3526 Ninth Street W.
Bradenton, FL 34205
941.757.2900 Phone
941.757.2915 Fax
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MON - THU
7:00am - 6:00pm
FRI
by appointment only
Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Funding
Support the House budget proposal for VPK which allocates $402.3 million to preserve the high-quality programs Florida voters envisioned.
This would reduce the VPK per child spending by 1% in alignment with FEFP reductions of .74% providing equity in reductions for education programs while still providing children with a high-quality educational foundation, ensuring future academic success.
Current Proposed Funding Allocations
As of March 26th, the House and Senate PreK-12 Appropriation committees have released their anticipated reductions to the VPK Program. Below is a chart that represents the cuts in state general revenue and the impact on the program.
| House PreK-12 Appropriations Recommendations | Senate PreK-12 Appropriations Recommendations |
|---|---|
| Total VPK Budget: $402,321,505 | Total VPK Budget: $369,628,863 |
| Base Student Allocation: School Year $2549 and Summer $2,168 | Base Student Allocation: School Year and Summer $2,320 |
| Coalition Administrative Spending: 4.5% (Current 4.85%) | Coalition Administrative Spending: 4.5% (Current 4.85%) |
| Teacher to Student Ratio: Maintains current ratio of 1 to 1:10 or 2:18. | Teacher to Student Ratio: 1 to 12 and an assistant for any class up to 20; with the 21st student the secondary instructor must have a CDA credential for a total class size of 24 (Current 1:10/2:18). |
Senate position represents a $255 dollar cut per child for a reduction of nearly 10%
Success in VPK
• Constitutionally mandated prekindergarten program, free to every four year old in Florida.
• Children that participate in the VPK program consistently perform better on the Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener than children that did not participate in VPK.
• Consists of quality indicators including developmentally appropriate curriculum, teacher credentials and ratios.
• Program has served approximately 654,000 children since it began in 2005 and is the second largest prekindergarten program in the nation.
• In 2009-2010, it is estimated that the program will serve approximately 70% of all four year olds in Florida. The total projected to be served is 160,555.
• Program growth is estimated to continue. Current estimates anticipate the program to serve 75% of all four year olds by 2010-2011.
