| Child development experts in Carrollwood, Tampa, | | | | The implementation of the Voluntary Pre |
| 33625 will be unanimous in telling parents of four | | | | Kindergarten Program law in Florida cannot be |
| year old pre school children that the best kind of | | | | handled by just a single entity. It has, therefore, |
| childcare facility they can choose for their kids | | | | been distributed among different agencies that |
| would be a daycare learning center that | | | | lead and supervise school districts, early learning |
| incorporates Voluntary Pre Kindergarten or VPK in | | | | groups and private and public providers of the |
| its programs. But do you know why it is so | | | | VPK program. Day to day program management |
| important to get a daycare learning center that | | | | is handled by the Agency for Workforce |
| incorporates Voluntary Pre Kindergarten or VPK in | | | | Innovation (AWI); standards, curriculum, and |
| Carrollwood, Tampa, 33625? | | | | accountability are handled by the Department of |
| In January 2005, the state of Florida signed the | | | | Education (DOE); and licenses and credentials are |
| free Voluntary Pre Kindergarten or VPK Program | | | | issued by the Department of Children and Families |
| into law. From the start, it was designed to be a | | | | (DCF). |
| pre school preparatory phase that will teach four | | | | The Voluntary Pre Kindergarten Program is |
| year old children the necessary skills to begin | | | | administered in 540 instructional hours during the |
| learning language, pre-reading, pre-math and social | | | | school year and in 300 instructional hours during |
| interaction. The Voluntary Pre Kindergarten | | | | the summer. If given within the school year, the |
| concept was founded on the scientific truth that | | | | law requires that each VPK class should have not |
| between the ages of four and five, children are | | | | more than 18 children. If given during the summer, |
| undergoing the most crucial developments in brain | | | | on the other hand, the law requires a VPK class |
| growth because it is at this period that they first | | | | to have not more than 10 children. In both cases, |
| gain the ability to focus their attention and follow | | | | the ratio should always remain to be one teacher |
| directions. These developments were proven to | | | | for every 10 students. |
| be helped along by a structured process of | | | | To qualify for the Voluntary Pre Kindergarten |
| learning. | | | | Program within the school year, teachers should |
| It is not surprising, therefore, that children who | | | | have an associate degree in child development or |
| have been given the best early childhood | | | | an associate degree in another field provided they |
| education programs were found by child | | | | have six hours of credit on child development or |
| development experts to perform much better in | | | | early childhood education and 480 hours of |
| school later in life. They were found to have | | | | experience in child care or education for children |
| better developed language skills and social skills, | | | | up to the age of eight. |
| higher test scores for school readiness, and less | | | | To qualify for the Voluntary Pre Kindergarten |
| behavioural problems from kindergarten onwards. | | | | Program in summer, teachers should have a |
| They end up becoming students who are highly | | | | Florida Educator Certificate or a Bachelor's Degree |
| motivated, strong readers and with a lifelong love | | | | or higher in early childhood education, |
| for learning. They are, therefore, deemed to be | | | | pre-kindergarten or primary education, preschool |
| most likely to succeed in their fields of endeavour. | | | | education, or family and consumer science. |