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District highlights VPK gains, cites childcare and staffing as barriers to full-day expansion
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Summary
Adrienne McDonough presented district VPK results showing higher kindergarten readiness for completers and described outreach, Summer Bridge gains and goals to expand full-day and fee-based VPK; staff highlighted training and Title I funding constraints as barriers to broader wrap-around services.
Adrienne McDonough, introduced by district leadership as director of early childhood, told the board the district's Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) programs show measurable gains and outlined strategies to expand seats and outreach.
McDonough said state and district data show VPK completers (students who completed at least 80% of required hours) are more likely to be kindergarten ready: "VPK completers...72 percent are showing kindergarten ready," compared with 54 percent for non-completers. She also emphasized the district's internal focus on classroom quality: Brevard uses CLASS observations and set a higher local threshold than the state (district target CLASS composite of 5 vs. the state threshold of 4) and reported improvements after targeted professional development.
McDonough highlighted the Summer Bridge program, a state-funded intervention: last year the district provided about 100 hours of focused instruction to roughly 83 VPK students and saw substantial gains on early-literacy measures (examples cited by staff: concepts of print improved across participating sites). She said the district will continue targeted summer supports and professional development for teachers and paraprofessionals.
On expansion, McDonough described four VPK delivery models in Brevard (step-forward programs at Title I schools, blended classrooms, Head Start partnerships, and four high-school CTE VPK programs at Merritt Island, Palm Bay, Satellite and Viera high schools). The district is exploring models for full-day options in non-Title I schools using a combination of the VPK certificate and fee-based family contributions, and she said staff are analyzing costs and potential fee levels.
Board members raised two recurring concerns: wrap-around childcare for families who need care beyond the school day, and the effect of Title I status on program continuity. A district staff member explained training requirements for four-year-olds complicate after-school wrap-around care and said the district is working to train additional staff so sites can safely accept younger children beyond the school day. On Title I, staff cautioned that "if a school loses Title I status, we can't have a Title I-funded program at that school" and gave Pinewood Elementary as an example where a Title I-funded VPK unit was moved to maintain compliance with federal funding rules.
McDonough also described community outreach strategies to fill VPK seats, including branded materials and events (the district mascot "Luna," rack cards, partnership with GCR, videos, and neighborhood outreach with community partners and the sheriff's office) and said the district will pilot additional advocate positions to support enrollment outreach.
No formal board action was taken; staff said expansion models and funding analyses will continue and that the board may be asked for direction as the cost models and program proposals are refined.
