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Registration open for state's pre-K

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published May 17, 2005

The wait is over for families looking to enroll their four-year-olds in Florida's new prekindergarten program.

Official registration forms became available Tuesday - more than two months behind schedule - at area early learning coalition offices and on the Internet at www.vpkflorida.org Parents could have preregistered to this point, but that process was intended to gauge interest and did not mean a child was signed up.

Some counties will send parents who preregistered their children applications in the mail. Others might not.

Families that register for prekindergarten right away will not know if their preferred school or provider will take part in the program. Providers only recently received their applications, and most have yet to return them.

"Many of them still have questions about how to fill it out," said Dave McGerald, executive director of the Hillsborough Early Learning Coalition. "So we are holding two provider meetings."

After the provider forms come back, it could take another week or more - especially in larger counties - to compile provider lists that have thorough profiles, as the law requires.

"What we're probably going to see is at least a two-week period where we will verify the providers, certify them, and prepare a list for parents," said Janet Chapman, executive director of the Pinellas County Early Learning Coalition.

Meanwhile, families have to document that their children really will be four on or before Sept. 1, and that they are Florida residents. For families new to the school readiness-early learning system, that will mean face-to-face interviews.

Hernando County intends to wait until after its provider list is available, in a about a week, before having registration roundups, said Lenore Zulauf, voluntary pre-K specialist for the Hernando Early Learning Coalition.

"Parents are going to want to know where to take their children," Zulauf said. "If we don't have an answer for them, it kind of defeats the purpose."

The Pinellas coalition plans to open offices throughout the county, including night and weekend hours, over the next month.

"Or if they're really antsy and want to do it right now, they can drive down to the office," Chapman said.

The coalitions will determine a child's eligibility at those meetings. Parents should receive a certificate in the mail, along with a provider list.

"Then they can walk to any provider they want and, if there's space there, they can enroll," McGerald said.

McGerald predicted that Hillsborough parents seeking full day care to wrap around the three-hour pre-K instruction will have little problem finding seats.

"If there are tight spots, it's going to be for parents who are looking for just VPK, just the three hours," McGerald said, noting that many half-day providers already charge more than the $2,500 per student the state will pay, so many are saying they will not participate.

Chapman thinks Pinellas will have plenty of capacity.

"We've got enough folks interested," she said. "Now we're just really excited that we have the forms and can start to move forward."

For information, go to www.vpkflorida.org or contact your local early learning coalition:

Hillsborough County, 813-204-1769

Pinellas County, 727-548-1439

Pasco County, 800-443-1024

Hernando County, 352-797-9141

Citrus County, 352-563-9939 or 352-493-7408

[Last modified May 17, 2005, 13:40:35]