The Head Start/Early Intervention Department administers the District’s Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Program, a State funded program that offers free instruction to Florida four-year-olds. The direct connection between the VPK Program and the District ensures that the services available through the District are provided to the students enrolled in the program.

District VPK Program models include:

• Head Start/VPK Extended Day – Provides 3 free hours of VPK from 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• VPK/Enrichment (fee supported) – Provides 3 hours of VPK plus an optional, additional 3 hours of instructional enrichment funded through parent fees.
• VPK/Enrichment (blended funding) – Provides full day (6 hour) instruction using a combination of VPK and other state/federal funding (e.g., Head Start, Title I, Migrant, ESE, etc.).
• VPK/Early Learning Labs (Offered at select high schools in conjunction with the CTACE program) – Provides 3 hours of VPK plus an optional, additional 3 hours of instructional enrichment funded through parent fees. High school students enrolled in the Early Childhood program spend time working with the VPK students throughout the day.

The VPK classes follow the 180-day school calendar. The program’s hours of operation vary based on program model and each school’s hours. After school care information is available at all elementary school locations.

When applying for the VPK Program, the following documents are required:

• Proof of age (example: child’s ORIGINAL birth certificate)
• Proof of Broward County residency
• Parent’s photo identification (driver’s license, State ID, etc.)

Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Eligibility:

• The child must be 4-years-old on or before September 1st of the current school year
• The child must be a resident of the State of Florida
• For free, VPK programs funded by Title I, the student must live within the boundary of the Title I school

There is a 2-step process to apply for any District VPK program:

• Parents must obtain a VPK Certificate of Eligibility. In order to do this, parents must submit an application to the State’s Family Portal.
• If approved, your child’s VPK Certificate of Eligibility will be sent via email

ELC Broward School Readiness Program offers financial assistance to income-eligible families to obtain affordable, high-quality child care in Broward County.

More info: https://www.elcbroward.org/school-readiness-financial-assistance-program
To Apply for School Readiness, Click Here.

What is the Step Up For Students Program?

It is an initiative of the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarship Program. The innovative program provides K-12 education scholarships for qualifying low-income students who are entering kindergarten or first grade or attended public school the previous year. The scholarships give low-income parents the opportunity to choose the K-12 school that best meets their children’s needs.  

Click here to see if you qualify at

https://www.stepupforstudents.org/

The parent of a public school student with a disability may request and receive from the State of Florida, a John M. McKay Scholarship (McKay Scholarship) for the student to enroll in and attend a private school or attend a public school other than the one to which is assigned, in accordance with the rules of the State Board of Education and with the Broward County Public Schools’ choice plan.

Eligibility Requirements

To be considered for the McKay Scholarship, the student must have an Individual Educational Plan (IEP), must be entering grades K-12, and must have spent the prior school year in attendance at a Florida public school in accordance with requirements and definitions established by Florida Senate Bill 256. Only students that were counted in the October and February FTE Surveys at a public school site during the prior school year are eligible for initial eligibility. Students with disabilities are students who are documented as having a mental disability, speech impairment, language impairment, a hearing impairment, a visual impairment, a dual sensory impairment, a physical impairment, an emotional/behavioral disability, a specific learning disability, a traumatic brain injury, or autism spectrum disorder.

If the student does not meet these requirements but has an IEP and is a dependent child of a member of the United States Armed Forces who transfers to a school in Florida from out of state or from a foreign country pursuant to a parent’s permanent change of station orders, the child may be eligible for a McKay Scholarship.

How to Apply Parents may find more information regarding the McKay Scholarship program by calling the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice at 1-800-447-1636 or by visiting their website at www.floridaschoolchoice.org. To apply for a McKay Scholarship to a private, the parent must apply online at this website. The parent must apply for the McKay Scholarship prior to withdrawing the student from the public school.

Private School Requests For assistance with a private school request, parents may call the Florida Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice Office at 1-800-447-1636. The deadlines for intent filing, private school enrollment and quarterly payments are set by Florida Statute. The deadlines can be found on the McKay Scholarship website at

www.floridaschoolchoice.org.