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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, school-readiness subsidized child care and childcare resource and referral services.
Board members and staff discussed how readiness is measured, and Dr. Wilde explained current and upcoming changes. Currently, kindergarten readiness is measured during the first 30 days of kindergarten using the STAR Early Literacy (FAST STAR) benchmark; students must score 690 or higher to be counted as "kindergarten ready." District staff said that score will increase to 707 this year and that provider accountability will include three components: classroom observation (the CLASS observational tool), pre-K progress monitoring (Fast PM) and a growth measure. Dr. Wilde said the CLASS observation threshold used by the state is a minimum score of 4 on a 7-point scale for continuing participation; district classrooms ranged from 5.17 to 7. The board recognized a Bayshore Elementary classroom for achieving a perfect 7 on that observation.
Officials provided county results from the most recent publicly available year (2023). St. Lucie County kindergarten readiness was reported at 47% compared with 51% statewide. Dr. Wilde showed the county breakdown: among students who attended a VPK program and were "completers" (attended 70% or more of program hours), 57% were kindergarten ready; among students who did not attend any VPK program, 31% were kindergarten ready. Dr. Wilde and board members emphasized that these figures lag and that more current, student-level linking is pending state data-system improvements.
Board members asked about district-run VPK classrooms. Dr. Wilde said the district staffs full-day VPK classrooms with a teacher and a paraprofessional, supplements state funding with Title I dollars and with parent-pay seats (district parent-pay seats were $370 per month during the school year). She said the district subsidizes about $900,000 this year to operate full-day VPK seats. The district screened 575 children for its VPK seats this year; notifications were expected by March.
Board members and staff discussed outreach and barriers to families. Dr. Wilde and Deborah La Bella described countywide efforts led or coordinated by the Early Learning Coalition, the district, Head Start and community partners: an annual early-childhood professional development conference, parent outreach through school parent liaisons and community boards, and referrals for families seeking school-readiness subsidies. Board members suggested surveying families who did not enroll in VPK to identify barriers; Dr. Wilde said the state's data linkage problems (inconsistent IDs and name formats) currently limit that analysis but that the state is working on improvements.
The board asked several technical questions about curriculum expectations for private providers. Dr. Wilde said VPK providers must meet state standards but are not required to use a single prescribed curriculum; the district shares curriculum resources and models with providers through the annual conference and direct outreach. She also noted turnover among private-provider staff as a recurring challenge.
The presentation closed with staff emphasizing advocacy for increased VPK funding and the district's ongoing collaboration with the Early Learning Coalition and other partners.
