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Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ (M-DCPS) Department of Early Childhood Programs, “where learning begins,” has launched its Ready, Set, Enroll! campaign with a variety of early childhood education and Voluntary Pre-kindergarten (VPK) programs for the 2023-24 school year.
Florida’s VPK Education Program: VPK, a free program that prepares children for kindergarten and beyond, is available in more than 200 schools countywide. Children must be 4 years old on or before Sept. 1 of any year, to enroll. A list of the participating schools is available at http://earlychildhood.dadeschools.net.
M-DCPS’ VPK Program uses a lottery to select students. After submitting proof of birth and address to their home/neighborhood school before the Feb. 23 deadline, families will be entered into the VPK lottery. The lottery will be held on Friday, Feb. 24. Children, whose names are drawn from the lottery, will be selected to attend the program.
Open seats will be available at select schools after the lottery date. Parents, whose children were not selected, should contact the Early Childhood Programs at 305-995-7632 for assistance in finding an opening. A required VPK Program Certificate of Eligibility may be obtained online at the Office of Early Learning website: www.vpkhelp.org.
Head Start/Early Head Start Programs: Provided in partnership with Miami-Dade County Community Action and Human Services, the M-DCPS Head Start program is a federally funded, comprehensive, child-development program serving children birth to age 5 from income-eligible families. Children with disabilities are included in the programs and receive a full range of developmental services.
Applications for enrollment for both programs are accepted year-round. For more information, registration requirements, online applications, and a full listing of program sites, visit headstart.dadeschools.net/ or www.miamidade.gov/headstart.
Reverse Mainstream Program: General education role model students are needed for a limited number of slots in Pre-K Exceptional Student Education (ESE) programs across the district. This program offers a free, full-day, or half-day opportunity for qualifying students.
Students are eligible beginning on their third birthday and must have age-appropriate language and social skills because they will serve as models for children with disabilities.
This Pre-K ESE curriculum is robust and offers students an opportunity to learn pre-reading, math, science, and social studies, as well as develop their social skills in a school setting. Parents should inquire at their home/neighborhood school or call the Pre-K ESE office at 305-271-5701 to identify programs near their homes. Role models in the Reverse Mainstream program are invited to attend school for a few days in the spring so that teachers may determine their readiness for this program.
For more information, visit http:/earlychildhood.dadeschools.net or call 305-995-7632.
For the most up-to-date information, download the Dadeschools Mobile App to your iPhone or Android device.
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