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Teachers and parents warn Highlands board against cutting optional VPK classrooms, citing readiness gaps
Summary
VPK teachers and parents at the Highlands County workshop argued that eliminating optional VPK classrooms would widen readiness gaps, harm kindergarten outcomes and disproportionately affect children from low-income families; board members requested data on kindergarten readiness to inform decisions.
VPK teachers, parents and early-education advocates told the Highlands County School Board that voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) classrooms in the district provide foundational social, motor and preliteracy skills that significantly improve kindergarten readiness.
Multiple VPK teachers described classroom practices — play-based learning, gross-motor activities, socialization exercises and early literacy supports — that prepare children to…
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