Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) is a FREE state program designed to prepare every child in Florida for kindergarten and build the foundation for their educational success. All age eligible children are entitled to participate. The VPK mission is to ensure that all children are intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically ready to enter school and are ready to learn, fully recognizing the crucial role of parents and caregivers as their child’s first teacher.

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Watch as Moonshot Radio host Dr. Nivea L. Torres interviews Brooke Flood, School Readiness Coordinator for SDIRC and KRC Collaborative Board Member.  Brooke shares information about the kindergarten readiness programs offered through SDIRC.

A Day in the Life of a VPK'er!

Dr. Nivea L. Torres , Moonshot Radio host, interviews Brooke Flood, School Readiness Coordinator for SDIRC and KRC Collaborative Board Member, Stacey Fletcher, VPK Teacher at Vero Beach Elementary and Josie Ruggeri, PreK Teacher at Pelican Island Elementary. Join Brooke, Stacey and Josie as they share information about what a day is like for a 4 or 5 year old in a Voluntary PreKindergarten classroom.

Math is EVERYWHERE! Early Numeracy Experiences

Dr. Nivea L. Torres , Moonshot Radio host, interviews Brooke Flood, School Readiness Coordinator for SDIRC and KRC Collaborative Board Member, Stacey Fletcher, VPK Teacher at Vero Beach Elementary and Josie Ruggeri, PreK Teacher at Pelican Island Elementary. Brooke, Stacey and Josie share information about early numeracy (math) and how families can infuse math experiences into their everyday lives.

Full day VPK (540 hours) is offered at Dodgertown Elementary, Fellsmere Elementary, Glendale Elementary, Indian River Academy, Pelican Island Elementary and Vero Beach Elementary. The VPK school day is from 8:40 am – 2:45PM or 3:00pm depending on school sites and follows the same calendar as the SDIRC K-12 students. SDIRC VPK does not include transportation or before/after care. Your child must be 4 years old on or before September 1. Lottery Application process begins in early January. See HOW TO APPLY School Year VPK.

Summer VPK is a 300 hour program offered for 6 weeks in June and July. This program will be offered on two school sites; one in North County and one in South County. You may choose which site is most convenient for your family. The program runs from 7:30 am – 5:30 pm 5 days a week. Typically, there is free Breakfast, lunch and snack pending funding. VPK does not include transportation. To be eligible for the Summer VPK program, your child must be 5 years old on or before September 1 and did NOT complete a Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten during the school year. Summer Application process begins in late MARCH. See HOW TO APPLY Summer VPK

Families must FIRST apply for their VPK Certificate of ELIGIBILITY from the FL Division of Early Learning Family Portal.

Step 1: Obtain a VPK Certificate of Eligibility: Complete the online registration process at: Early Learning Family Portal You will need

•  a valid email address
•  a copy or photo of your child’s birth certificate and
• a copy or photo of one proof of address to upload.

The Early Learning Coalition office (located at 2459 St. Lucie Ave (14th Ave) Vero Beach, 32960) has computers available for families who may not have a computer or smart phone. Please call 1(877)220-1223 for more information.

Step 2: Call Early Learning Programs Office Application Line to begin lottery application. CALL 564-3201 or email: vpk@indianriverschools.org

“On-time” Lottery applications will be accepted from the second Monday in January to Last Friday in March of current year.

Application includes submitting ALL of these required documents to our office:

• Valid VPK Certificate of Eligibility for upcoming school year
• Child’s Birth Certificate
• Proof of Residency (a bill for a service you receive in your name at your current address for example: water, cable/satellite, electricity, trash collection)

STEP 3: In early April, “On-time” applicants will receive an invite to schedule an appointment for their child to participate in the STAR Early Literacy assessment. Parents will create their FOCUS Parent Portal account or add child to their existing account.

STAR Early Literacy is a web-based assessment that measures both early literacy and early numeracy in a single assessment, providing reliable and valid data about students’ phonological awareness, phonics, word recognition, fluency (including estimated oral reading fluency), and vocabulary as well as early number recognition, counting, and more.

STEP 4: In early May, applicants will receive an email to accept a placement in one of our 11 VPK classrooms or notified that their child is on the wait list. Families will need to accept or decline placement to secure their child’s placement for the upcoming school year.

Pending openings at school sites, families who call to apply after March, will begin the assessment and complete their application.

STEP 5: In June and/or July- Families who accept placements will be notified to schedule a final enrollment appointment to come to the Early Learning Programs office to finalize all enrollment documents, review program commitments and sign the VPK Certificate of Eligibility.

STEP 6: In August, Families will receive a call from the VPK teacher to attend program/classroom orientation. Please make sure you contact information such as phone number and email are always up to date in the FOCUS portal for successful communication.

We look forward to meeting you!

Families must FIRST apply for their VPK Certificate of ELIGIBILITY from the FL Division of Early Learning Family Portal.

STEP 1: Obtain a VPK Certificate of Eligibility: Complete the online registration process at: Early Learning Family Portal You will need (A) a valid email address (B) a copy or photo of your child’s birth certificate and (C) a copy or photo of one proof of address to upload. The Early Learning Coalition office (located at 2459 St. Lucie Ave (14th Ave) Vero Beach, 32960) has computers available for families who may not have a computer or smart phone. Please call 1(877)220-1223 for more information.

STEP 2:  Beginning in March, Call Early Learning Programs Office Application Line to Summer VPK application.  CALL 564-3201  SPECIFY SUMMER VPK

Application includes submitting ALL of these required documents to our office:

• Valid VPK Certificate of Eligibility for upcoming school year
• Child’s Birth Certificate
• Proof of Residency (a bill for a service you receive in your name at your current address for example: water, cable/satellite, electricity, trash collection)
• Child’s Social Security Card (requested but not required)
• Up to date Physical and immunization records

STEP 3:  Late May - Families who have complete applications will be notified to schedule an enrollment appointment at the Early Learning Programs office to finalize all enrollment documents, provide up-to-date physical and immunization records, review program commitments and sign the VPK Certificate of Eligibility.

STEP 4:  Early June, Families will receive a call from our Summer VPK teachers to attend program/classroom orientation. Please make sure you contact information such as phone number and email are always up to date in the FOCUS portal for successful communication.

We look forward to meeting you!

Learn about the Early Learning and Developmental Standards by visiting the Florida Division of Early Learning Website. 

Moonshot Radio Interview with Brooke Flood,

SDIRC School Readiness Coordinator

Dr. Nivea L. Torres, Moonshot Radio host, interviews Brooke Flood, School Readiness Coordinator for SDIRC and Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative Board Member. Brooke shares information about the new interactive Early Learning and Developmental Standards website. The standards and benchmarks reflect the knowledge and skills that a child on a developmental progression should know and be able to do at the end of an age-related timeframe from Birth to Kindergarten.