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

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These state-approved VPK programs are offered not just through public and private schools but also at some childcare centers, and through home-

Melanie Stefanowicz Guest Commentary 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:

∫ Physical health

∫ Approaches to learning

∫ Social and emotional development

∫ Language and communication

∫ Emergent literacy

∫ Mathematical and scientific thinking

∫ Social studies and the arts

∫ Motor development

Once parents register for the free program, they receive a VPK voucher for the school of want your opinion your opinion at

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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 highquality, 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

See VPK VOUCHERS, page 5

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