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Hillsborough schools director details early‑childhood programs, seats and classroom model
Summary
Emily Chamina, the district’s director of early childhood, outlined Hillsborough County Public Schools’ Pre K ESE, Head Start and VPK offerings, reported seat counts and described an inclusive classroom model and practical tips for families to boost kindergarten readiness.
Emily Chamina, director of early childhood for Hillsborough County Public Schools, described the district’s early‑learning programs and enrollment options during a district podcast episode, saying the programs aim to build the social, emotional and language foundations children need before kindergarten.
“Education can really start at birth,” Chamina said, adding that “the home and parents are the child's first teacher.” She stressed that early experiences—exposure to sound, music and first words—are “the fundamental building blocks of literacy.”
Chamina outlined three district programs. Pre K ESE (Pre K Exceptional Student Education) serves children with identified delays—speech, language, autism or other developmental challenges—beginning at age 3 through the year before kindergarten; certified teachers implement students’ individualized education programs (IEPs) in full‑time classrooms or by embedding services at community providers. “For our most intensive students, they're recommended for our full time classroom…we implement their IEP,” she said.
Head Start, a federally funded, income‑based program for 3‑, 4‑ and 5‑year‑olds, is offered by the district at multiple sites. “We have 1,812 seats available at 56 sites throughout the district,” Chamina said, and staff offer wraparound services to support families with education or vocational needs.
The district also runs voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) funded by the state of Florida. Chamina said the district provides a full school‑year VPK model (roughly 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.) rather than the shorter community offerings and has more than 1,765 VPK seats across about 168 classrooms. She highlighted the district’s blended model that places VPK students alongside students with disabilities: “we are very, very proud of our model that blends our VPK students with our students with disabilities.”
On kindergarten readiness, Chamina urged families to look beyond early academics. “Kindergarten readiness is a lot more than beyond academics,” she said, emphasizing social‑emotional skills—sharing, resolving conflicts, navigating routines such as moving from classroom to library or cafeteria—that allow children to engage with school instruction.
Chamina offered practical, low‑cost activities families can use at home to build language and numeracy: read aloud and talk about pictures, ask predictive questions about stories, and use routine outings like grocery shopping to point out numbers, aisles and prices. “The communication, the interaction between the parent and the child is really the foundation of that learning,” she said.
Describing early childhood classrooms, Chamina said teachers set up learning centers—dress‑up, cooking, writing, technology and book areas—and emphasize hands‑on, student‑led learning rather than long periods at desks. “We are not a sit and get program,” she said. “We are a very interactive student led instruction.”
Host Deborah Belanti closed the episode by thanking Chamina and directing listeners to the district website for more information on early learning and enrollment options.
The district did not announce changes to program eligibility or new funding in the episode; listeners seeking enrollment details were directed to the Hillsborough County Public Schools website.
