Early Learning/Prekindergarten

Early Learning / Prekindergarten

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Implementing Florida's Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program

Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS)

The Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS) is administered to assess the readiness of each child for kindergarten. The FLKRS includes a subset of the Early Childhood Observation System™ (ECHOS™) and the first two measures of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills™ (DIBELS™) for kindergarten (Letter Naming Fluency and Initial Sound Fluency) to gather information on a child’s development in emergent literacy.

Commissioner Smith Announces 2007 Kindergarten Readiness Results

Memo 08-06 FLKRS 2008 Regional Training Memo

Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS) State Report of District Results Fall 2007

Legislative Authority and Purpose

Section 1002.69(1), Florida Statutes, (F.S.) directed the Florida Department of Education to establish a kindergarten readiness screening based upon Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Standards.
Section 1002.69(1), F.S., also specifies that the Department of Education shall require each public school to administer a kindergarten readiness screening to all kindergarten students in the school district within the first 30 school days of each school year. Additionally, each parent who enrolls his or her child in the VPK Education Program in the previous school year must voluntarily submit the child for the FLKRS, regardless of whether the child is admitted to kindergarten in a public or non-public school.
Section 1002.69(4), F.S., also requires each school district to designate sites for administering the FLKRS for VPK Education Program participants who will be attending kindergarten in a non-public school

Equivalent Credentials for VPK Instructors: An Overview and Recommendations

VPK Instructor Qualifications

Legislation to implement the 2002 constitutional amendment creating the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program includes the credentialing requirements for instructors in school-year and summer VPK classrooms (ss. 1002.55, 1002.61, and 1002.63, Florida Statutes (F.S.)). In addition, s. 1002.55(4)(e), F.S., authorizes the Department of Education to approve educational credentials for instructors in school-year VPK programs that are equivalent to or greater than those specified in law.

On June 21, 2005, the State Board of Education (SBE) adopted additional educational credentials as meeting the requirements for school-year VPK instructors. The following documents provide information regarding relevant statutory requirements and their implementation in VPK programs. These resources were developed to assist private providers, school districts, and early learning coalitions in their implementation of VPK instructor qualification requirements.

VPK Instructor Credential Checklists

Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Instructor Qualifications

Memo #07-02: TAP #07-01 Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Instructor Qualifications (1-24-07) (PDF)
Technical Assistance Paper # 07-01: Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Instructor Qualifications (PDF)

Statutory Requirements

Equivalent Credentials for VPK Instructors: Adopted by the State Board of Education, June 21, 2005 (PDF)
Attachment 1: Current and Proposed Bachelor’s (and Higher) Degrees (PDF)
Attachment 2: Current and Proposed Associate’s Degrees (PDF)

Section 1002.55(4)(e), F.S. authorizes the Department of Education to adopt criteria and procedures for approving equivalent educational credentials in addition to those already identified. The review process is described in the following document:

Review Process: Equivalent Credentials for Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program Instructors (01-2007) (PDF)

For Providers

VPK Provider - Kindergarten Readiness Rate Website

2005-06 Kindergarten Profile

VPK Director Endorsement Course

VPK Director Endorsement Course Release Flyer (PDF)
You can access the online course on the Department of Children and Families Child Care Training Website

VPK Memos

Technical Assistance Paper #07-02: 2004-05 and 2005-06 School District Participation and Impact of Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Program

Memo # 07-01: Technical Assistance Paper #07-02: 2004-05 and 2005-06 School District Participation and Impact of Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK Program (1-24-07) (PDF)
Technical Assistance Paper # 07-02: Technical Assistance Paper #07-02: 2004-05 and 2005-06 School District Participation and Impact of Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Program (PDF)

Florida Department of Education