VOLUNTARY PREKINDERGARTEN
Governor Crist and Lt. Governor Kottkamp believe a bright beginning for children prepares them for success in school. This path to educational success is available for parents through Florida’s voluntary prekindergarten program (VPK) that was created as a result of a constitutional amendment passed overwhelmingly by voters in November 2002. Supporting the constitutional amendment, Governor Bush and Lt. Governor Jennings pushed for parental choice, literacy based curriculum, and accountability measures to continually increase the success and quality of the program.
Through the joint commitment of the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI), Department of Education (DOE) and Department of Children and Families (DCF), Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten Program provides a strong foundation in reading readiness and early literacy curriculum. The parents of 4 year olds have the choice of placing their children in a high-quality early learning program before the child enters kindergarten. Families are afforded a choice among different program options including a 540-instructional-hour school-year program or a 300-instructional-hour summer program, both delivered by either a public school or private provider.
Under Governor Crist’s leadership in education reform, Florida is poised to become the recognized national leader in high-quality early childhood education, helping tens of thousands of children be successful in school and in life.