Does compulsory school attendance apply to Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK)?
No. Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Program has a separate set of enrollment and attendance requirements, which are not included under the authority of public K-12 compulsory school attendance laws. VPK is the result of a 2002 constitutional amendment, which required a voluntary prekindergarten program for all four-year-old children in Florida by fall 2005. In January 2005, Governor Bush signed a VPK Program bill into law designed to prepare four-year-olds for successful entry into kindergarten. The law allows a parent to voluntarily enroll an eligible child (four years old by September 1 and residing in Florida) in a free VPK program beginning in August or September of the 2005-2006 school year. The first summer VPK program will be offered in 2006. For information regarding registration and VPK Programs in your area, please visit Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Program website at http://www.vpkflorida.org.
