Melanie Stefanowicz

When it comes to the promise of school choice — that families can actively select the most appropriate educational paths for their children — Florida’s publicly funded prekindergarten programs are delivering in a big way.

In the four-county region of Southwest Florida that our nonprofit education coalition serves, no fewer than 260 different Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) programs provided a head start to nearly 7,500 children in school year 2021-22.

These state-approved VPK programs are offered not just through public and private schools but also at some childcare centers, and through home-based and faith-based organizations. Parents choose a VPK provider based on what programs best meet their children’s needs, with a curriculum that covers eight core developmental domains:

n physical health

n approaches to learning

n social and emotional development

n language and communication

n emergent literacy

n mathematical and scientific thinking

n social studies and the arts

n motor development

Once parents register for the free program, they receive a VPK voucher for the school of their choice, which fully covers program costs. This innovative effort came to pass thanks to Florida voters, who more than 20 years ago approved a ballot initiative to provide high-quality, publicly funded prekindergarten programs for every 4-year-old in the state. Since the free program began in 2005-06, more than 2.6 million children have benefited.

Program benefits are significant. Florida Department of Education data shows that children who participate in VPK are far better equipped for not just kindergarten but for their entire academic journey compared to than those who do not.

Statewide, of the roughly 188,000 students enrolled in kindergarten in fall 2022 who completed VPK, 62% were deemed ready for kindergarten based on early literacy tests. Only 40% of those who participated in VPK but didn’t finish, scored as high. And just 37% of those who didn’t attend at all were considered ready for kindergarten.

Research by The Children’s Reading Foundation found that children who enter kindergarten one year behind academically have a 26% chance of dropping out of high school. Fall behind by two years, and the dropout odds increase to 45%. Kids with a three-year learning gap at that point will drop out 55% of the time, research found.

Such choices, of course, create lifelong hurdles, from housing and employment struggles to well-established income gaps compared to those who finish school. Fundamentally, it’s a matter of fairness: parents shouldn’t have to choose between early childhood education and covering rent, mortgage payments, utilities, food and other basic household costs.

At the Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida, we stand ready to help parents and guardians enroll their children in either summer preschool, which provides up to 300 hours of classroom time, or the regular school-year program, which provides up to 540 hours of preschool. Classes are capped at 12 students in the summer and 20 during the school year.

If your child is 4 years old on or before Sept. 1 of the current school year, they can sign up. Kids whose fourth birthday falls between Feb. 2 and Sept. 1 can delay their VPK enrollment until next year, when they are 5, provided they don’t yet enroll in kindergarten.

Temporary Florida residents are also eligible — from military families and seasonal residents to those displaced by natural disasters or whose families are experiencing homelessness.

Apply for a VPK voucher today by visiting us online at VPKSWFL.org or calling the Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida at 239-935-6100. You can also visit our Fort Myers office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for assistance, located at 2675 Winkler Ave. The office provides free kiosks, and no appointments are needed.

— Melanie Stefanowicz is the CEO for Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida, which provides access to high-quality early education services for children in Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties.