Early learning will promote long-term success
March 4, 2008 | Source: Tallahassee Democrat - My View
Monesia T. Brown
My View
Under the leadership of Gov. Charlie Crist, children enrolled in Florida's voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) program are performing at substantially higher levels in the classroom. That's great news for parents and educators who are working hard to ensure that our children receive a premier education.
The recent release of the VPK readiness rates by the Florida Department of Education concluded that the VPK program is providing extraordinary benefits to our children in three key early-learning areas: alphabet recognition, sound recognition and classroom readiness. The screening results are consistent with national surveys that suggest children who are enrolled in early-learning education are more likely to have higher IQs, higher graduation rates and higher salaries.
Enrollment — which is free to all 4-year-olds — is among the nation's best. Florida's VPK program served more than 124,000 children last year, making ours the second-largest program in the country. At the Agency for Workforce Innovation, our Office of Early Learning is working hard to ensure that this success continues.
Studies show that the best opportunity to influence our children's lifetime learning is before kindergarten, when their most rapid period of brain growth occurs. During this crucial time, the VPK program not only helps children become more familiar with language, numbers and problem-solving strategies, it also helps children develop social skills and create meaningful relationships with their peers. In addition to the VPK program, our Office of Early Learning is helping families with children from birth to age 5 identify and participate in high-quality early learning programs through Florida's child-care resource and referral program and Florida's school readiness program.
One of the most important benefits of the VPK program is its accessibility. Florida's voluntary prekindergarten program is available for all Florida 4-year-olds, and parents can enroll their children in the program of their choice. Also, the VPK program is offered during the traditional school year, as well as the summer in public schools, private schools, child-care centers and licensed family child-care homes.
Florida's kindergarten readiness ratings are great news for everyone involved in the state's education system. Our agency will continue to work closely with all of our partners across the state — including the governor, the Department of Education, the Department of Children and Families, the 31 early-learning coalitions and the VPK providers — to ensure that this trend continues, and to give our children every opportunity to realize their full potential.
Because the continued development of Florida's world-class talent pool starts long before a child enters the classroom, the success of our children is also excellent news for Florida's economic prosperity. In fact, through our early learning programs, we are training tomorrow's work force. This investment in our future will build a solid educational foundation for our future work force, and will attract higher-paying, high-demand jobs.
As a parent of two young children myself, I join other parents throughout the state in celebrating the success of Florida's voluntary prekindergarten program. Our children are counting on us to provide them with the tools to better prepare them for their future learning and earning successes.
If your child is or will soon be 4 years old, I encourage you to learn more about Florida's free voluntary prekindergarten program by visiting the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation's early-learning Web site (www.FLReady.com).
