New prekindergarten program for Pinellas County kids

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (September 18, 2018) – A new option for low-cost, high-quality childcare is now available toPinellas County families. PreK All Day, provided by the Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County, is a preschool program with a full day of learning and care for children ages 4-5 years.

The PreK All Day program expands on Florida’s free Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK) to provide a full-day of care. Prekindergarten programs like PreK All Day and VPK provide children with a foundation for success in school.

VPK is proven to help children succeed in kindergarten. According to the Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener, only three in five kindergarteners (or 57 percent) in Pinellas County were “ready” for kindergarten in 2016-2017. However, two in three children (or 66.8 percent) who attended voluntary prekindergarten programs were ready for kindergarten.

“Prekindergarten programs are vital to prepare children for kindergarten, but families often have a hard time with the schedule,” said Lindsay Carson, chief executive operating officer of the Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County. “Families with kids in PreK All Day don’t have to worry about picking up their child mid-day, with childcare provided before and after the program.”

With PreK All Day, the child can spend a full day in care. These income-based scholarships are available to assist families of children ages 4-5, thanks to funding from the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County. Children must be registered for VPK to be eligible for the scholarship program.

More than 50 PreK All Day providers are located throughout Pinellas County, making it convenient for families. Funding is currently available and families can apply now at: http://elcpinellas.net/pkad-registration/.

About the Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County:

The Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County is a nonprofit agency focused on high quality, early care and education. In working with families and childcare providers, our goal is to prepare children to enter kindergarten ready to succeed – in school and in life. The coalition achieves this goal in collaboration with community partners by providing child care scholarships; Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK), training and technical assistance for child care providers; developmental, vision and hearing screenings; and resource and referral information for families looking for child care.