Dear Manatee County Parents and VPK Providers,

VPK funding is in jeopardy! We need to engage all early learning partners and stakeholders to educate legislative members on the implications of reductions.

Please take a moment to phone or email members of the House and Senate appropriations who will be addressing the VPK budget and express your concern for VPK funding. All members can be contacted on these important funding decisions regardless of whether or not they serve your district/area. In addition to these committee members, please contact local representatives and senators representing Manatee County to make them aware of your concerns. It will be important for all members to be aware of this issue as it moves forward.

The names, phone numbers, and a link to the email address of the committee members and elected officials are listed below. Please share this information broadly and ask that phone calls and emails be sent by Tuesday 3/23 of next week.

Also, please find below sample emails that can be used by VPK providers and parents to express concerns about the proposed VPK funding reductions. Please encourage everyone to individualize their messages and educate members on their personal concerns and what reductions would mean from their perspective. Recommend that parents use their child’s name and include the name of their VPK provider.

Thank you for your assistance with this important matter,

The Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County

PARENT SAMPLE CORRESPONDENCE

Dear Representative/Senator XX:

I’m writing to you as a parent and as a consumer of a very important program in our community – Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK). I am writing to ask for your support to maintain the VPK per child funding at $2575 in order to ensure continued high-quality programs for children. In both the House and Senate budget proposals, the VPK program would receive a 15% reduction, while K-12 funding remains almost unchanged.

This year, I made a conscious decision to enroll my child in a center that provides VPK and the one I selected has an excellent reputation for quality. In my opinion, this center personifies the reason that VPK was created in the first place. I am very concerned about some of consequences that will happen if budget reductions are passed. I wonder whether my child’s center would still be able to offer the same caliber of care or if they will even continue to participate in the program.

I appreciate that you have a tremendous job this session. However, I ask that you reconsider the reductions to the VPK budget and the funding that supports child participation so that children continue to receive a high-quality educational foundation, ensuring future academic success.

Sincerely,

PROVIDER SAMPLE CORRESPONDENCE

Dear Representative/Senator XX:

I am writing to ask for your support to maintain the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) per child funding at $2575 in order to ensure continued high-quality programs Florida voters envisioned. With anticipated growth and potential funding reductions, Florida could become the largest program in the nation with one of the lowest rates for per child spending.

The House and Senate PreK-12 Appropriations committees have proposed reductions in VPK per child funding of nearly 15% while most areas of the K-12 budget were held harmless or only reduced by less than 1%. As a Florida small business owner and dedicated family advocate, I ask that you carefully consider the implications of VPK budget reductions to my business, the impact to the families I serve and the children we prepare for kindergarten. I appreciate the difficult decisions the legislature is making this session, but ask that you also consider the difficult decisions I might face if the proposed reductions become effective. The reductions will be damaging to my business and will negatively impact the families, children we serve and our local economy.

To offset this reduction, it has been proposed that the ratio be increased to permit 24 children in one classroom with two teachers. It is important to understand that due to space limitations, most facilities would not be able to accommodate 24 children in a classroom based on the state’s licensing restrictions. This means that the substantial reduction would impact VPK providers’ ability to meet the high quality standards and may mean that we cannot afford to participate in the VPK Education Program.

I am proud to offer VPK and hope I can continue to offer this valuable service to families in my community. With the support of the legislature and a commitment to children, we can ensure that every four-year-old in our great state is given the opportunity to learn and thrive.

Thank you for the hard work you do for our businesses and families in Florida.

Sincerely,

APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS

ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT REPRESENT MANATEE COUNTY

Governor Charlie Crist

Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Address: The Honorable Charlie Crist

Office of Governor Charlie Crist

State of Florida

The Capitol

400 S. Monroe St.

Tallahassee, FL 32399‐0001

Phone: Citizen Services Hotline: 850‐488‐4441

Executive Office of the Governor Switchboard: 850‐ 488‐7146

For individuals with hearing loss or speech disability: 1‐850‐922‐7795 (TTY)

OR 711 (Florida Telecommunication Relay)

Fax: (850) 487‐0801

Senator Mike Bennett – District 21

Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Address: Tallahassee: The Honorable Mike Bennett