Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
St. Lucie officials outline VPK offerings and county kindergarten-readiness rates
Summary
District leaders and the Early Learning Coalition reviewed voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) enrollment, how kindergarten readiness is measured, recent results and changes to accountability metrics for providers.
Dr. Wilde and an Early Learning Coalition representative told the School Board that voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) and the county's subsidized child-care programs serve thousands of 3- and 4-year-olds and are tied to multiple state accountability measures.
The presentation described local VPK enrollment, how kindergarten readiness is currently measured and impending changes to provider performance designations and the kindergarten-readiness threshold.
Dr. Wilde said St. Lucie public schools offer VPK in district classrooms and partner with the Early Learning Coalition of St. Lucie County and private providers to expand access. "There are currently this year 2,371 students enrolled somewhere in VPK, and most of them are at the 86 private providers that the Early Learning Coalition authorizes," she said. She added that the district operates 16 VPK classrooms serving 320 students, about "a little less than 10% of the age-eligible students for pre-K." Deborah La Bella, director of programs at the Early Learning Coalition of St. Lucie County, said the coalition manages VPK,…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
