Florida’s Office of Early Learning
RULE NO.:RULE TITLE:
6M-8.201Child Enrollment Procedure for the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program
NOTICE OF CHANGE
Notice is hereby given that the following changes have been made to the proposed rule in accordance with subparagraph 120.54(3)(d)1., F.S., published in Vol. 42 No. 247, December 22, 2016 issue of the Florida Administrative Register.
The following changes have been made:
6M-8.201 Child Enrollment Procedure for the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program
(1) No change.
(2) No change.
(3) Determining eligibility. The early learning coalition will review information submitted through the Family Portal to determine each child’s eligibility. A child who resides in Florida and attains the age of 4 years old on or before September 1 of the program year is eligible to attend VPK that program year. Additionally, a A child who resides in Florida and attains the age of 4 between February 2 and September 1 may attend VPK either that program year or the subsequent program year. A child cannot attend VPK more than one program year unless granted a reenrollment under Rule 6M-8.210, F.A.C. A child is not eligible for VPK once he or she has been admitted to kindergarten.
(a) through (c) No change.
(4) through (5) No change.
Form OEL-VPK 02, Child Certificate of Eligibility
No change.
Form Form OEL-VPK 07 The Voluntary Prekindergarten Handbook has the following changes:
On introductory page entitled Florida VPK, FAMILY PORTAL QUICK TIPS:
Under first section, “Applying for VPK…” at the end of the section add a new sentence: You will need a valid email address to begin.
Under second section, “Then…” 1. No change 2. No change. 3. Follow email instructions to validate your account. Renumber remaining sentence.
Page 1, under “Program Highlights” first three bullets, no change; last bullet shall now read: Parent choice is a priority, so both private providers and public schools providers participate.
Page 5, under “VPK Class Standards” introductory paragraph shall now read: Teacher qualifications are important for delivering high-quality instruction. VPK instructors must meet minimum education standards. Ratio of instructor to children and group size also indicates quality. When deciding, parents should ask potential providers about teacher qualifications and classroom requirements.
The remainder of this section has no other changes.
Page 8, under “Applying for VPK” under “Age Requirements” last bullet shall now read: If none of the documents listed above are available a parent may submit a notarized affidavit of the child’s age accompanied by a certificate of age accompanied by a letter on official letterhead signed by a public health officer or physician stating that the child’s age shown in the affidavit is true and correct.
