Voluntary Prekindergarten – VPK

VPK stands for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. If you live in Florida, and your child will turn 4 by Sept. 1, your child is eligible to participate in Florida’s FREE Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) education program. Enrollment is limited at Polk County Public Schools sites throughout the county.

• The most important growth and development in the brain happens by the age of 5. The structured learning provided in VPK fosters children’s ability to be attentive and to follow directions, skills that will be needed for later success in school and life.
• VPK prepares children to be ready for school. Children who participate in high-quality early childhood education programs develop better language skills, score higher on school-readiness tests, and have better social skills and fewer behavioral problems once they enter school. They are also better prepared for kindergarten, especially in the areas of pre-reading, pre-math and social skills.
• VPK promotes a love of learning in children.