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April 14, 2021

VPK Program Updates for Child Care Providers

The Office of Early Learning has recently released new updates regarding the the VPK Program. Here is some important information we want to ensure you are aware of:

 

  • Reimbursement for VPK Closures due to COVID-19: OEL was approved to reimburse 2020-2021 VPK School Year providers (January – June 2021) and 2021 VPK Summer Providers (May-June) for closures due to COVID that exceed the allowable 5- days. More information about processing those payments will be forthcoming.

 

  • Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program: Due to the fact that many districts and programs are operating their Spring 2021 education programs into the middle and latter days of June and, therefore, meeting current law would be a physical impossibility, the provisions of s. 1002.61(2)(a), Fla. Stat., requiring a minimum of 300 hours of instruction is suspended for the 2021 Summer VPK program for public schools and private prekindergarten providers. The 2021 Summer VPK program shall constitute a minimum of 200 hours of instruction and the funding shall be prorated accordingly.

 

  • Voluntary Prekindergarten Reenrollment: Rule 6M-8.210, F.A.C., provides guidance that a child who has attended a portion of the VPK school year program, but has not substantially completed the VPK program, may reenroll due to extreme hardship from a school year to a summer VPK provider and be reported as a new full-time equivalency (FTE), the funding for VPK. “Substantial completion” means a child has been enrolled in a VPK provider’s program for more than 70 percent of the instructional hours for the program type. “Extreme hardship” includes illness of the child or the child’s parent or closure of the child’s VPK provider as a result of a state of emergency as declared by a federal, state, or local government official (i.e., COVID-19).

Click here to review the revised Executive Order

Report COVID-19 Related Program Closures

Please be sure to report COVID closures in your program on the Provider Portal as soon as possible, as closure data is reported to OEL on a weekly basis.