Voluntary PreKindergarten (VPK)
Voluntary PreKindergarten (VPK)
Florida’s legislatively mandated Voluntary PreKindergarten (VPK) program is intended to prepare every four-year-old in the state of Florida for kindergarten and build a strong foundation for their continued educational success.
VPK is a free, voluntary program that parents of 4 year old children can choose to participate in through either a school year program for a total of 540 instructional hours or a summer program for a total of 300 instructional hours.
Parents can also choose to enroll their child in either a public school or a preschool program offered by a private provider.
The Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend Region is the local entity responsible for the implementation and administration of the VPK program in Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, and Wakulla counties.
The ELC enrolls children and providers, and facilitates payments to VPK providers. The Coalition also provides up to date information on the VPK program, distributes current VPK policies, offers program guidance and instruction, presents training opportunities, and monitors compliance with VPK policies and standards. An electonic version of the entire Standards for Four-year olds can be downloaded here.
Providers interested in becoming a VPK provider for the 11-12 school year must complete the forms below and gather all required supporting documentation for VPK program staff. Once you have prepared all documentation, contact the Contracts & Reimbursement Department at (850) 385-0504 to schedule an appointment to submit your VPK application packet.
11-12 VPK Provider Letter, Checklist & Instructions (pdf 149.10 kB)
VPK Contract Attachment A (pdf 23.06 kB)
VPK Contract Attachment B (pdf 41.40 kB)
W9 (pdf 267.18 kB)
EFT Authorization Form (pdf 101.58 kB)
OPTIONAL: If you are a VPK only provider who would like to receive a co-op bag for a monthly fee of $10, please complete the Co-Op Agreement (pdf 15.24 kB)
Click here (pdf 91.31 kB) to view a listing of 2011-2012 approved VPK programs.
VPK Attendance & Parental Choice Certificates
All VPK public and private providers must maintain attendance records for students participating in the VPK program, as well as secure verification from the parent of each student in the VPK program that the child participated in accordance with the attendance reported for payment.
VPK providers must keep a record of each child's attendance as well as complete either the "Long" (Form AWI VPK 3L) or 'Short" (Form AWI VPK 3S) Student Attendance and Parental Choice Certificate and keep the originals on file for a minimum of 2 years.
Class Transfers
If after initial VPK enrollment a child needs to be moved to another classroom at the same provider, Form AWI-VPK 06 Informed Parental Consent for Class Transfers must be completed and submitted to the Coalition before the child can be transferred.
VPK Confirmation Numbers
In order to receive confirmation numbers, you must have an approved 2011-2012 VPK contract.
Section II of the certificate, including parent signature, must be complete for all certificates.
Completion of Section II includes:
- # 16 – 19 Provider name, location and contact information
- #20 – Correct VPK class identifier (ex: A, B, C. Teacher names are not valid identifiers)
- #21 – Date child enrolled
- #22 - 23 – Provider signature and date signed
- #24 - 25 – Parent signature and date signed
You must have a minimum of four certificates to start a VPK class.
VPK Confirmation numbers for approved providers will be issued Monday-Thursday during ELC office hours.
If you have fewer than five certificates, you may bring them to Market Day and receive confirmation numbers.
Providers with more than five certificates should visit any ELC office during operating hours to receive confirmation numbers.
