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By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, Times Staff WriterThe program is better known as it starts its second year. And it is not too late for parents to register a child.
As Florida's prekindergarten program enters its second year, many providers are having an easier time attracting 4-year-olds than they did last fall.
More than 7,100 Hillsborough County children have registered for the free classes, up from 6,700 who attended pre-K in the fall and summer sessions combined. In Pinellas, more than 4,500 youngsters have signed up. That compares to 5,000 for all of the past year.
"We have two full classes, and that's what we had last year. But we're probably going to add a few more to that," said Shirley Gorgei-Wood, owner of Robin's Nest Early Learning Center in Tampa. "They seem to be coming in pretty regularly."
Enrollment continues, even though many classes have begun.
"It's certainly not too late," said Guy Cooley, executive director of Coordinated Childcare of Pinellas. "They certainly can keep coming in any time for the next six months."
To gain the full benefit of the 540-hour program, however, it's better to register now.
To participate, parent must first get an eligibility certificate from the early learning coalition in the county where they want their child to attend pre-K. Hillsborough has three locations; Pinellas has five.
All that's needed for the certificate is the child's birth certificate - to qualify, the student must be 4 years old by Sept. 1 - and proof of Florida residency, such as a driver's license, utility bill or bank statement.
After getting the document, parents must apply with one of the participating providers, which will decide whether to admit the children. The state pays for the 540-hour program, but parents are responsible for the costs of any care before or after classes.
Pinellas has seen its number of providers jump from 165 last year to 217 this year, including 27 public schools. It has 5,809 seats available, up 1,400 from a year ago.
Hillsborough's providers have been slower to sign up. Many did not renew their contracts with the county Early Learning Coalition until late in the summer, executive director Dave McGerald said.
Still, McGerald expects to have enough pre-K seats available to serve as many as 10,000 children this year.
The voluntary prekindergarten program served just more than 100,000 Florida 4-year-olds, or about 40 percent of the total, during the 2005-06 school year and summer. Close to 66,000 children had registered for the new school year by Aug. 3.
Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at solochek@sptimes.com or 813 269-5304.
INFORMATION
Prekindergarten registration details:
* Hillsborough County
813-740-4713 www.elchc.org
* Pinellas County 727-547-5700
www.childcarepinellas.org