HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — If you have a young child, you may already be counting down the days till they qualify for voluntary Pre-K. In Florida, once your child turns 4 years old, they are eligible for free VPK, which equals 540 hours of instruction; that's usually a few hours every morning. But the bill for the rest of the day still falls on the parents to pick up.
But Early education is so important. Doctors will be the first to tell you to talk and sing to your baby while they’re in the womb. Babies are soaking up Information while in utero, and the first three years of life are critical.
WATCH full report by Heather Leigh
“From what I've understood, that's the most important learning years — you're really setting them up for success," said Karen Cress, a mom of three.
The Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County says kids who are kindergarten-ready have a 90% probability rate of reading at a third-grade level, but right now, nearly half of all children who enter kindergarten in Hillsborough County are not prepared and ready. It’s why Florida’s voluntary Pre-kindergarten program is so important, but what if parents can’t afford the second half?
“We have seen what people do. They take their 4-year-old to work," said Dr. Fred Hicks, the CEO of the Early Learning Coalition.
And that potentially puts their job in jeopardy.
“Everything about schools is set up for the school day, and the same with daycare, and most jobs are 8 to 5, 9 to 5 kind of thing. So, it's not a good system for working parents," Cress said. “We're not setting anyone up for success, just harried, stressed parents who are draining their bank accounts on daycare.”
There’s been a push in Tallahassee to extend the hours and possibly even cover a full day. Dr. Hicks says that it will be costly, but they’ll continue to make the ask, even if it’s for an extra hour or two.
“That would be wonderful, and maybe chop up the cost. Let's go with 250 million more and give us 4 hours. Great, that's wonderful," he said.
“This VPK system we have in the state of Florida, we're blessed. Not every state has this, and so they're trying to make it work, and they're doing what they need. But every little bit helps," said Aakash Patel, the Chair of the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County.
The ELC says 75 to 80% of kids who attend VPK are ready, which underscores how important the program really is for a kid's future.
“It's worth the investment, taking it from savings, working a little bit extra, but doing nothing really hurts us. There are so many parents here in our county, roughly 4000, who we don't know what their early education experience is for their child because they show up first day at either kindergarten in public, private, or home schooling with no prior early education experience, and that's not good," said Dr. Hicks.
Earlier this month, the ELC held the Education of Young Children Summit with business and community leaders. It raised $110,000 to help parents who can’t afford the second half of the day. The money will enhance VPK and preschool programs, especially in underserved communities.
Many school districts in our area offer VPK. Hillsborough County and Pinellas County, for example, charge parents $100 a week to supplement the additional hours. It’s cheaper if your child qualifies for free or reduced lunch.
If you have a childcare story you'd like me to look into, email me at Heather.Leigh@Tampabay28.com.
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Heather Leigh was born and raised in Tampa Bay. She’s invested in telling stories from Seminole Heights and Ybor City, helping you find affordable childcare, and improving our roads. Send Heather a message with any ideas you’d like to share.
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