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Families

VPK

Florida’s FREE Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program prepares early learners for kindergarten and builds the foundation for their future educational success.

To be eligible, a child must:

  • Reside in Florida
  • Be four (4) years old on or before Sept. 1

If your child’s 4th birthday is between Feb. 2 – Sept. 1, your child can enroll in the current program year or in the following year’s program.

Families can choose from private child care centers or public schools and school-year or summer programs. A child with special needs has an additional option outside the classroom setting; this option is VPK Specialized Instructional Services (SIS).

Next steps:

  1. Collect the needed documents. Gather one document that shows your child’s age and one document that shows your current address.  See below for a list of acceptable documents.
  2. Apply for VPK online through Florida’s Early Learning Family Portal. Submit a VPK application for your child.  Remember to upload the document that shows your child’s age and the document that shows your current address.  Be sure to type your child’s name, your name, and your current address (no P.O. boxes) on the VPK application exactly as this information appears on the documents you have collected.
  3. Review VPK providers online. Create a short list of VPK providers that meet your family’s needs. Click here for Approved VPK Providers (Updated 09/20/24). Review each provider’s information (including the provider profiles that give information on services, curriculum, instructor credentials, instructor-to-student ratio, and the latest kindergarten readiness rate) through the DCF’s CARES system.
  4. Choose a VPK provider. Now that you know about the VPK program and VPK providers, choose the provider that best meets your family’s needs.
  5. Get your child’s VPK certificate. Once you receive an email that the ELC approved your child’s VPK application, log onto Florida’s Early Learning Family Portal to print a copy of your child’s VPK certificate.  Then take that certificate to your chosen VPK provider to register your child.

Need information about the VPK program? Read “The Voluntary Prekindergarten Handbook” on Florida’s Early Learning Family Portal to learn about the three VPK program options, the types of providers, and caregiver rights and responsibilities.

Want a custom list of possible VPK providers? Return a completed Customer Intake Form to receive a list of possible providers based on the criteria you select.

Customer Intake Form
Current VPK Providers
Apply Now

If you need more help, contact the ELC’s Child Care Resource and Referral Line toll-free at 1-866-973-9030 or by emailing VPK@elcbigbend.org.

List of Acceptable Documents

To help the ELC approve your child’s VPK application, you will need to upload verification of your child’s age and verification of your address.

For child’s age, please choose one of the following (enter your child’s name on the VPK application exactly as it appears on one of the below documents):

  • Child’s birth certificate from a government agency
  • Immunization record (signed by a doctor or health official, electronic signatures are valid, immunizations do not have to be current)
  • Passport or certificate of child’s arrival in the United States
  • Child’s life insurance policy that has been in effect for at least two years
  • Valid military dependent identification card
  • Federal or state government-issued identification card (may be from a foreign government)

If you do not have any of the above, please contact the ELC for assistance at vpk@elcbigbend.org

For caregiver’s address, please choose one of the following (enter your name and address on the VPK application exactly as they appear on one of the below documents):

  • Government-issued document (not expired), such as:
    • Florida driver’s license/ID card
    • Food Stamp, Medicaid, or TANF benefit letter dated within 12 months of your application date
    • Social Security Administration benefit letter dated within 12 months of your application date
    • Housing assistance worksheet
    • Vehicle registration
    • Voter registration
    • Property tax assessment showing a homestead exemption or tax exemption receipt dated within 12 months of the application submission date
  • Utility bill (electric, gas, water, waste/recycling), cable/satellite, internet, or landline phone bill dated within 12 months of the application submission date
  • Utility hook-up confirmation is acceptable if it indicates service to start on or before the start date of the VPK program year
  • Pay stub or W2 dated within 12 months of the application submission date
  • Lease signed and dated within 12 months of the application submission date
  • Must be signed and dated by tenant and property owner/representative
  • The lease term cannot be expired (and cannot be on “month-to-month”)
  • Rental receipt signed and dated by the property owner/representative within 12 months of the application submission date
  • Military order showing child’s parent is a U.S. Armed Forces service member assigned to Florida
  • Federal government order showing child’s parent is a federal employee assigned to Florida

If you do not have any of the above, please contact the ELC for assistance at vpk@elcbigbend.org

Division of Early Learning
Florida VPK

Public Records Request: Please contact Chief Program Officer, Arnold McKay, (850) 385-0504.
Written requests can be mailed to 2639 N Monroe St, Building C-300, Tallahassee FL, 32303, or faxed to (850) 270-6710.
The ELC does reserve the right to deny any requests that fall within the compliance of the 2018 Florida Statutes Title XLVIII, Chapter 1002

Sponsored by the Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend Region, Inc. (ELC) and the State of Florida, Division of Early Learning

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