate for the school-year program, or a
bachelor’s degree in early childhood or related fields for the
summer program.
Transportation
•Parents are responsible for their child’s
transportation
VPK
Instructor Requirements:
All of our
School-Year VPK Lead Teachers have:
•One (1) of the
following credentials:
•(CDA) Child
Development Associate or (FCCPC) Florida Child Care
Professional Certificate earned within the last five (5) years; or
•An Associate’s
Degree or higher in Child Development; or
•An Associate’s
Degree or higher in an unrelated field, with at least 6 credit
hours in early childhood education or child development, and at
least 480 hours of experience in teaching or providing childcare
services for children any age from birth to 8 years of age; or
•A Bachelor’s
Degree or higher in early childhood education, prekindergarten or
primary education, preschool education, or family and consumer
science;
or
•A Bachelor’s
Degree in elementary education, if the pre-k instructor has been
certified to teach children any age from birth through 6th grade,
with a Florida Educator’s Certificate, regardless whether the
certificate is current or not, and has not had this educator
certificate suspended or revoked. (Please note that a teaching
degree from another country must be evaluated and translated by an
accredited organization and submitted to DCF for approval.)
•Copy of a five (or
more) hour Early Literacy training certificate. If Literacy
training was completed after October 1, 2005, it must be the VPK
Emergent Literacy course.
•Copy of Local Law
Enforcement Criminal Background screening completed upon being
hired and every 5 years thereafter.
•Copy of Florida
Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Criminal Background screening
completed and current within the past 5 years.
•Copy of Federal Bureau
of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Background check completed and
current within the last 5 years.
•Copy of Affidavit
of Good Moral Character
•Certified in Adult
and Child CPR and Basic First Aid
•Copy of
Certifications in 50 hours of Part I and Part II of the Florida and
DCF require Introduction in Child Care courses.
All of our VPK
aide/assistants have:
•Copy of Local Law
Enforcement Criminal Background screening completed upon being
hired and every 5 years thereafter.
•Copy of Florida
Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Criminal Background screening
completed in the past 5 years.
•Copy of Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Background check completed
within the last 5 years.
•Copy of Affidavit
of Good Moral Character
•Certified in Adult
and Child CPR and Basic First Aid
•Copy of
Certifications in 50 hours of Part I and Part II of the Florida and
DCF require Introduction in Child Care courses.
SUMMER VPK PROGRAM INFORMATION
Any child that lives in Florida and turned
4-years-old by September 1 is eligible for the summer VPK Program
as long as they did not previously participate in the school-year
VPK program. Full-Day summer schedules range anywhere from 5 to 7
hours.
Our Summer VPK program consists of 300
instructional hours and is recognized as our Summer 'FULL-DAY' VPK
Program. Children are eligible to participate in the Summer VPK
Program if they meet all of the following criteria:
•Child must be 4 years of age on or before
September 1st and,
•have not previously participated in the VPK
program and,
•will be entering kindergarten in the
upcoming school-year
All of our Summer VPK Lead Teachers have:
• One (1) of the following credentials:
•A Bachelor’s Degree or higher in early
childhood education, prekindergarten or primary education,
preschool education, or family and consumer science; or
•A Bachelor’s Degree in elementary education,
if the pre-k instructor has been certified to teach children any
age from birth through 6th grade, with a Florida Educator’s
Certificate, regardless whether the certificate is current or not,
and has not had this educator certificate suspended or revoked.
•A valid (current) Florida Educator
Certificate (Please note that a teaching degree from another
country must be evaluated and translated by an accredited
organization and submitted to DCF for approval.
•Copy of Local Law Enforcement Criminal
Background screening completed upon being hired and every 5 years
thereafter.
•Copy of Florida Department of Law
Enforcement (FDLE) Criminal Background screening completed and
current within in the past 5 years.
•Copy of Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) Criminal Background check completed and current within the
last 5 years.
•Copy of Affidavit of Good Moral Character
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