All children deserve to be in early care and education
programs of high quality that assist each child in
developing to her or his full potential.
School Readiness Programs
Providing care for School Readiness funded children in
Florida means following the requirements in Chapter 411
Florida Statutes. Provider programs are expected to “be
developmentally appropriate, research-based, involve
parents as their child’s first teacher, serve as
preventive measures for children at risk of future
school failure, enhance the educational readiness of
eligible children, and support family education. Each
School Readiness program shall provide the elements
necessary to prepare at-risk children school, including
health screening and referral and an appropriate
educational program.” Chapter 411.01(2)(a)
The Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County's personnel
formally monitor your
School Readiness provider’s classrooms and program in
general with research-based evaluations. These
assessments highlight the strengths of the program and
isolate areas in need of improvement. The Coalition can
then make recommendations for improvement based on the
findings of the assessments.
Research also shows the more parents are involved with a
program, the better the results of the program are for
their children. Ask how you can become involved with the
program, and if there will be any parent meetings to
help learn about children this age. Be sure to ask where
the lesson plans are and what the teacher has planned
for the children this week. Ask to see the daily
schedule and review the menu – snacks, meals and/or
both.
Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Programs
The Quality Department provides training and technical
assistance upon request to VPK programs. Topics can
include many of the same subjects that School Readiness
providers request. To meet specific VPK needs, the
Quality Department has three staff qualified to deliver
Department of Education standardized training on
Emergent Literacy in VPK, 2008 VPK Standards (latest
version), and Implementing the VPK Standards.
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