Voluntary Pre-kindergarten (VPK)

All children four years old by September 1st prior to the beginning of the school year and reside in the green, red or blue zone have an opportunity to attend the Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK). This is a high quality prekindergarten learning opportunity provided by the St. Lucie County School District Title I Department in partnership with the Early Learning Coalition of St. Lucie County. The program is voluntary, free, and delivered according to professionally accepted standards approved by the Florida Department of Education. 

The VPK instructors are experienced in helping children acquire the skills they should know by the end of their VPK school year.  All instructors have valid teacher certification in K-6 Elementary Education, PreK/Primary or Early Childhood.  The non-instructional staff members are highly qualified and have experience, training and an educational background.  The school-year program provides at least 540 instructional hours to each child enrolled in the program.  Each classroom has 20 students with one teacher and one paraprofessional.  The summer program provides at least 300 instructional hours to each child enrolled in the program.  Each classroom has 12 students and one teacher.

The Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Prekindergarten Curriculum and the Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards for Four-Year Olds are used to guide the teachers in designing and implementing an appropriate early learning environment.  The teachers are proficient in individualizing the curriculum and creating the kind of quality environment that move children toward kindergarten, ready to learn.  The Standards for Four-Year Olds are aligned with the kindergarten Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and Common Core Standards.  The standards are organized in five domains:

• Physical Development
• Approaches to Learning
• Social and Emotional Development
• Language, Communication, and Emergent Literacy
• Cognitive Development and General Knowledge

Each VPK classroom also receives oral language/vocabulary, literacy and classroom management support from a team of highly qualified professionals.

The following monitoring instrument is administered to each VPK student:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Pre-K Assessment during the month of October and November, January and February, and April and May.  The assessment is used as a progress monitoring tool to assist the teachers in planning instruction to meet the individual needs of each student.

VPK Program Eligibility Requirements:

Parents are encouraged to go to the St. Lucie County Early Learning Coalition located at 810 South 6th Street in Fort Pierce to register their child for the VPK program.  The telephone number is (772) 595-6424.  The following documentation is required:

• Original Birth Certificate
• Original Immunization 650 HRS Form (Valid expiration date)
• Original Physical Form (Within the last year)
• Proof of Address
• Photo Identification

• Bayshore Elementary 8:45-3:15
• C.A. Moore Elementary (2 classrooms) 8:45-3:15
• Fort Pierce Magnet School of the Arts 9:40-4:10
• Garden City Early Learning Academy (4 classrooms) 8:30-3:30
• Lakewood Park Elementary 8:30-3:00
• Lawnwood Elementary 8:45-3:15
• Mariposa Elementary 8:30-3:00
• Parkway Elementary 8:30-3:00
• Samuel S. Gaines Academy 9:30-4:00
• Savanna Ridge Elementary 8:45-3:15
• St. Lucie Elementary 8:30-3:00
• Weatherbee Elementary 8:45-3:15
• White City Elementary 8:30-3:00